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Publisher: Aspen
Writer: David Wohl
Artist: Eduardo Francisco
Cover: Joe Benitez

“Lies, Lies, Lies”: After successfully taking out the targets that had attempted to assassinate her boss, Iris has one more to go, and after the events of last issue she’s going to receive a little help for this one.  This mission has her going to take out the head of The Academy, the man responsible for making her and so many other young girls into these deadly Executive Assistants.

Iris has asked Lilly to assist her on this mission and to assemble a team, which seems to be made up of former students that are more than happy to dish out a little payback to dear old “dad.”  Lilly also has information on the new Academy, which has been moved to a state facility so it’s protected by military guards on the outside and assassins on the inside.  So the ladies stage a little distraction, and then the killing begins as short work is made of the guards, and Iris slips into the compound.  However, it seems as if her mission is a bit more personal here, and through several flashbacks we are shown what happened to the girls that did not excel in their classes.  Iris is there to make sure that this new group of young girls do not suffer the same fate as herself and her friends.  The only thing that stands in the way now is the other Executive Assistants that Lilly and her team run into, along with the two that are protecting Iris’s target.

David Wohl finishes up this arc nicely, and everything I worried about this series becoming was put to rest.  The build up to this issue was a well crafted intro, and the pay off was worth it.  The story was one you may have read before (or at least parts of it), but Wohl put the character of Iris before all of the action, sex, and mystery, and that will always make for a better story.  There’s a lot of potential with the cast of characters we have already met, as well as the untold number of assassins that have graduated from The Academy, and the other crime bosses that may or may not employ them.  I’m hoping that Wohl continues to expand on that and a lot of what’s already been revealed about Iris and her past that keeps this series a step above the rest.

I’ll also say that there hasn’t been one issue that has not been a feast for the eyes, and that’s thanks to Eduardo Francisco and those great colors of John Starr.  I like the fact that we get to see the story develop in the panels during the heavy fight scenes instead of splash page after splash page.  Sometimes I did think that there was some over crowding with the panels, but when everything looks this good, it’s a minor complaint.   The scenes with Lilly and the former members of The Academy ripping through the guards was just intense and very bloody.  This issue sports five covers, with four by Joe Benitez and Peter Steigerwald, and the last one by Eduardo Francisco and Steigerwald.  Each and every one is damn good, but the Rose and Lilly ones are my faves.

This is one of the newer books that is probably being slept on by too many people, and that’s a shame, though it didn’t help that the fourth issue took forever to come out.  I’d suggest that if you can’t find the first five issues (I’m counting issue #0), then hope for Aspen to put them in a TPB (trade paper back); but jump in on issue #5, as it seems as if Iris’s problems aren’t over, and that sits well with me.

I’m still amazed this is an actual practice that Wohl got the idea from when he read an article in the paper where young girls are enrolled in schools that teach actual executive assistant skills, along with combat techniques to act as body guards for high level businessmen.  So the next time you find yourself staring at the pretty assistant, you might want to be careful not to do or say anything stupid.

For more Executive Assistant: Iris check here!

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