Punk Mambo #1
Recap
Punk Mambo, the punk rock sorceress with a crass attitude and cunning unmatched finally has her own solo tale spun by fan favorites Cullen Bunn and Adam Gorham!
What starts as a simple rescue in a bizarre twist (think Hansel & Gretel meets the Hills Have Eyes if it went down in Sunnyvale trailer park), Punk Mambo is thrown deep into an arcane mystery. Her "pet" Loa, Ayezan (a magical spirit of substantial power) is stripped from her mid-battle by an unexpected third party. While this does little to stop Punk Mambo from flexing her muscle and showing her enemies even without a magical monster in tow like a pokemon, it begs the questions: Who could possibly have the power to break their bound? Why? What does this mean for our favorite foul mouthed voodoo priestess and just what exactly is she gonna do about it?
The search for answers takes her on a journey that begins in none other than the Big Easy, New Orleans and drops her from the frying pan into the fire when a very, very powerful pantheon of voodoo spirits comes calling on her with an offer she cannot refuse.
Review
Cullen Bunn is a name one doesn’t sweat much when it comes to gambling on reading something new. Punk Mambo while a great character has been limited in scope in comparison to some of the more household Valiant names. In fact if you are totally new to the character it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to check out Ninjak:Operation Deadside as well as Ninjak: The Coalition, both amazing stories that show just how awesome Punk Mambo really is. Not to mention her team ups with Shadowman such as her 1st appearance in Shadowman #13 and Shadowman/Ninjak: Rapture also amazing stories. That all being said Bunn clearly did his homework because in just the first couple pages you can tell he has the “voice” of the character down. He doesn’t go overboard with trying to be edgy and doesn’t just load up all her dialogue with skeevy British cliched dialogue and profanities for the sake of it. Instead what we get is a mature look at Punk Mambo that while she’s aloof to the outside world she’s not detached from the things she deems important. Bunn perfectly balances the more “out there” elements of her character with the reality that she’s decades older than she appears and as such is a skilled veteran not to be taken lightly by man or monster. Any doubts you have about whether this book is something substantial or just one long meme about a chick with a pink mohawk that loves the Doors will be dashed by the conclusion of this debut issue.
Final Thoughts
Bunn perfectly balances the more "out there" elements of her character with the reality that she's decades older than she appears and as such is a skilled veteran not to be taken lightly by man or monster. Any doubts you have about whether this book is something substantial or just one long meme about a chick with a pink mohawk that loves the Doors will be dashed by the conclusion of this debut issue.
Punk Mambo #1: Witchy Woman
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
