Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: French Carlomagno
Colorist: Mattia Iacono
Letterer: Becca Carey
Cover Artists: French Carlomagno; Matthew Johnson
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 23, 2023
The Morrow Corporation sent Bibiana and her team to rescue a scientist. Instead, the masked mercenary Pyre captured her makeshift team of former gang members. When the fire-wielding soldier-for-hire removed his mask, she saw the face of a fallen member of her Special Forces team. But how can he be alive when Bibiana communes with his spirit? Let's charge into Dead Lucky #8 and find out!
Story
Last year, while guarding classified cargo in Jordan, Bibiana’s teammates died. Diagnosed with P.T.S.D. and honorably discharged, she returned to San Francisco. Instead of resuming life in the city she remembered, Bibiana used her strange, new superpowers to prevent Morrow from ruling her hometown. After that battle ended in disaster, Bibiana agreed to work for the technology giant in return for amnesty and positions within the company for her and her allies.
Bibiana’s ability to channel electricity seems linked to the spirits of her fallen team. Foremost among those is Ghost, who she named her first robot after. She often spoke with him while fighting Morrow. Now Ghost stands before her, seemingly resurrected, and hurls rivulets of fire at her. So with whose empowering spirit does she speak if Ghost still lives? Were the psychologists right: is she merely suffering from P.T.S.D.? If so, where do Bibiana's superpowers come from?
Meanwhile, former S.F.P.D. officer Maria updates Ms. Valentine on security operations. Her plea to lift Morrow's curfew gets interrupted when Ms. Korin arrives. Once again, Jimmi Morrow's secretary is rescheduling Valentine's appointment with the company C.E.O. Then Korin tells them that Bibi’s gone missing, and Morrow’s best technology can’t find her.
Art
After the highly detailed art in earlier issues, French Carlomagno’s work looks less polished in Dead Lucky #8. Fuzzy soldiers, sparse interiors, and tents and buildings in the Jordanian desert can't compare with lively districts, stately structures, and San Francisco's cultural and ethnic diversity. The story features fewer characters and no robots—humanoid or canine—or flying drones. Still, Bibi's scenes crackle with power: her confrontation with Ghost—and memories of their final mission—electrify.
Mattia Iacono delivers her usual mix of energetic colors to Dead Lucky #8. The Jordanian desert, interiors, and memories benefit from a loaded palette of intense colors. The sophisticated blend of florescent hues mixes with colorful shading to sustain this series' eye-catching appeal.
Writer Melissa Flores dishes out the dialogue in Dead Lucky #8, and letterer Becca Carey delivers. Uppercase black letters file into white balloons, and their orderly arrangement is easy to follow. Big white words locate us in time and space, and sound effects heighten confrontations with concussive force.
Final Thoughts
A revelation rocks Bibiana’s understanding of her superpowers when her last mission returns to haunt her in Dead Lucky #8.
Rating 8.6/10
For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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