This week, I reviewed the zero issue of Executive Assistant Iris Volume 2, written by series creator David Wohl. Now, this was my first encounter with the strange and exotic world of Executive Assistants, which is to say, a world full of dangerous but efficient (and not to mention sexy) personal protectors. This issue does a lot of the work that a zero issue should, it intrigues to the point of encouraging the reader to step back just a little and catch up before the second arc starts in earnest. The story, while only 12 pages long, fills in the gaps for those new to the series without really getting into detail about the first story. The narrator, the titular Iris, outlines the history of the Executive Assistants, an order of (mostly) female bodyguards, secretaries and assassins all rolled into one, that specializes in brutally effective tactics.
Artist Eduardo Francisco, with the aid of colorist Sunny Cho, paints a lively picture in this opening chapter to the second story, a picture that includes a bevvy of attractive if not mildly intimidating Executive Assistants. The story, called "The Hit List Agenda" begins with Iris explaining a little bit about her business, the business of personal protection of extremely wealthy patrons that are likely to see attempts on their lives. Iris is shown easily dispatching a would-be assassin, making his death look like a suicide. The visuals are gorgeous and vibrant, giving the action all the more impact. The end of the issue displays the final test of one Executive Assistant, the lovely Acteia. This test is an all out brawl between two prospective Assistants. This fight scene, as well as the earlier confrontation between Iris and her victim, has an elegant grace to it that is facilitated by the attentive nature with which Francisco details his characters. The background is exactly that when the action starts, and the attention is put squarely on the characters, an unsurprising fact when you consider just how much effort put into making each of them uniquely beautiful without venturing into the ridiculous zone. None of the characters is too sexy to be realistic, a problem that many comics have *cough* Power Girl *cough*, and that would have been devastating to this book from a first time reader's perspective.
While this issue had many solid points, it was only 12 pages long, which leaves a lot to be desired. And though this could be excused by the fact that it's a zero issue, I would hope that the author would consider the merits of a more detailed, perhaps even a little more explanatory opening act. How did Iris get here? Why is Acteia 's hiring important? What makes Diane Coverdale so worth protecting? I am interested to read the first story of Executive Assistant Iris, and in that sense, you could say this book was a success. It built the story up enough to encourage me to read both the start of the new arc when it begins in earnest next month, as well as the stories maiden narrative. I'm left with more questions than answers; the quality of this story is evident, and the art is crowd-pleasing, to say the least, but by the time the Hit List Agenda starts for real, I'll have a more secure understanding of the mythos surrounding Iris, and I think you should too.
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