Bee Vixens From Mars: Part Two
Writer: Alex de Campi
Artist: Chris Peterson
Colours: Nolan Woodard
November 2013
Darkhorse Comics
This issue was a bore, which highly surprised me since the debut was a blast. #1 nailed everything about the grindhouse genre: bombastic action, over-the-top violence/gore/blood, and female nudity. It was full of grindhouse quirks and actually made me chuckle several times out loud (which doesn't happen too often in reading comics, at least for me). This issue however, had the action, gore, and sexualization of the first, but lacked any real punch. There were no moments of outrageous emotion that made you cringe inside at how cheesy it was; this comic felt almost like it was becoming a generic, bad superhero book and felt less like a satire and more like it was part of the crass comic collective.
I realize that I probably sound ridiculous for expecting much from a grindhouse comic, but seriously, films like Black Dynamite and Hobo With A Shotgun, both modern takes on the grindhouse genre, utilize the accentuated and unbelievable emotions/facial expressions that grindhouse cinema has become known for. This key element is missing from issue #2 and it has revoked the faith I previously had in this series. For a two-part arc, I didn't think it would be hard to mess up. Apparently I was wrong.
With a strong debut issue and a mediocre second, I can't say I'd recommend people to go out of their way trying to locate these issues (or even purchase when it's collected). If the consistency of this series is going to be the same for every future arc, then it's easily skippable. Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight is 1 for 1; will issue #3 be worth buying? (Answer: probably not)
