Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the complementary comic book blog to the ODPH Podcast. For this entry, The latest adventure of Mark Dawson’s wildly popular assassin continues to ramp up its’ story on Comixology Originals. Beatrix Rose: Vigilante #3 by Stephanie Phillips, Valeria Favoccia, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Saida Temofonte continues Rose’s latest troubles with a mysterious companion now along for the ride. With more danger surrounding them, let’s not waste another second and jump right into a deep dive on this issue, shall we?
Beatrix Rose: Vigilante #3 - On Sale September 20th
Creative: Stephanie Phillips, Valeria Favoccia, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Saida Temofonte
Credit: Comixology originals
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The latest installment of Beatrix Rose’s saga has been quite the captivating one. Rose has re-emerged after being betrayed by her own British intelligence team in Japan. Now working freelance for the Triad to hunt down the killer known as “Yaomo” or “Demon,” Rose has become locked in on completing her assignment no matter what. The previous run-ins with Yaomo have not gone in her favor. At the end of the last issue, Rose faked Yaomo’s death to help her escape. It was a drastic change in events but Rose saw a lot of her own young daughter in Yaomo which caused Rose to re-assess. With the repercussions of her actions coming, Rose and Yaomo now have a bigger target on both of their heads.
This issue opens up with an investigation into the apparent death of Yaomo. Wit no body being discovered, the Triad has their doubts of what has happened and immediately begin to look in the direction of Beatrix Rose. Meanwhile, Beatrix and Yaomo escape to a safe house to make plans for what their next moves are. During this exchange, Yaomo has to be helped with dealing with a stab wound….caused by Beatrix. In tending to the wound, Yaomo opens up (not without some great back and forth tension) about why she is on a deadly mission versus the Triad. Readers get a great insight to the character and also get a healthy does of action before closing out the book with a final parting shot to hype the next chapter.
The emotional layers of Beatrix Rose really shine thru this issue. Phillips walks the readers thru Rose’s complex situation without losing track of the overall mission at hand. Protecting Yaomo now fills a void from losing her family. Seeing the lengths she goes to save and help Yaomo is a strong point to this chapter. Even with the more emotional points, the story NEVER loses its’ espionage feel. Take the moment with Rose attending to Yaomo’s stab wound for prime example. Phillips also writes great narration from Rose’s perspective to guide the readers thru what she’s seeing. This is anything but an ordinary spy tale and one you simply can not miss.
Favoccia creates a solid balance of drama and action with this issue. Seeing Yaomo’s backstory come to life is one readers can fully grasp her motivations around. Rose’s mannerisms in dealing with helping Yaomo stand out as well. Witnessing how Rose flips from protector to spy in the course of a few panels (see the wound/gun panels) is very noteworthy. The action stands out as it has from the first issue. Even with this being more of a dramatic issue than the previous two (imo), it still carries that same momentum right up to the last page.
Overall, The adventures of Beatrix Rose continue to be a must-read with this latest entry. Phillips, Favoccia & the team present another fantastic balance of high action and drama that readers simply can’t put down. Make sure to check this book out on Comixology this week.
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