Crosswind #1 (Review)

Posted by Justin D Williams 

A slick and ruthless Chicago hitman. A smart but downtrodden Seattle housewife. When an inexplicable event strikes these two random strangers, their bodies, souls, and lives are switched to potentially deadly effect. It's Freaky Friday meets Goodfellas! 

Crosswind comes from the amazing Gail Simone and Cat Staggs. As describe in the synopsis above, the story follows a Chicago hitman named Cason Ray Bennett and housewife Juniper Elanore. Cason's introducing works very well as we see him on a tough assignment. For the sake of spoilers I won't reveal what he was force to do. I do like the fact that his character is what a hitman is suppose to be and that is ruthless. Cason is cold, tough and doesn't really show any emotions, even when it comes to taking out those close to him. For him the life of a hitman is business as usual. I was immediately intrigue on Cason's backstory. Questions raised in my head while I was reading. Why and how did Cason become a hitman? What is the connection to him and the opening scene? Credit to Gail for giving us a little taste but not giving us the full picture yet. Crosswind #1 also as a second protagonist who I was immediately drawn too with Juniper Elanore. Juniper Elanore life is not the best. She is a stepmom to a child who doesn't respect her. She is constantly sexually harassed by the boys in the neighborhood. Her husband doesn't seem to view her as her equal and just makes demands. On top of that she seems to be escaping from something and have nightmares. Juniper is a broken woman. Just like Cason not much of her backstory is revealed in this first issue but there is enough for you to want more. The story is well written with the first issue focusing on establishing the lives of these characters. Juniper is an underappreciated housewife and Cason is a stone cold hitman. Things change towards the end which has me anticipating the next issue. How will Juniper adapt to the life of being Cason? Is this more of an escape and a blessing for her? How will Cason adapt to being Juniper? Two different characters with two different lifestyles. Juniper's more submissive okay I will do it attitude compare to Cason's screw you attitude.  The story is well written and the world is set and I'm curious to see how it plays out. 

The art is also great with Cat Staggs at the helm. Visually the book is great giving us a realistic feel. I love the facial expressions, character designs and use of color. The visual really help set the tone that Gail Simone sets up for the story. I think Cat really nails Juniper's expressions, body positions to really give you a feel of her emotional body. Overall the art is solid and compliments the story well. 

Final Rating 4.5/5