By Jacob Cordas — Pulp stories are deceptively simple. They are stories that when summarized sound like so many other things we’ve seen before: a hard boiled detective needs to solve the mystery that is too close for comfort, a woman gets revenge on the men who wronged her, a monster attacks a city whose citizens must bond together to stop it. But when reduced down to this, it ignores the beauty of pulp. The familiarity is not a negative but a benefit. Knowing the beats makes each detail stand out so much more strongly. The voice of the author(s) comes through louder and clearer in all the ways they are able to play with these prepackaged toys. 

And I am happy to say Bad Mother #1 has exactly that clarity of voice and intent that pulp needs. 

Christa Faust (Peepland, Snakes On A Plane), Mike Deodato Jr. (Infinity Wars, Old Man Logan), Lee Loughridge (Hashtag: Danger,  Bronze Age Boogie) and Dezi Sienty (Mystery In Space) have come together to make a strong start to a pulp adventure. 

Ostensibly the plot follows April, a pregnant woman languishing as a suburban stay-at-home mom. Her daughter goes missing. Dead bodies disappear. And the hunt is on.  But bringing it down to these small points undermines just how enjoyable the experience reading Bad Mother #1 is. 

The writing that Faust imbues all of this with has a hard boiled clarity to it. She knows exactly how and when to implement violence - one of the most important things in pulp storytelling. The sequence where April is taken hostage is the pinnacle of this. The threat looms heavy over the multipage event but is only broken out sparingly. This maximizes the impact. 

Deodato’s art mixed with Loughridge’s coloring brings a scratchiness to the work that highlights the best parts of the genre. While there are a few weak moments early on with some of the background characters, the comic quickly picks up steam and begins churning out wonderful page after wonderful page. 

Special notice needs to be given to the excellent page late in the issue where April follows her daughter, Taylor, up the steps and into the restroom. The panel layout is perfectly crafted so you get their sense of disconnect without ever minimizing the motion on the page. The clash of the blues and oranges while still highlighting the brightness of Taylor’s dress against that contrast is great. It’s sharply considered making for, as stated above, a wonderful page. 

All around Bad Mother #1 is a delightful take on pulp storytelling. This issue has set a high bar for the series going forward. I cannot wait to see it clear that bar by a mile. 

Overall: Bad Mother #1 is a sharp, well made start to a pulpy adventure. Any fan of pulp storytelling will feel right at home on every page. 8/10

Bad Mother #1

Bad Mother #1
Writer: Christa Faust
Artist: Mike Deodato Jr.
Colorist: Lee Loughridge 
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Publisher: AWA
Price: $3.99
A nerve-racking thriller from crime writer Christa Faust and blockbuster artist Mike Deodato Jr. (The Resistance, Infinity Wars). April Walters is a hit-and-run victim of life -- a middle-aged soccer mom whose inner fire has been snuffed out by her dreary suburban existence. When her teenaged daughter goes missing under mysterious circumstances, April embarks on a harrowing mission to find her; a journey that takes her through the underbelly of her suburban community and sets her on a collision course with a massive crime syndicate and its lethal matriarch. Tested to her limits and beyond, April discovers that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.
Release Date: August 05, 2020
Buy It Digitally: Bad Mother #1

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My name is Jacob Cordas (@jacweasel) and I am not qualified to write this.