Review - Whore

The international man of mystery has it all. Cool cars, hot women and an attitude that few characters seem to be able to match. Jacob Mars thrives on all of the above in Whore, a new graphic novel published by Zenescope Entertainment.

Whore is written by Jeffrey Kaufman, with art by Marco Turini, colors by James Brown, letters by John Hunt and a cover by Felix Serrano and Kaufman.

Jacob is one of the best agents the CIA has. That is, until the agency decides to let him go, yet keep him close at the same time. He's free to do whatever he wants to make ends meet, within limits. Those limits are what the CIA deem to be contracts that threaten their best interests as an organization.

Needless to say, Jacob definitely finds a wide smattering of work to do, most of which involves spending time in bed with gorgeous women. Whore follows Jacob from one odd job to the next, all while he somehow manages to kill people who threaten him for good measure.

Kaufman has really latched on to the concept of the super spy for Jacob Mars, making the main character more James Bond than even Bond himself. There's always a sense of privilege when it comes to Bond, as it seems no matter the circumstances, Bond will prevail and do so while looking good. Kaufman applies that concept to Jacob Mars with a lot more intensity.

That's sort of the drawback to Whore. Jacob is depicted as so debonair, handsome, combat ready and sexually capable, that you never really worry for him. There are a few scenes where he's set upon by a number of hitmen, all of whom he handles with ease. Reading Whore sort of boils down to seeing who Jacob gets to bed next.

There are also the mysogonstic undertones that go along with a Bond character. Typically, in Bond canon, there are some pretty faces who are only there for a roll in the hay with 007, but there are others who hold their own with Bond. Those characters seem to be absent from Whore, with Jacob even going so far as having a phone conversation in the midst of intercourse with a woman.

Turini's art is really good in the book. Considering that Whore is a book primarily about sex (and this is Zenescope), he did an admirable job depicting the lifestyle of Jacob Mars without being obscene. Yes, there are sex scenes depicted in the book, but they're not too intense.

For a graphic novel, Whore is fairly enjoyable. It doesn't have a story that's completely original, nor will you ever really feel connected to Jacob as a lead. There is something to be said about the allure of a life on the run, as long as that run features hot women around every corner, dying to bed you. Whore is an entertaining take on what a renowned agent will do to pay the bills once the funding is cut off.

Whore is available now.