To be honest, there's not a hell of a lot of story to this one-shot comic book from small publisher Freaktown Comics, but to a certain extent, that's okay. The official synopsis will probably tell you everything you need to know:
"The Bowery, Lower Manhattan, 1980. The New York burlesque scene has faded away, replaced by strip joints, peep shows and porno palaces. One small club of indomitable performers – the Luxury Lounge - still holds out against the tide.
The art of burlesque is dying. For one person, it isn’t dying fast enough. As the bodies pile up, so do the suspects – could the killer be desperate club owner Mr Barnett? Cantankerous juggler The Amazing Ralph? Stale stand-up comic Martin Stevens?
A performer can die onstage a thousand times. Offstage, once is enough."
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| Deadly Burlesque: Interior Page |
So, to sum up...someone is killing off the performers at a burlesque club, and, well...that's pretty much it. This comic reputedly takes its cue from 1980s slasher films, and it almost captures that feeling. What it's missing is everything that takes place before, after and in between the kills: primarily, even the slightest hint of story or character development. The creative team attempts to compress a would-be 90 minute movie into a scant 24 pages, but doesn't quite succeed. Instead, it feels only like a graphic representation of the climax of said slasher film. We all love the wrap-up, sure. But without the first two acts, the final one just isn't quite so compelling.
DEADLY BURLESQUE is written by Russell Hillman and illustrated by Daniel Bell. It will be released at the Thought Bubble Comic Convention in Leeds, England this November, with a digital release to follow.
*Special thanks to Freaktown Comics for the review copy*
--J/Metro