Switchblade Stories #3 is a comic created by Chris Askham. We move forward six months again! Our story begins with Mindy Lou, Ruby, and Honeydew trapped in a building being accosted by the Hillside Harlots. It becomes a fight for survival and they come out of it the worse for wear. This issue is full of pivotal moments that shape the plot and I won’t spoil those here. I will say that this is the most violent issue so far. And when you look at this series as the descent of Mindy Lou and the others deeper and deeper into this world of crime and violence it makes sense. The character interactions here are great on a surface level but if you pay close attention you can see what some of them are sneakily trying to do. And it’s kinda hard to understand what some of their goals truly are, and not knowing what’s what will keep you on your toes. The dialogue here is never too much and sounds realistic, and the story continues to get more interesting with each issue. There are some bonus stories, mini-comics, and in-world ads after the conclusion of the main story.

            Most of our story takes place in the slums/streets or in nondescript locations. Faces here are as detailed as a pulp comic usually is, just good enough to pass the class. What is very key here are the expressions. If you just read what is written and gloss over the art you will miss a lot of the story. There are side-eyes, stares, and looks of annoyance that tell the part of the story not spoken aloud. I am appreciative of the outfit variety from issue-to-issue. A good amount of different colors. There is a large amount of action here and it can get gruesome. Blood is on almost every page and the longer scenes flow well. This is a pulp-influenced comic so the sexualization of the women here is very low to non-existent.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

Do you like stories that star bad people doing bad things? Stories starring women falling deeper and deeper into crime? Lesbian relationships everywhere? This might be for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. This comic is solely for adults.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“That was quite a bump you took there!”

 

Purchase Link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1137955065/switchblade-stories-3?click_key=f51b87850ebea7e123da007ec87b506782a9aeb4%3A1137955065&click_sum=a290bc12&ref=shop_home_recs_5

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/managementproject/switchblade-stories-issue-3/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 21

Violent Pages: 6, for 24% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 4, for 16% 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 – 3

“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 – 2

“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 – 4

“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.”