Punk Mambo #3
Recap
Everyone's favorite sorceress just cannot catch a break, following the kidnapping of her "fairy voodoo mother" last issue and the Loa pantheon that tasked her out to begin with getting wrecked this one....Punk Mambo is running out of allies fast. If that wasn't enough, she's also got a man named Azaire after her who's sole super power is being a walking talking anti-magic field with Tony Stark money and a grudge. Our hero is up against the ropes in this way in ways she's never been.
Review
Cullen Bunn is masterfully pacing this mini, while we’re approaching the end he finds a way to deepen the story without cluttering it or making it feel rushed. Not only that but he adds some serious layers of depth to Mambo with just a few panels. Her struggling battle against Azaire and his goons shows Punk Mambo laying her soul bare to the reader if only for a few moments, without taking away the sting of her venom.
He makes just as much use of the subtle elements of this story as he does the more grandiose ones and it is a sight to behold. The only downside to his take on the character is knowing it is temporary being just 5 issues but as you get lost in the pages your mind blanks on that fact altogether until the end.
Gorham and Villarrubia provide beautiful yet varied and powerful art every single page. Whether it’s gloomy Loa standing ominously together or Punk Mambo showing even with her spells, she still has as much bite as she does bark the art team just cranks it outta the park. When an artist and a colorist flow this well together it creates something that is truly a cut above everything else you’ll see on the new comic racks. Seeing the dirty, vicious fight scenes in this issue gets the mind spinning thinking about how well the inevitable final showdown will be crafted.
Final Thoughts
Hitting the just over halfway point and Punk Mambo shows zero signs of slowing down. Bunn is ramping up the stakes with each and every issue and this one is no exception. One can only hope this will lead to Bunn taking on Punk Mambo again in an ongoing series or at least another mini with how crazy good this book already is.
Punk Mambo #3: Witchhunt
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10
