Written by Joe Kelly
Art by Adrian Sibar; Rodney Ramos; Tanya Horie; Richard Horie; & Sean Konot
Cover Art by Howard Chaykin & Edgar Delgado
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint for June 2009, this installment of the six-part ‘mature readers’ mini-series is entitled “Chapter Three: La Mariposa.”
A crew of flamboyant Brooklyn mobsters headed by ‘Daddy’ are in San Francisco forcibly looking into the suspicious cable car death of one of their cronies, “Hawk” Falconetti. At a nearby diner, suave tango dancer (and ex-mobster) Vincente “Vinnie” Ponticello ponders his next move after sitting down with his transgender ex-girlfriend, Autumn. After Vinnie’s sultry new lover, Mel, and their mutual friend, Rodney, are questioned by the local police re: Hawk’s demise, a troubled Mel darkly hints to Vinnie that she senses the truth. The police are evidently giving ‘Daddy’ a wide berth to operate.
Vinnie is furious at a chameleon-like Autumn’s presence in his life. They both realize there may be retribution for their secret involvement in Hawk’s death. Mel & Vinnie’s dance montage is interspersed with a flashback to Vinnie’s romantic past with Autumn. To escape their predicament, Autumn reveals to Vinnie an audacious robbery scheme she has in mind. A lethal net may ensnare Mel first because of them.
REVIEW:
As Mel (plagued by an icky personal quirk) is this comic’s only remotely appealing personality, it’s indicative of the story’s putrid nature. In spite of how wildly profane Bang! Tango # 3 is, the art team’s interior visuals are still B-caliber. More so, the provocative cover image implying Autumn’s complex nature is sophisticated, as compared to this sleazy attempt at modern noir/pulp fiction. For instance, multiple f-bombs aren’t an adequate substitute for dialogue. The same applies to relying on naughty inferences in lieu of actually building the story’s characters. Inhabited by a generally repulsive cast, Bang! Tango # 3 wants to be a sexy and enigmatic juxtaposition between tango dancing and a mob thriller. Instead, it’s a sorry excuse for adult entertainment.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Aldous Pogue offers a single-page “On the Edge” column promoting The Great Fables Crossover. An eight-page preview (including six pages from Issue # 1) offers a new Vertigo series: The Unwritten.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
