VELVET #11
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting, Elizabeth Breitweiser
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: August 12, 2015

Velvet is back, bringing hell down upon those in her path and continuing to cause mayhem in the world of espionage and spies.

This new arc kicks off with a bang, and even though Velvet left the last arc at a bit of a disadvantage compared to the control we’ve typically seen her have over all situations, she’s back on the trail and in the driver’s seat with this issue. Brubaker is writing on hell of a spy story, with all the right twists, turns, back stabbing, deception and action readers could want. Anyone who is a fan of Black Widow or James Bond stories will feel right at home with this character, and I firmly believe she is one of the best Brubaker has ever written (and that’s saying something). The dialogue Brubaker writes is great and to say he is in sync with Steve Epting is an understatement. These two creators are telling a story that is extremely cohesive and never suffers from awkward pacing or artwork that does not suit the tone of the script. Brubaker may not be working solely in comics these days, but the quality of his work with this issue of Velvet cannot be questioned.

Steve Epting and Elizabeth Breitweiser are forces to be reckoned with and Velvet #11 is a damn good looking comic. This pair gets gritty when they need to, can make an office look intriguing and dangerous, and know how to make Velvet own a page. Epting’s work is top notch in this issue and Breitweiser’s colour work takes his strong pencils to the next level. The two show Velvet’s experience and age while never making the character seem too old to be relevant, and the pacing and layout of the pages in this issue is superb. This is spy artwork done right and anyone working on a Black Widow series or the upcoming James Bond book from Dynamite could take some pointers from what the art team produced in this issue.

Velvet #11 kicks off this arc very nicely and continues what has been a fantastic streak of great issues. Brubaker, Epting and Breitweiser are seasoned pros that work well together and the net result is a great comic book. This is a great spy story featuring one of the toughest characters in comics and I cannot recommend Velvet highly enough. Grab the first trade, then grab the second trade and then pick up this issue. You won’t be disappointed.

The Verdict: 10/10