By Ben Snyder

No matter what, reading the last issue of Kill or Be Killed was always going leave me disappointed because I’ve loved the entire series so much. Seeing it end, although it inevitably had to, was always going to leave a bad taste in my mouth. But Kill or Be Killed #20, disappointed me in a different way all-together. After such a stellar run from Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Breitweiser, the ending felt almost mean spirited with several instances of the rug being pulled out from underneath the reader for no purposeful reason besides to fill an entire chapter. Or perhaps I’m just jaded, because despite it’s faults Kill or Be Killed #20 is still better than most finales.

By Ben Snyder

Although, I have been an avid fan of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s Kill or Be Killed so far, there hasn’t quite been an issue that left me saying “what?” until this chapter. Kill or Be Killed #19 obviously signals the eventual series ending with a final page that will leave readers feeling and saying similarly, but it shouldn’t detract or distract from a thoroughly intense albeit dialogue heavy chapter. If there’s one complaint to Ed Brubaker’s style is that he can be a bit too dialogue-heavy and that is very prevalent in this chapter. Despite this, I think teamed up with Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser, this complaint is soothed a bit, as each cog works together harmoniously to produce another solid issue of Kill or Be Killed.

By Ben Snyder

Kill or Be Killed #18 is unfortunately somewhat of a letdown. Most of Kill or Be Killed’s success has been based off of Ed Brubaker’s characterization of Dylan, Brubaker’s toying with the supernatural/mental illness, and/or Sean Phillips’s predictably stellar art. But issue #18 is missing on most of these qualities. It’s still a solid entry in the series, especially as it is rapidly approaching its endgame. However, Kill or Be Killed #18 mostly feels like a catch-up issue, whose only purpose is to sort out details rather than make them feel purposeful.

Sixteen issues in and Kill or Be Killed continues to find new and interesting ways to hook the reader in. It seems like each new issue introduces another cumbersome wrinkle for Dylan to maneuver around.  In Kill or Be Killed #16, Dylan has to come to grips with a copycat killer besmirching his reputation and tarnishing his image while being confined and drugged up in an insane asylum. But its in Dylan’s introspection focusing on when he originally lost his youthful naiveté is where this issue makes its mark. In this instance both writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips work cohesively to not only make the reader side with a murdering insane person, but make a profound statement on life’s overall unfairness.

By Ben Snyder

Every issue of Kill or Be Killed is one to remember and issue #12 is no exception. What started as a tale of a hallucinating schizophrenic trying to reason why his murders were just and the right thing to do, has evolved into a commentary on the state of society and its justice system, a deep involving look at the mind of someone dealing with mental illness, a hopeful view on love, and so much more. Kill or Be Killed #12 is one of my favorite issues of the series for reasons the series has never touched on before. Dylan has a legitimate, at least to him, motivation for committing murders now.

By Ben Snyder

Just when things seem to be getting better for Dylan, Kill or Be Killed #11 brings him back down. Despite Dylan’s overarching narration throughout the past issues, I actually did forget that the entire story as of now has been a flashback in which we’re desperately trying to meet up with Dylan’s present. It can be frustrating because although Dylan points this out, we are again thrown back into the flashback format. Regardless, Kill or Be Killed #11is another great addition to an already fantastic story.