PRIDE MONTH 2025! “Putting the SASS in ASSASSIN!” is a tagline so good it deserved a second outing. Writer David M. Booher’s return to the world of interstellar former killers-for-hire Max and Alex in Killer Queens 2 (subtitled ‘Kings, Not Wings!’) manages that rare thing for a sequel. It improves on the original; this time with Bradley Clayton on the art duties and Harry Saxon (colours) and Lucas Gattoni (letters) returning.
When I reviewed the first volume of the Dark Horse my main concern was that although it was an undeniably fun romp (“Embedded with social commentary and sparky back and forths between the cast, there’s lots to enjoy about Killer Queens as solid escapist fare”) the most noticeable weakness was that the main characters’ back story was vague and, given their one-time profession of choice, that made it difficult for the audience to empathise with them to the degree we were expected to. In Killer Queens 2 that point is addressed as we begin to see some of the factors that shaped Alex’s past.
In this second volume our focal duo once again get mixed up with their dodgy former boss, the jetpack-wearing space monkey Captain Bieti. It transpires that Bieti is chasing a bounty on the runaway heir to the planet of Sarelia. But said target turns out to Cahil, Alex’s sibling, who is fleeing because they want to keep the wings they were born with; appendages that on Sarelia are seen as a symbol of weakness by the world’s patriarchal rulers and routinely and forcibly cut off. Can Alex and Max save Cahl from this horrific fate and also topple the misogynistic ruling elite of Sarelia in the process?
Booher again manages to blend lively dialogue and comedic sci-fi capers with moments of profound poignancy and powerful social commentary about acceptance and identity. The metaphorical parallels are easily inferred but that makes them no less powerful in communication. Clayton’s visuals are dynamic when they need to be, quietly dramatic when they don’t, with a fine line in visual characterisation, while Saxon again gives events a rainbow vibrancy on the colouring front. Lucas Gattoni’s lettering choices, meanwhile, give an emotional kick to key sequences. Gattoni is a letterer whose contributions I have been enjoying more and more of late (see our review of A Wave Blue World’s Young Men in Love: New Romance).
A delicate balance of feelgood fun and relevant issue-led storytelling, Killer Queens 2 is, like its predecessor, perfect escapist reading. A third miniseries/trade materialising would be most welcome.
David M. Booher (W), Bradley Clayton (A), Harry Saxon (C), Lucas Gattoni (L) • Dark Horse Comics, $19.99
Review by Andy Oliver
