I told myself that I was going to write at least one review for this series on its release date so here it is. I’ve actually done a great deal of talking about this series with my friends which is a sign that it’s stuck with me. In fact after describing it one friend described it as Kill Bill meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which I can’t say is wrong. I can say that Shotgun Wedding is the perfect marriage (pun intended) of those two stories, but with the fat trimmed off of both… especially Kill Bill. How does the final issue stack up? Well it ended the way I expected it to, which may or may not be the way you expect it to. To keep it short we finally learn what it was that made Mike run away from Chloe, but then we also see them hash out the feelings and details involving the decisions they both made.
That’s all I’m going to say about the story because it is the ending and you’ll want to read it for yourself. I was satisfied by the ending and though I expected the outcome that was delivered it was entertaining. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people complained about it, but it’s clear that the story was written as a whole and divided into issues. With that said someone who reads it from beginning to end as a trade will likely enjoy it more than someone who followed it weekly. I still don’t understand the weekly thing since it didn’t improve the ending or anything.
William Harms stays on point with the story and again I say that it’s screaming for a screenplay. Hell it even has the potential of a TV show if the concept was expanded. Anyway, Harms has crafted a well thought out world and populated it with interesting characters that you should care for… even Chloe.
Edward Pun delivers one final, knockout blow with this issue. This issue definitely has the most action and Pun makes it look easy. The joy of reading or watching an action sequence is seeing the kills and Pun delivers the awesome with this final issue. Not all of them are masterpieces, but they’re believable and entertaining for the story.
Hopefully you’ve been reading Shotgun Wedding from the beginning, if not I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to pick up the entire series now. I’m curious what the sales will be like and if the weekly release ended up helping it or not. It definitely makes for a good all-in-one read so if you’ve been saving them, now is the time to pull the trigger and catch up on one of the best action titles that Image/Top Cow/Minotaur Press has ever published.
Score: 4/5
Writer: William Harms Artist: Edward Pun Publisher: Image/Top Cow/Minotaur Press Price: $2.99 Release Date: 4/23/14 Format: Mini-Series, Print/Digital