Reviews»Comic Books»Punk Mambo #0
PUNK_ZERO_COVER-A_DAUTERMAN
Kareem Ali 4

Punk Mambo #0

 

  • The good

    Great character development made her a very intriguing character I want to see more. Artwork

  • The bad

    Would like to see her use powers in more current situations and stories.

  • The ugly

  • Punk Mambo #0 is a one shot issue written by Peter Milligan and published by Valiant about the Voodou priestess returning to London where she was first introduced to the punk lifestyle. She currently resides in the swamps of Louisiana and it’s not unusual for her to have visitors seeking her out, and such is the case with 2 guys from Student magazine wanting to interview her.  However, they made a mistake. She doesn’t receive visitors who don’t bring her a gift she can use in one of her rituals, so she punishes them by giving them hallucinations while they’re walking through the swamp, leaving them fleeing for their lives. Sometimes people leave her things near her doorsteps with the belief that she won’t harm them or their families. And these aren’t little trinkets but human heads and such. And she uses her latest offer to convene with her spirit guide, and her vision leads her to believe that she has to return to London, where she first met her punk friends and became part of that scene.  She recounts how she was attending a prestigious private school and her sudden change in appearance caused problems at school and at home, and she ended up being suspended. Instead of listening to her parents she instead ran away and ended up meeting Noxo and Dexy, and things changed. But this was decades ago, so what could she seek to gain by returning, and what was the reason for the falling out with her friends?

    PUNK_ZERO_002

    I know Punk Mambo has appeared in some Shadowman issues but this issue was my introduction to the character. And considering this is issue #0 I went in with the understanding that it would be dealing with the origin of the character and not the start of a completely new story arc. And the start of this issue was very intriguing as the introduction to Punk Mambo was raw with her treatment of the 2 students visiting her and the subsequent explanation of what she needs for her rituals, i.e. a human head. There wouldn’t be an explanation for why a human head was necessary or the circumstances behind acquiring one but it was pretty clear that nothing else would do on most occasions. And honestly, it made me interested in seeing how this usually worked for her and the extent of her powers even outside of this issue. Her current context was made clear through the 2 students visiting her and the way the locals viewed her but this issue would focus on her past and the location would change immediately to London. Her backstory was entertaining but not entirely unique for anyone even remotely familiar with punk culture. What I enjoyed was the relatively realistic approach to the difficulties she faced, and the manner in which she was first introduced to Joe Mayhem, the Voodou Priest who introduced her to the dark arts. There were entertaining moments that would show at times a wicked sense of humor too. However the path she would take while in London would indeed be a self-realization journey in the sense that she would understand herself better and the choices she would want to make going forward. And based on the series of events this issue, and the interesting character development, I’m curious about the type of situations she would be in going forward as well, so I hope to see her in another story at some point.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Punk Mambo #0 was an entertaining origin story and has piqued my interested in the character beyond the events contained in the pages of this issue. From the moment she was introduced to the final panel, there was great character development that fit perfectly in the message of things coming full circle for her, and the understanding she gained. And the artwork by Robert Gill just made everything more fascinating and appropriately creepy considering the subject matter. I know this isn’t the last we will see of Punk Mambo but hopefully this is the start of being able to see her more frequently.

     

    Release Date: 11/19/14

    Writer: Peter Milligan

    Artist: Robert Gill

     

     

     

  • Rating ( 8.25 )
  • Total score 8.3

2 comments

  1. T-Go Co Games (@TGoCoGames) - November 21, 2014 9:43 PM

    Looks like a really cool premise, and it’ll be good to get in at the origin story point. Gonna check it out!

    Reply
    • Kareem Ali - November 22, 2014 8:12 PM

      Yeah it was cool, and now I want to see more about the character

      Reply

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