Death Drop Drag Assassin #1 Review

Scout Comics debuts a new queer-centric series for Pride Month in Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1. Written by Nottingham co-creator David Hazan, with illustration and colors by Alex Moore and letters by Lucas Gattoni, the five-part series follows the exploits of a former hitman and present-day drag queen, defending the gayborhood one block at a time.

Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 opens by intercutting two scenes: a queen giving a monologue at a drag show, and another queen outside, stopping a queer-bashing incident by turning it into a straight-bashing incident. Although late for her show and incurring the wrath of her house mother, Death Drop delivers a stellar performance. Across town, a violent murder takes place. Urged by their community, Death Drop agrees to dredge up their checkered past to find answers and solve the crime by any means necessary.

Death Drop beats up some bigots — Death Drop drops some bigots

Hazan's writing across Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 has some very strong moments, along with some that lack a sense of bite or nuance. The structure of the comic is robust, with a good sense of progression. Hazan makes slick work of setting up secondary plotlines for future issues. The dialogue flows well, although some of the wit is undercut by skirting around the copyright infringements inherent in the kind of referential humor the comic aims for. Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 works hard to set itself into a particular niche and tone, but the kitty-cat-ta-cat-yasss-mama-slay-era of camp culture has been hugely over-exposed and commercialized over the past decade, leaving it a little stale and sterile on the page. That being said, the longest monologue of the comic, on the nature of power, is a stand-out moment for the writing. Overall, Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 is pretty heavy-handed in its themes, ricocheting between quippy dialogue and hate crimes in a way that can feel a touch underdeveloped. Nonetheless, the comic does meaningful work interrogating the value of violent vigilantes protecting random citizens versus systematic work focused on society's most vulnerable, deconstructing the superhero genre with a thoughtful and critical eye.

Moore's art lacks a truly distinctive style but produces some charming character designs and convincing action sequences. Moore's characters are well-conceived in their aesthetics and fantastically expressive, punching the dialogue up an extra notch with their evocative facial expressions and body language. The action sequences are also good, if a little unimaginative, doing well to track dynamic movements and momentum across some inventive page designs.

Death Drop recovers her former tools as an assassin for hire.

Moore's colors do good work in Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1, infusing each setting with a unique atmosphere that complements the plot and dialogue. A few cool stylized pops of color electrify certain dramatic moments, as well as some nice moments playing with contrast and shadows that start to push the comic toward a genuinely noir feel. Gattoni's letters are solid throughout Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1. The slightly scratchy font offers a nice derivation from the norm without sacrificing any clarity. The sound effects are also very impactful.

Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 feels like a comic out of its time. Ten years ago, it would have been a subversive piece of work, but now, it treads water in a saturated market of entertainment that feels like it is by and about gay people, but not necessarily for us. Like drag itself, it cannot be denied that Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1 is an entertaining romp, but unlike drag, it fails to engage with any truly complex politics around gender and sexuality. As a comic, it has a multitude of creative merits, but as a debut, it falls short of its potential. Hopefully, as the series continues, the plot and aesthetics can fall into a more convincing rhythm.

CBR

REVIEW: Scout Comics' Death Drop: Drag Assassin #1