All New Executive Assistant: Iris (Vol 4) #3
Publisher: Aspen
Writer: Brian Buccelatto
Artist: Pasquale Qualano
Cover: Pasquale Qualano & John Starr
Iris has dealt with plenty of dangerous circumstances in her world, though now it looks as if things are about to reach a new level. She’s being manipulated into protecting a young Executive Assistant whose father has now employed another EA to hunt them down and retrieve his daughter, and killing Iris in the process will be a bonus. Things aren’t looking too good for either, but Iris knows that the young girl will be better off with her than on her own. Now, if she can only convince the headstrong teenager to get on the same page, things will be fine.
The EA: Iris series continues to shine in the hands of Buccelatto & Qualano as we get to enjoy her latest adventure. What’s also great is that Iris is a much different woman now than when we first met her, and Buccelatto has been successfully giving us a more well rounded character. She’s not just a fierce assassin anymore, and the title benefits from her having a bit more personality than the fiercely loyal EA who protected her boss Mr. Ching. None of this has softened her up in the least, as Buccelatto writes another great action sequence where even wounded she does what only a “legend” like her can do to get away from the bad guys. Iris also has a very formidable opponent in Snapdragon, which makes for some solid back and forth along with high energy conflicts.
Qualano’s artwork here is not only good at telling the story, but the fight choreography and action flows very well from panel to panel. There’s some very good pacing throughout, from the intense dialogue scenes to when we get to see the characters cut loose and fight it out. The little hints of Iris’s personality here and there are also great, as with her character development we get to see a more expressive antagonist. As good as the art is, it’s John Starr’s colors that help bring it all together in the end to create a very solid and fun looking issue.
EA: Iris is a strong series that more than deserves a look, though if you’re new to the series starting at the beginning would help. It’s full of action and a great cast of female characters that don’t come off as cheap, over sexualized, character tropes. So as long as Aspen keeps these types of great stories coming there’s no excuse not to be reading them!
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