“The Kitchen” continues to be arguably the best crime story being told in comics. Raven, Kath and Angie face issues internally that could hurt them more than anything Gargano throws at them. Read on for our spoiler free review.
Written by Ollie Masters
Illustrated Ming Doyle & Jordie BellaireAs their husbands make their presence known back on the streets of New York City, Kath, Raven and Angie solidify their relationship with Gargano. But is it enough to guarantee his loyalty? Or will the streets of Hells Kitchen run red with their blood?
“The Kitchen” is one of many recent Vertigo series that has attempted to reinvent the imprint, and return it to the status it once held. As a long time, die hard Vertigo fan, it’s beginning to feel like something special might be happening again. “The Kitchen” is a crime saga that feels inspired by the classic era of Vertigo.
“The Kitchen” #5 finds Raven, Kath and Angie still dealing with the return of their husbands. The three of them, along with Tommy, have built a small empire that they aren’t ready to let go of. Their partnership with Gargano is uneasy at the best but in the time their husbands were gone, they created something to survive. The husbands are having a tough time adjusting to the world they find with their wives owning the streets and them really having no place in all of it.
This issue is not the most action packed the series has seen, but it’s a success because of its character development and setting up of something bigger. From the beginning, writer Ollie Masters has positioned these three women as the core of the series. Their friendship was never the focus, but more the necessity of them coming together despite any familial relationship. They aren’t as close as you’d assume and at this point; the simmering fundamental disagreements are coming to a head. They were forced into this because of the imprisonment of their husbands, and it’s been a treat to see how they’ve evolved over the last few issues and become something they weren’t before.
I would normally be perturbed by more female characters fighting against each other. It’s an unfortunate stereotype too many writers fall back on. However, when it comes to “The Kitchen,” it’s all been unfolding naturally and it all makes sense. There’s no stereotypical cattiness, but instead a power struggle is happening. Masters is really tapping into the crime genre and taking tropes and framing them through a new perspective. Raven, Kath and Angie have really become their own people and at this point the changes they’ve gone through are going to define how this miniseries ends and more importantly makes the ending unpredictable. They aren’t who they were when this series started and that makes the last half of “The Kitchen” potentially very, very exciting.
Tommy particularly is a character completely out of place because of how he behaves. But it’s because of him that the rampant misogyny from every other male character works. Despite it being authentic to the time period and even more authentic to the genre, reading something with so much misogyny can be taxing. It makes it tough to have any faith in any of the male characters and it can make a story two dimensional. Masters including Tommy in his role is another avoidance of a stereotype in a story that has, at times, been a bit on the stereotypical side when it comes to the villains.
Ming Doyle continues to do an amazing job on this series. The way she draws the trio of women is something to behold. Given all the drama that happened this week online, it’s a breathe of fresh air to see women drawn realistically while remaining very beautiful. Doyle doesn’t avoid giving her female characters curves but they aren’t sexualized, thus making them authentic. She’s going for realism while being stylish. Raven, Kath and Angie are very much stylized for the time period with their feathered hair, bellbottom jeans and low cut tops. Doyle is clearly having fun with this and it in turn makes it fun for the reader.
Continued belowI’ve been struck mostly by the movement that exists in the panels when there isn’t much action happening. “The Kitchen” #5 is not an action packed issue, but care is put into the panel breakdowns, facial expressions, and body positions. Doyle is able to add a tension to each scene similar to something you’d see in The Godfather. The eyes give so much away, and the body language of each one of the women really reflects their personalities. When it comes to their body language, if you’ve read the entire series, you can pin point the differences in how they carried themselves in the beginning compared to now.
I’m not sure what else I can say about Jordie Bellaire that I, and many other people, have already said. She’s the best colorist in the business, and does an incredible amount of work each week. Her work on “The Kitchen” has really been special, as she sets a great tone with bold colors mixed with amazing shadowing. She really taps into the visual styling of 1970’s cop shows through the clothing. Raven, Kath and Angie aren’t afraid to wear bright pastels and the way it’s positioned against the dreariness of Hell’s Kitchen is a great contrast.
“The Kitchen” #5 isn’t the most exciting issue, but it does do a lot in regards to character development and setting up something bigger as the series gets closer to the finale. If you haven’t read the series by this point, you’re better off waiting for the eventual collection. At this point, it would be worth every penny but I must admit to some impatience. I want something big to happen and I want to feel the way I did in the first issue when these women made their mark on Hell’s Kitchen.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – This is a great series and this issue does a lot of important character development but I am growing a little impatient. I want the dominoes to fall.
