Comic Books

Kill or Be Killed #14 Review

Just when I think this book can’t get any better, ‘Kill or Be Killed’ somehow kicks things up yet another notch.

November 29, 2017

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Want to know how Dylan officially/finally became the badass we saw at the very beginning of the series…AND what he does next? Strap in, folks, because this one’s a doozy.

First Read Reactions

I feel like we’ve seen this scene a million times, but I still haven’t gotten tired of it.
Damn. Dylan really thought this whole thing out.
I know he’s currently tearing apart the Russian mafia, but that was an epically brutal roommate take down.
Dylan is really feeling his Ozymandias groove here.
Best misquoting of a famous literary work ever.
HOLY CRAP.

The Verdict

This is how it’s done folks.

Just when you think Brubaker/Phillips/Breitweiser can’t possibly improve their already brilliant story, they organically turn everything on its head.

That opening scene we kept flashing back to? Not exactly what it seemed.

Dylan’s big plan? Way better than expected.

Dylan’s character growth? Also way better than expected.

The big twist? Incredible.

There is so, so much to like here that I can’t discuss in detail without spoiling the issue. Let’s just say that if you had any concerns about Dylan’s ultimate end game or dangling plot threads, you need not worry. This issue checks all the boxes and then some.

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I also appreciate how we got to see the more mundane aspects of Dylan’s existence/personality affected in such a way that it not only makes sense, but is a lot of fun to watch.

And as much as I’ve effusively praised Phillips’s and Breitweiser’s work before, they do some magic with the final page that might be my favorite thing yet: Taking the one (arguably) hokey-looking aspect of the series and remolding it into something truly terrifying.

Just when I think this book can’t get any better, Kill or Be Killed somehow kicks things up yet another notch. If this one’s not on your pull list, then you’re crazier than a disaffected millennial trying to take down the entire Russian mafia.