Bullet Gal is a character from Andrez Bergen’s superhero novel, Who Is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? Though never really seen in action in the book, she also makes an appearance in the second issue of Bergen’s anthology comic, Tales to Admonish, wherein she gets an adventure all her own called “All Fur Coat, No Knickers,” with art by Matt Kyme. Now, finally, she appears in her own title, albeit a short one. This is clearly a character that Mr. Bergen enjoys, and, reading Bullet Gal #1, it’s easy to see why.
The tone of this title is very different from that of her adventure in Tales to Admonish. Both the story and the art are much darker and grittier—with pictures done by Bergen himself this time, rather than Kyme. The comic is also done with a very palpable noir tone, which is a favorite stylistic choice of Bergen’s—and also of mine. Bonus points to Bergen for his use of the word “gunsel,” and further bonus points to any reader who knows what the word really means.
Our previous glimpses of Bullet Gal showed her after she was well established as a superhero in the world of Heropa: a smiling, ’60s-style heroine with a short skirt and a hat shaped like a bullet. This new adventure shows her origin: just an ordinary woman who wants to fight crime . . . with bullets. She has no superpowers to speak of, just a gun, which she uses to kill the vilest of the vile in the Heropa underworld. Then, she meets Lee, and everything changes.
I keep referencing the previous comic, and the book, but you don’t need to have any familiarity with either of them to enjoy this new title. The characters stand perfectly well on their own; however, if you get the chance, you should probably still check out both Capes of Heropa and Tales to Admonish, because they’re both a lot of fun.
This issue is titled Bullet Gal #1. I do hope that means there will be a #2 in the future, and other issues, as well. I really like Bullet Gal as a character, and I want to see more of her adventures. It would be interesting to see the progression from gritty noir girl with a gun to ’60s bombshell with a bullet hat. At any rate, I’m sure Andrez Bergen has more in store for this character. She’s just too much fun to leave alone.
