Clown Fatale #3 continues the story of Chloe and her crew after they decided they would go forward with the contract killing they agreed to with Talbot. And they also decided they would use the money to start over, considering the way things ended for them at the circus, or rather how they ended things, particularly the owner’s life and the biggest act at the circus. What they don’t know is how things originally reached this point nine months ago, and the exchange between Talbot and their target, Manny Ortiz. Talbot was the big shot in the town controlling all the rackets until Ortiz came across the border into the town encroaching on Talbot’s territory, taking over his rackets. The face to face meeting didn’t go as Talbot wanted as Ortiz wasn’t intimidated and vowed to take the entire city from him. So when the crew crashes through the gates of Ortiz’s residence and declares that there will be no survivors, they don’t fully know what they walked into or why Talbot was so adamant about there being no survivors. Are they prepared to complete the job and do what has to be done, or will their inexperience get the better of them and create even more problems?

I admit that I’ve been enjoying this series in a guilty pleasure, get the popcorn kind of way. And I believe that’s how it was intended to come across as all the elements of an exploitation film has been in this series to date. And after finally giving some backstory regarding the contract, things started off with a bang, literally. It’s just filled with explosive action and enough commentary to give a glimpse into what’s going through the minds of these new killers, since they aren’t professionals, while they knock off one person after another. So what would just be gratuitous violence maintains the theme of mostly reluctant contract killers due to circumstances and mistaken identity. So it’s easy to understand what they do and don’t do.

However things become more complicated as a result, and it’s unfortunate for them but it makes it possible for more to occur without feeling forced, and it’s very entertaining. It’s definitely fast-paced, however Victor Gischler does an excellent job of combining humor, character development and action so the fun never stops and you still get a good sense of what the characters are going through. And with the developments at the end I expect the conclusion of this series to be just as enjoyable.

SUMMARY

Clown Fatale #3 continues the rip-roaring ride and the tone of the series established in the first issue, and results in a great setup for the final issue. Just when you think the fast-paced nature of the series will slow down and the crew will have a moment of down time, a new element is introduced in an entertaining way. So if you’re looking for some heart-racing fun with all the elements of an exploitative film done right then you really need to check out this series.

Writer: Victor Gischler

Artist: Maurizio Rosenzweig

Release date: 1/15/14