AWA; $19.99

Detective Amy Sun is in a tough spot. She’s investigating the death of Bella Rhinebeck, a young woman who narrowly escaped being murdered by a serial killer only to have the leader of the police’s tactical team who saved her become a bit of a stalker. Now she’s dead and police officer Keith Connolly is the number one suspect. But, Amy will quickly learn that something else much more sinister is also at play.

Amy witnesses a truly horrifying supernatural execution of the man who killed Bella. This sets her on an investigative path that uncovers a force of vengeance that was invoked by the victim in the weeks leading to her death. More deaths follow, and when Amy learns of their terrible sins, she questions if the Ribbon Queen should be stopped or left to her rampage.

Writer Garth Ennis packs a lot of content into each entry of the eight-issue series. Right away, he established a messy situation, a lead who clearly has a dark spot in her backstory, a suspect who’s supposed to be a good guy, and a powerful, dangerous presence. The supernatural aspect is the headliner with an entity doing truly terrifying things to its victims. But the story is way more complicated with a victim who may have made a deal with the devil, corrupt cops who think they can do whatever they want, and even a protagonist in the gray area.

Ribbon Queen benefits from the art of Jacen Burrows, Guillermo Ortego, and Dan Brown who bring it to life with realistic characters, background details, and panel angles that establish the book’s tone. The artists pack a powerful punch in the horror scenes as the Ribbon Queen literary tears her victims to shreds.

It’s a thought provoking crime comic and a boundary pushing horror book all rolled into one.

-Amanda Sheriff