Gun Honey Doubles Down #2 Review
Writer: Charles Ardai
Artist: Ang Hor Kheng
Colorist: Asifur Rahman
Letterer: David Leach
Cover Artists: Derrick Chew, Ivan Tao, Cosplay, Ang Hor Kheng, Ace Continuado & Nuno Pereira
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 15, 2026
Regime change. It's all the rage in civilized society. But Joanna Tan isn't interested in political games. Sure, the $10 million intrigued her. But planting a gun in the most secure building in the world was a challenge she couldn't refuse. Only the job went wrong. Someone with President Vulapin's face took the bullet meant for him.
Now, Vulapin's angry. He'll come after Joanne and anyone who helped her. That includes Olga, who lost her brother to Vulapin's mad quest for power. But after coming up empty in Gelendzhik on the Black Sea, Joanna and Olga must take more doubles off the game board. And they'll be waiting. Where will Joanna Tan head next? And are there even more doubles than U.S. Intelligence suspects? Let’s leap into Gun Honey Doubles Down #2 and see!
Story
When Joanna enters Por-Bazhyn, she can’t see how she gets inside. But when they pull the sack off her head, she finds herself underneath the 8th-century archeological site. Her eventual interrogator doesn't believe Joanna's story. Still, a soldier suggests that Dr Kuzmina not disfigure her, as they may be able to ransom the American recording data for scientific purposes.
Joanna Tan came to this island in the Sengelen Mountains to search for another of President Vulapin’s lookalikes. But before she can do that, Joanna must escape her cell in Gun Honey Doubles Down #2. As Joanna remembers her briefing with Alexis Stern, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, she realizes that the clock is ticking. American surveillance noted three possible locations for Vulapin. And after the chaos in Gelendzhik, Joanna assumes that the staff here are expecting her.
Once again, Joanna discovers ample evidence that power corrupts. She also encounters people who are loyal to Vulapin’s regime in Charles Ardai’s story. Yet as she strives to escape her cell, avoid interrogation, and find the double of Vulapin, Joanna confronts the reality of life in a totalitarian government. In this place where society forces people to become something they despise, people still cling to any friends they can, and a few remember their childhood when anything seemed possible.
Joanna may have entered the ancient Uyghur fortress alone. Still, she gets by with a little help from her friends. And as she braves danger to protect herself and her friend Olga, Joanna vows to help someone else in need in Gun Honey Doubles Down #2.
Art
After a picturesque shot of an island on a lake, Ang Hor Kheng's close-ups and an inset panel reveal a truck approaching a fortress on a bridge. Two soldiers clad in armor, camouflage uniforms, and carrying machine guns follow their captive as they descend a curving turret-like stairway. Helmets, shades, and masks obscure their faces. Along with the sack over her head, Joanna wears drawstring pants, a tank top, and a jacket. Yet after the soldiers remove Joanna’s mask, Dr Kuzmina relieves her of everything else.
As Asifur Rahman lavishes a loaded palette on Gun Honey Doubles Down #2, the soldiers' green uniforms link them with the armored vehicles they drive. Yet they also evoke the lush greenery of southern Siberia. Dr Kuzmina's blue gloves link the torturer to an item Joanna tried to hide and the crumbling stone interior of her domain. Red links two items Dr Kuzmina doesn’t find with the curtain in her workroom. Yet as she removes her glasses to study her captive, a hanging lamp tinges the arched doorway, evoking jaws of death.
While David Leach shares Joanna's thoughts in blue narrative boxes, he places black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons. Orange boxes locate readers in time and space, while yellow boxes share advice from people Joanna respects. Letters grow bold for intonation and swell for volume. Sound effects reveal Joanna’s preparations and what she’s willing to undergo, while enhancing the action-packed finale. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
People caught in a bad situation often try to make the best of it, even if that means adopting the mindset and actions of their oppressors. But Joanna Tan refuses to let anyone hold her down. Dauntless to the end, she demonstrates that dying delivering others is better than a lifetime of cowering in fear or letting someone else determine your destiny in Gun Honey Doubles Down #2.
Rating 9.8/10
For more cover options see my cover preview of Gun Honey Doubles Down #2.
For what happened last time, see my review of Gun Honey Doubles Down #1.
For how this series started, see my review of Gun Honey Doubles Down #0.
For what happened before that, see my review of Gun Honey Collision Course TP.
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