Perdy, Volume 1: Flowers, Sex, Robbery

To my knowledge, this is the first European comics volume published in the US by Image Comics (it was translated into French and published simultaneously in Europe), and I feel it is a strong debut in that area. Perdy is rootin', tootin', rollicking western tale featuring one heck of a protagonist. Perdy is almost all id. She is rough and tough, always ready to drink, fight, and have her way in bed with any man of her choosing. She is like a hurricane blowing into town, and I love how she is depicted as a larger than life, older, more grizzled figure who is still somehow sexy and uses that to her advantage. She is a complicated figure, driven by her desires, a canny criminal, and often lewd and hilarious with her double entendres.

This page might be the most PG one I could find to share. Perdy is typically way more salty in her language.

When the book begins, Perdy is getting out of prison after 15 years and much has changed since she's been in the stir. Not only is she older, she has to do a lot of investigating to find her estranged daughter, Petunia, who is living in a small frontier town, running a flower shop, and going by the name Rose. She has a ton of suitors, and Perdy suspects she may be running a grift of her own to snag the richest man as her husband.

I adored the storytelling throughout this book!

When Rose gets sweet with the town's new doctor, Perdy reappears in her life, trying to recruit her for a new scheme and threatening to mess up everything. Over the course of the book the complicated backstory of their relationship is revealed, and it's pretty gruesome. Although this book is not really similar in terms of art or tone to another feminist western I recently read (and loved) Coyote Doggirl, Perdy also injects a different sort of spark and energy into the typical proceedings. The stout, buxom, and bombastic Perdy is certainly not the usual cowgirl, that's for sure. And I was left yearning for the second volume of this series, as this book ends with a cliffhanger. 

This book's creator is Kickliy, an American artist who has published much of his work in French. I first became aware of his work on the Musnet series published in the US by the ODOD imprint of uncivilized books. That series was an all ages book about a mouse who stumbles into Monet's garden and inspires the artist. He speaks more about his work on the Perdy books in this video and this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Jason Michelitch called it "a rock solid piece of serial entertainment -- it's funny, it's violent, and it comes through with a reason for you to come back for the next installment." Chris Coplan wrote about the art style, "All these crooked, ugly lines help create a world that’s alluring in its ugliness." Publishers Weekly summed up, "While not for the easily offended, this raunchy caper is an unexpected escape from typical genre fare."

Perdy was published by Image Comics, and they offer a preview and more here. Because it features nudity, sex, profanity, and violence, I suggest this books for mature readers.

A review copy was provided by the publisher.