Jo always seems to not just reach the breaking point but jump right over the edge of it all. I was reluctant to open this issue hoping this 90s time period would last forever. If you haven’t met Jo yet then let me tell you that things in her world don’t survive very long. I knew the band’s story had to see an end soon. Well, Fatale hits us with some big surprises at the end. And although we have moved on from the 90s with this issue, the end captures some essence of that era with it. I was impressed with how it all fit together. But I am jumping the gun. Let’s start with the beginning. Jo recently recorded a video for the band where she let loose. She gave up holding back and in a real literal way killed with her looks. It was actually one of the coolest scenes I have read in comics. Of course the massacre gets out, and the town is going nuts. No one is more excited about this event than Wulf. He comes back into play finally discovering where Jo has been.
A lot of key players come back into this issue. This is what I love about the comic; you just can’t forget anyone. Jo has been living for so long, and I feel in any moment the narrator or the comic may bring someone from the past back. The stories all intertwined. Sometimes more than others, but all have been affected by the grace of Jo. I am wondering how many more men she has affected in her lifetime or how far the comic can go with her story. Not that I want it to end by any means, but this girl has got serious issues that need to be solved!
Anyway, the moment Jo kills all those men, her memories start coming back. Starting to remember who she is and what she has done has got to be strange to say the least. Obviously, her first mission is to get out of town. Jo always goes through these stages where she wants comfort and then she needs to run away; comfort, run, comfort, run. The cycle only makes the reader wonder even more what curse this girl is under and how much of it can she control.
The most pathetic part of this issue is Lance. This dude has got the Jo fever...hard. He defends her to Darcy, he covers up murders for this chick, and even refuses to run in hopes she will come back for him. All the men in Jo’s life are crazy, but Lance seems the worst. Maybe not as intense as the other guys, but definitely more affectionate than her other suitors.
The whole 90s era really ends with a bang, so make sure to finish out this story line. I have said it before, but it really has been my favorite. In the next couple of issues, I am hoping the story looks into more of the cult aspect of Jo. Since her amnesia, we haven’t seen so much of the religious side of the comic. I have to say this part scares but intrigues me the most. And obviously I am hoping to find more out about her, but I will not get my hopes up.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Sean Phillips Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 1/8/14