Review - Executive Assistant Assassins #2

Executive Assistants in the Aspen universe lead much more exciting lives than Executive Assistants in real life. Instead of ordering pens and stickies, they're dealing with drug dealers, attempted assassinations and relapses. Executive Assistant Assassins #2 has all this and more.

The second issue in the "Life After Death" storyline is written by Vince Hernandez, with pencils by Jordan Gunderson, colors by Teodoro Gonzalez and letteres by Josh Reed.

Lily is the drug-addled, Executive Asssistant du jour. Faced with death at the hands of Mazutsu's men, she finds herself in quite the predicament. If that was the entire issue, then needless to say it wouldn't be much of one. It's not and Lily is spared death by a CIA agent named Cope.

Cope knows that Mazutsu seeks to end all the Executive Assistants and has taken it upon himself to save Lily and get her into rehab. Rehab being an abandoned warehouse (apartment?) where she goes into violent withdrawals. And Mazutsu gets to show off his brand new Free Electron Laser Cannon.

The concept behind the Executive Assistants has always been intriguing, but Hernandez manages to make it seem less glamorous than it should actually be. There's a lot of narration and expository in this issue, refusing to let the action sort of speak for itself. It's clear that Lily has had a tough life, but dropping the f bomb every other panel and constantly playing difficult gets annoying more than show that aspect of her life.

Lily also offers the reader a little too much information in the way or narration. The reader is likely smart enough to figure a few things out along the way without Hernandez having Lily spell it out for them. For instance, it's not a stretch to say that Lily doesn't trust the CIA, considering she's an Executive Assistant who works in a strip club and is a heroin addict.

Gunderson doesn't really get to do much with the art either. His art is consistent with his work in the first issue, mainly in ensuring Lily is a face you'll remember. Most of the panels though are close-ups of characters' faces, leaving little room for anything else. This is the middle of the three-issue arc, so it's likely the third issue will have more in the way of action shots.

Again, the premise behind Executive Assistant Assassins #2 is intriguing and this is Aspen's first ongoing series. Lily isn't really as likeable as the other Executive Assistants; she's really just more annoying than anything. Hopefully the third issue can right the ship so to speak.

Executive Assistant Assassins #2 is available today with interiors below.