Title: Codename Baboushka, Volume 1: The Conclave of Death
Contributors: Shari Chankhamma, Simon Bowland
Genre: Graphic Novel, Spy, Gangster, Thriller, Crime
Series: Codename Baboushka
A
few starting notes:
I
received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.
NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair
and honest reviews.
I decided to give this a shot because of the cover: it has this kind of cool Russian-vibe going on, and it looked intriguing.
Sometimes, particularly with graphic novels, I really don't need any more than that.
Premise:
Femme fatale Baboushka is retired from the Russian crime-boss game. Until US intelligence want her to do them a favour, that is.
They don't give her much of a choice.
So it's time for the kick-as* Russian countess to get back in the game - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Best
bits:
A weird thing to start on, but I'm just gonna go with it: I really loved the chapter title pages.
They had that whole 007 title-sequence deal going on, with a colour-scheme of red, black, and white, and it just worked.
The style of the artwork in general had its own uniqueness - which is always good in a world where it's hard to be original in anything. I would've preferred a little more depth and shadow to the art, but that's a personal thing.
Baboushka herself is awesome - and I was impressed by how much she managed to move out of the shadow of that other leather-clad Russian comics heroine, The Black Widow.
The page layouts (and this sounds like such a geeky thing to talk about, but when something's done well, it's done well,) were really thought-out and affective.
The flow of the panels worked and there had clearly been some thought put into the backgrounds and the whole look and feel of the page. I appreciate it when some effort has been put in!
Also, the matryoshka (Russian nesting-doll) weapons rocked!
Not
so great bits:
To the Russian elephant in the room: the similarities between Baboushka and The Black Widow.
They are there, no question about it - the leather outfit, the fact that they're Russian, the unbeatable skills, the mysterious back-story, the stand-out hair colour (Baboushka's is white where Widow's is red, but the affect is much the same,) etc. etc.
Criticisms of Baboushka as a Black Widow mirror-image are valid.
But somehow it doesn't feel like it when you're reading.
Yes, they are very similar - but Baboushka is not Widow, she has a different feel to her character, and a different story, and there's the potential for them to move further apart in the future.
Black Widow casts a big shadow - and while I think the extent to which Baboushka manages to move out from that is admirable, I can't help but think that Marvel's Natasha Romanoff will always be in the back of the reader's mind.
There's a some (very, very, mild) swearing ('bl**dy',) and a lot of gore and violence here - so if that's not your thing, then this is probably not for you.
Verdict:
I enjoyed this - it brought a spark of originality to a character who could just have been a cheap imitation.
Baboushka, though, may never shake of Natasha Romanoff's spectre.
I hope she does. Because she has the potential to be truly great.
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