Read as part of CBR11 Bingo: Illustrated
I love 70s moves. I love conspiracies. I love Megan Abbott’s work. Mix it all together and you’re probably going to make something I’ll love. That’s definitely the case here.
I collect Hard Case Crime novels as a hobby. I decided not to do this when they expanded to graphic novels but I admire the talent they got to do them. Abbott on this one and Crista Faust, another favorite, on one that I will have to check out as well.
This was great. It’s purely meant to be a cinematic experience on page. A mystery novel/conspiracy thriller/exploitation movie. It’s a shame Normandy was colored as white because Pam Grier would kill in a role like this, literally.
There is an element of Frank Miller here as you get a strong Sin City vibe but the plot itself is more akin to a Donald Westlake Parker novel. The titular Normandy is out to seek revenge on those who killed her sister. She has a predictably rough backstory and thus it inspires her to do a lot of things she’s not proud of in order to seek the truth.
This book is not more than it purports to be. It’s full of graphic sex and violence. While it does feature a female as the heroine and do a decent job portraying all the pricks she has to deal with (in some cases literally), it’s not one you’d chalk up for women’s empowerment.
But it doesn’t have to be. It’s an ode to a different time of story and that’s good enough for this particular reader.