The Geek Girl Project is pleased to bring you the advanced review of Executive Assistant: Iris Vol. 3 #2. Please be aware: the review contains a couple of plot-centric spoilers. If you don’t want to see plot spoilers, check out the Executive Assistant Iris Vol 3 #2 preview.

All pictures come courtesy of Aspen.

 Executive Assistant: Iris Vol 3 #2 continues the Executive Extinction storyline and starts right where Executive Assistant: Iris Vol 3 #1 left off. If you want to read the Executive Extinction series, it’s strongly recommended that you pick up the earlier books in the Executive Assistant: Assassins series because you might not understand some of the key story elements or characters that appear in the Executive Extinction story arc.

In Executive Assistant: Iris Vol 3 #2, Iris crosses blades with Rose, a fellow graduate of the Academy where Iris learned her assassin skills, and a former friend who has become an enemy (Isn’t that always how it goes?). How they became enemies is of interest and relates to something that happened at an earlier time. I wonder if the event occurred in an earlier volume of the series because the mention strikes me as something that could have been played out in an earlier book; however, there is no editor’s footnote accompanying the information. My guess is if this previous encounter between Iris and Rose exists in comic book form, then the editor of Executive Assistant: Iris Vol 3 #2 has deemed further research unnecessary, making the Executive Extinction storyline self-contained between the Executive Assistant: Assassins and Executive Assistant: Iris Vol. 3 books. In any case, it is established that Rose has some ax to grind–though in this instance Rose seems only to want to tangle with Iris in order to stop Iris from working with Lily.

The confrontation between Iris and Rose ends very quickly, with Iris temporarily stunning Rose and saying that she “wanted some peace and quiet for a change.”  While Iris is alone, she starts working on a plan and realizes who Rose is working for (One guess: it’s Mazutsu, the driving force bad guy of the entire story arc.) Iris further wonders about who else Mazutsu has working for him.

When Iris faces Rose for the second time, she makes a movement with her body that, while not physically impossible (I think?), looks unrealistic. Iris goes from doing a hand stand on a dais, to flying in the air and torpedoing toward Rose, feet first. Iris has her body stretched out and her arms out above her head.  Her breasts are also in prominent view, of course. Iris is fully clothed, but  in a skintight body suit that leaves nothing to the imagination. The image of Iris makes me think of the Hawkeye Initiative, a tumblr meme that has people drawing the Marvel character Hawkeye performing ridiculous superheroine poses.

Iris probably shouldn’t have traded in her higher ground for a ridiculous superheroine pose because she is quickly losing to Rose. Iris starts to retreat and suddenly Rose has a chain (no idea how she has a chain–unless it’s housed somewhere in her skin-tight and revealing costume) which she of course puts around Iris’s neck. Iris is only alive because Mazutsu does not want Iris dead.  Iris is making the strangest, bug-eyed face when Rose has her weapon to Iris’s throat. I get that she was just being strangled, but is this face really necessary?  The resolution of Rose’s and Iris’s conflict is not believable. Maybe Rose could not kill Iris, but she could have knocked her out. Though if Rose had knocked Iris out, Iris would not have been able to face a brand new adversary: Jasmine! I am thinking perhaps it was part of Rose’s plan all along to give Iris the information she needed. Rose strikes me as a clever sort who knows her opponent inside and out—especially when she comments “Oh Iris…you never let me down” after the end of Rose’s first fight with Iris.

Finally, the third Executive Assistant of the issue is introduced: Jasmine. The fight between Iris and Jasmine, which is also a cover tease for the 2A cover, is a let down. Their fight only takes place in the last act of the story, over three pages.  I really want to know more about Jasmine. Can she talk or does she choose not to?  I’m in full agreement with Iris’s words to Jasmine: “My apologies, Jasmine. I wish we could have met under more social circumstances.”  I am hoping that we learn more about Jasmine in Executive Assistant: Iris Vol. 3 #3.

Who’s who: David Wohl – Story / Alex Lei  – Art / Teo Gonzalez – Colors

Executive Assistant Iris (vol 3) #2 is in stores January 30^th, 2013.

FC 32 pages $3.99

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