"No. 1 with a Bullet #2" Comic Review

Nash Huang’s world is crumbling around her. A very private sex tape was just made very public. Her girlfriend has left her. Her employer is not helping matters. And the internet is reacting as you’d think it would because it’s full of monsters. To make matters worse, there’s a stalker lurking the shadows getting ever closer to her…too close.

No. 1 with a Bullet is incredibly relevant today with the sexual harassment and assault accusations flying every which way in Hollywood. This is a very real and very possible situation that you can see playing out tomorrow if it hasn’t already. Your heart will sink as you see what Nash is going through. The best she can do at times is just curl up in a ball and hope this all goes away, which is easier said than done.

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The creative team does a fantastic job in showing how Nash is getting hit from every angle. The panels bounce between her in different settings being dressed down by her boss or her girlfriend, each one making the matter worse. It creates a suffocating and overwhelming atmosphere, as if the world is drowning her in nightmares and she’s slowly sinking.

You can feel the rush of emotion from Nash in every panel. She's frustrated, angry, depressed, and so much more. Artist Jorge Corona conveys so much through these images that no internal dialogue is needed. Writer Jacob Semahn doesn't need to have Nash tell you what she's feeling, as you can see it on her face in every panel.

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Colorist Jen Hickman rounds out the creative team on No. 1 with a Bullet and adds a lot to the look and feel of the book, particularly when it comes to tone. The colors change with the various emotions Nash is experiencing. There are a lot of dark hues as Nash starts to peek her head out from the abyss.

The real treat of No. 1 with a Bullet comes in the final scenes of this issue. It's a subtle detail in a large panel that you probably won't notice the first time around. It's pointed out later on and it dramatically increases the scare factor. It elevates the book from a social thriller to an outright horror story. Where the first issue has you questioning how you interact with social media, this one will have you rethinking your reliance on the Internet of Things.

It's eerie how on point No. 1 with a Bullet is with the headlines in today's news. The comic hits a number of very relevant social issues in a way that makes way too much sense. This can happen. It would not be surprising at all to see a similar story pop up in the news tomorrow. It deals with how we handle fame, sex, technology, and fandom and where the lines are crossed with each.