Review - Executive Assistant: Violet #2

Aspen's Executive Assistants are nearing the end of their collective Hit List Agenda. Executive Assistant: Violet #2 is the last series to reach the second of its three issues in the individual arcs (with the exception of Iris). Despite being the last to the party, Executive Assistant: Violet #2 ends on a note just as shocking as the other EAs.

Executive Assistant: Violet #2 is probably filled the most as far as backstory goes. Violet has two noteworthy encounters in this issue. The first is with another Executive Assistant and really just serves to put her in a coincidental awkward situation. The other encounter involves someone on the more nefarious side that puts both her life and her boss Henry's life in jeopardy.

Marc Andreyko is on writing duties on this one and has worked to tie Violet's story into the greater Hit List Agenda storyline. The suspect explosion of a chemical plant in India and Violet's compromised position at the end will no doubt play a larger role in the grand finale of the series. The pencils by Pop Mhan and Lori Hanson make Executive Assistant: Violet #2 stand out among the other issues with sharp facial lines.

The lines are accented by vibrant colors courtesy of John Starr, Peter Steigerwald and David Curiel. The book has a predominantly bluish tone to it that may or may not have been intentional to tie into the Violet aesthetic. It works well for the issue.

My one gripe with Executive Assistant: Violet #2 (as well as Orchid and Lotus) is that the reader is really being introduced to these characters at great length through the Hit List Agenda. The idea of the Executive Assistant as a badass assassin is awesome, but the reader has really only gotten to know Iris, mostly through her ongoing series.

The other three are having tons of backstory crammed into their three issue arcs tied to Hit List Agenda. It feels as if the storyline would have been better served if the other flowers had their own ongoing series. Who knows- maybe Aspen plans to use the Hit List Agenda as a means to launch ongoing series for the other three.

The conclusion of the storyline will surely be gargantuan. Again, Iris is a looming spectre over the other flowers, as she's the number one when it comes to Executive Assistants. Violet seems to have the most potential though as far as character exploration goes. Something about her tale resonates with the reader, more so than the tales of Lotus or Orchid.

Executive Assistant: Violet #2 should be in stores this Wednesday. Interiors below.