Review - Executive Assistant: Orchid #2

April 25 is a day that comes once a year and has been dedicated in honor of Administrative Professionals, thanking them for all their hard work in keeping offices across the country running smoothly. I highly doubt the Executive Assistants of the floral nomenclature pay any attention to that day, as they'd rather galavant the globe and complete contracts. Executive Assistant: Orchid is one such flower in the assassination bouquet, picking up where she left off in the first issue in Executive Assistant: Orchid #2.

The title opens up with an Executive Assistant doing what she does best in killing an entire army of thugs in service of Ramos Cordova. She was hired by a rival group of businessmen looking to end the Cordova reign to, presumably, take over the drug trade. In the world of executive assistants, you can imagine that widespread contract killing is taken lying down. It's met with more killing.

Orchid was hired by Cordova to take out the suits who hired the other EA to take out Cordova men. It's a messy situation that Orchid has been brought into, doing her job with great efficiency. Too efficient almost, as she decides to take matters into her own hands and live her life. This doesn't go over well with another Executive Assistant, who appears at the end of the issue.

The title is written by Scott Lobdell who, for what it's worth, has written an issue that is relatively slow moving. The opening sequence feels detached from the rest of the issue, despite making sense in the grand scheme of things. Its place isn't immediately apparent though until later in the issue. It might have more sense to intersperse the scenes of the dock attack with the interrogation to tie them together better.

There's a lot action in this though, bloodletting and gunshots to and through the head. The pencils by Micah Gunnell and inks by Rob Stull (colors by David Curiel) effectively convey the violence without being overtly graphic, which is refreshing.

Overall, the issue felt very simple. Its the second in the three-part Orchid series and I can't help but think maybe the series should've just been a one-shot instead. Of course, I haven't read the third issue yet so my opinion may change then. I like the ending of the second issue as it gives Orchid a clear direction in her quest to free herself. Hopefully the series finishes on a high note.



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