Broken Frontier

It’s the title fight card no one ever dreamed of! Painkiller Jane vs. the Terminator.

Well, this is a bit of an unexpected crossover, isn’t it? Jimmy Palmiotti’s unkillable killing machine pitted against another (nearly) unstoppable killing machine. With this issue Palmiotti fires the opening salvo in a story that will crisscross between Dynamite’s Painkiller Jane and Terminator titles. As with any crossover/event type of story, though, the proof is in the reading…

We catch up with Jane just as she is finishing up a case – by finishing off a group of would-be drug smugglers. With the streets a little cleaner and a little safer she is just about to relax and celebrate when she learns that a friend has been kidnapped. The kidnappers promise all will be well, as long as they and a mysterious deal remain unmolested for 24 hours. Both the law and the underworld urge Jane to stay out of this but when has Jane ever taken advice? Meanwhile, in a post-nuclear future controlled by machines a group of freedom fighters attempt to reach a mysterious objective. The machines have a plan… and a time machine but the humans just may throw a monkey wrench into all that.

So far, Dynamite Entertainment’s run with Painkiller Jane had been one great roller coaster ride; silver screen style action, witty one-liners and surprising emotional depth. With this issue and the start of both a new story arc and a crossover we get at least two of these three things. There is no denying that writer Palmiotti puts in plenty of both Painkiller and Terminator style big screen action and Jane fires off nearly as many sharp lines as she does bullets but it is the emotion that is missing. There is a lot of information dropped in readers’ laps and, while it does not feel packed in with a sledgehammer, it does feel rather formulaic.

Artist Nigel Raynor takes over from Lee Moder here and yet the transition is perfectly seamless. Raynor’s style echoes Moder’s style with hints of sharp angularity and yet a bit of humor as well. Raynor also understands the cinematic nature of this title and so handles the big action sequences with aplomb and utilizes Hollywood style camera angles for many panels.

While this issue may not be as strong as previous issues of Painkiller Jane it still manages to be an entertaining, check-your-brain-at-the-door action thriller. The calendar may say "December" but this is certainly a summer blockbuster style comic so grab your movie ticket stub and settle in with a bag of popcorn.