Bullet Gal

In this homage to pulp and noir stories, a gun-toting young woman exacts vigilante-style justice in the crime-infested city of Heropa, only to discover things are not as they seem. Mitzi, dubbed Bullet Gal by the press, is invited to join the prestigious Crime Crusaders Crew, but when her mentor, Lee, is killed, her investigation into the murder leads her to the truth behind Heropa’s true purpose and her own secret origin. This self-aware, metafictional adventure has a complicated pedigree: it takes place between two of Bergen’s other titles—2014’s Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth and 2013’s Who Is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?—and was adapted from the 2014–2015 comic book series of the same name. As a result, it suffers from awkward pacing, story threads which aren’t fully fleshed out, and a startlingly abrupt ending that lacks resolution. The text is littered with references to comics, movies, and popular culture, which, while narratively appropriate, prove more disruptive than helpful for the reader’s experience. Though ambitious, this tale still falls apart under the weight of its own cleverness. (Dec.)