Detective Sun has few friends on the force, and now is found at the scene of Connolly’s death. Is there anyone she can trust? Find out in The Ribbon Queen #2 from AWA Studios!

THE RIBBON QUEEN #2

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Colorist: Dan Brown
Publisher: AWA Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 23, 2023

Previously in The Ribbon Queen: Detective Amy Sun has some bad news for her captain – a young woman they rescued from a serial killer three years before returned to the city and just died due to a knife through the heart. Worse, the prime suspect is the leader of the tactical squad that rescued her, Keith Connolly. Later that evening, Sun finds Connolly at her home. He insists he was innocent, but even while we can tell she is concerned that corruption might cover up his possible involvement, he reminds her of an incident where that corruption protected her. The following day, Sun tells the captain about Connolly’s visit and takes a walk through his neighborhood. Hearing screams from his house, she runs in to investigate and finds his wife and children traumatized and Connolly with his skin peeled from his body in ribbons.

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

The Ribbon Queen #2 opens with Detective Sun in shock on Connolly’s porch while the police do their work. Captain Temple asks her what happened. She is the only one in any shape to say anything – Connolly’s wife was sedated, and the kids are catatonic. A panel shows us what they witnessed, the horror they were made to watch. Amy does not know any more than they do, but she is also focused on why he told Connolly that Amy was investigating him. Four cops out of uniform show up. The captain recognizes them as friends of Connolly, and he knows Amy should not be here. He asks her to leave quietly, covering up for her.

Clayton, the medical examiner calls. Bella Rhinebeck’s body is missing. They meet. The morgue is closed for the day for the investigation and Clayton was ordered to go home. He’s being investigated. Nobody saw anything, but the night attendant heard a bunch of clicks. When he went to look, every lock in the place was broken. She asks him what state Bella’s body was in at the time. He says he had performed a full autopsy on her and wonders why she asked. She tells him she saw something impossible right before she found Connolly, and we remember that in last issue, she saw a young woman in a hoody, a woman who looked exactly like Bella.

Sun contacts Brian, the young man who filmed Bella’s interaction with Connolly. He claims he does not know anything else. Bella had said something about “Her Majesty,” and Sun wants to know more. That he does not know, but he does know something. Sun prods him a little more, generating some criticism about police treatment of protestors. Sun has no response to this but tries to convince him she is trying to help Bella as much as she can.

Bella had a plan to film Connolly herself, to try to get him to say something truly damning. He and another friend of hers tried to talk her out of this. A couple nights later, she Brian again. She had seen him, and he had not seen her. But something happened and she talked about Connolly deserving something.

Back at the precinct, Sun wants to know why Temple told Connolly about her. After reminding her about the investigation into the shooting she was involved in, he apologizes to her and tells her it was because Connolly asked. Later, when Sun is in the bathroom, a couple of Connolly’s friends walk in. One of them, Joe, demands to know why she was at his house and threatens to beat her up. She hits him first. He tells his friend to watch the door, implying that he is going to make good on his threat. His friend thought they were just going to talk with her. Joe gets angrier and angrier. And then it happens…

CAN’T PUT IT DOWN, AND DON’T WANT TO TOUCH IT

While in the last issue, we got some idea of how Connolly met his end, The Ribbon Queen #2 shows us his entire body in all its gory detail. His skin has literally been peeled off from everywhere in strips about an inch wide, and it has gone deeper than that. The flesh has also been peeled back, leaving a blood covered skeleton and organs resting in their place, no longer confined by anything other than bones. His face is in a dreadful rictus of pain and incredulity, and if Connolly’s wife and children saw whatever happened to him, it is no wonder that they’re traumatized, especially since there is the suggestion that he somehow lived through most of this event.

This is unquestionably horrific, yet this is a story set in the present day in a world like our own. Police work continues. The department may be well positioned to keep secrets, but for how long can they keep this kind of a secret? When Amy talks to Clayton, she tells him no details, but her expression speaks to the gravity of her silence. Even so, word has gotten back to Clayton that it was a bloodbath and that no one knows what happened. Clayton knows he is innocent, yet we see tension in his face, as though he knows he could easily be dragged in despite his innocence.

BOTTOM LINE: NIGHTMARE FODDER AT ITS BEST

The Ribbon Queen #2 opens with the unthinkable and then takes refuge in the procedural. These are thoughtful characters trying to make sense out of something beyond senseless, and besides, it gives us a chance to touch base with Sun’s more mundane but still considerable challenges. And then we are surprised once more with something awful and terrible, yet we still want to find out more.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.