Comic Review: Lovesick #2

Image Comics Story & Art: Luana Vecchio English Adaption: Edward Caio

  In Lovesick #2, Luana Vecchio strikes a perfect balance between dark humor and truly depraved. Her characters are smooth and round, and there’s a pretty, glossy filter over every page. Domino and her girls pose with groovy, dramatic flair, giving the book the feel of a 60s musical at times. But there is far darker imagery, such as Domino idling in a tub full of red, with a mutilated body hanging over the water. Another page depicts the killer dominatrix as a demon capable of destroying the world. The interpolation of this soulless carnage with the lighter BDSM fare is effectively unnerving. Vecchio makes so many delicious color choices, from the pink-tinted dance floors of the opening pages to the gory red wash of Domino’s demonic turn. As a character, Domino remains strangely elusive, though she appears remarkably untouched by the copious violence she commits. Death is a joyless game to her, and I’m curious whether Vecchio has any intention of filling readers in on why, or whether violence is simply a natural part of the character’s world, her first language. Domino might be a mystery, but it now seems clear what Vecchio is planning for the remainder of the series, and it’s a story primed for more humor and horror. Domino’s erotic murder online show is another terrifying, fascinating enigma, but one aspect involves hunting submissive furries with knives and guns on a remote island. Only, Domino and her girls aren’t the only killers on the island this time. Vecchio has already explored the fine line between the men who want to kill women and the men who wish to be killed by women. It will be interesting to see how she pits her antagonists against the object of their derision. I expect a lot more blood and guts come Lovesick #3, but what I’m really hoping for is more of a hook into Domino herself.