PUNK MAMBO #0 Review


Valiant’s PUNK MAMBO #0 is a surprisingly good read. If you like the dark and edgy, read on to see why PUNK MAMBO is worth picking up this week.

The official description from Valiant:

Oi! Comics icon Peter Milligan (Hellblazer) and upstart artist Robert Gill (Armor Hunters: Harbinger) are about to introduce a different kind of magic into the back alleys of the Valiant Universe… Punk Mambo is about to head back home to spread some much-needed anarchy in the UK! The punks and the voodoo priests she used to know have cleaned themselves up, and she’s a loud, belching ghost from their past, come to break in the new furniture… and break some faces!

PUNK MAMBO #0 Cover

I’ve always been a fan of Shadowman from Valiant and when Peter Milligan came on-board at issue #13 I felt the book really hit it’s stride. That’s also the issue where he introduced Punk Mambo, the voodoo priestess from London who claims Sid Vicious as a spirit guide. Now Valiant and Milligan give us Punk Mambo #0 which is a great combination of origin, revenge and personal growth story all wrapped up in one issue. Mambo is a richly interesting character and now we get a glimpse of how she came to be and it’s well worth a read.

How does a high society prep school girl become a glue sniffing punk voodoo priestess living in the backwater swaps of Louisiana? Well this issue give the gory details with a pinch of revenge to those who send he down that path. But ultimately revenge is less satisfying than just being happy with who you are rather than how you got there. Milligan makes this point without any sappy self realization but with plenty of gut satisfying justice and plenty of authentic punk angst.

Robert Gill made a statement with his work on Eternal Warrior and Armor Hunters: Harbinger and again does some fantastic work on Punk Mambo. Gritty line work with plenty of depth and darkness enriches the punk mood and voodoo vibe Mambo exudes.

In the end I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book and it is a balanced story of a very complex and odd character. In Shadowman she was a mystery but in her own book we finally see that she’s still a mystery but with plenty of punch and reasoning she should be both feared and respected. Punk Mambo is one tough cookie and Milligan makes her a character worth getting to know. It’s both a great piece of comic book storytelling and engaging character development. Don’t pass on Punk Mambo #0, it’s as good an origin as you find in the dark corners of the Valiant universe.

OUR RATING
8
  • + Well developed origin story.
  • + Gritty well suited art.
  • + Extremely well balanced.
  • - Not a great jumping on point.

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