Damsel from D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. #4 is a comic written by Andrew Clemson with art by Mauricio Mora. Bec runs into an old family member and learns a great a deal about her deceased mother’s past. This is an issue full of revelations and backstory with arguments and fights scattered throughout. Our leading lady is Rebecca “Bec” Flashjoy, a agent of D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. who has been tasked with finding the Dwarven Princess Estrid. She is assisted on this quest by Brunhilde, the princess’ guard, and Dave, a man she saved who is attempting to become a knight. We’ll also meet some other sought-after characters during this story. The plot sees an end to Bec’s initial quest and the beginning of another as she learns who is behind some dark happenings on the Stormfell border. We get a good look at Bec and her family and understand why certain things happened in the past. Things do get violent with occasional blood and some gore. The pace is slower at first due to flashbacks and talking but it picks up afterwards. At least half the dialogue here is a bit hostile with arguments and snide remarks. A couple of the pages do get slightly word heavy. This an issue that serves as the end to one story thread and the beginning of another, while providing a closer look at the situations that formed the lead character.
The art here is reminiscent of comics from a few decades prior but with more detail and realistic colors. The scenery here is done decently well but the backgrounds for panels aren’t much to look at. The majority of this story has an “out in the open air” vibe and you can feel the slight chilliness. Though the main location is the open outdoors the flashbacks will take us to more enclosed spaces. This is an extremely expressive with looks changing nearly every panel. The faces are full of details that help you notice even the smallest changes in expression. We will see a wide range of looks here. The violence does show blood with some body parts getting separated. The action scenes are short and spread out. If you’ve ever seen D&D art you’ll know exactly how these characters are dressed.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you fantasy stories starring women dealing with family problems while working for a secret agency this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R. Some blood and gore.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“…there’s the question of why my sword is glowing.”
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewclemson/damsel-from-distress-issues-1-5/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 26
Violent Pages: 7, for 27% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 3
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 4
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 3
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 1
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”
