Pistolwhip was one of the big success stories of the small press, a buzz book that even earned its creators a little attention from Hollywood in it's "Mephisto" incarnation. So expectations were high for this story, a sequel in that it contains some of the characters and ramifications from the events of the previous book but generally a new tale altogether. As expected, Kindt and Hall use a storytelling style that is quite distinctive and engaging, mixing fantasy and reality freely for their characters so that the truth of the story takes a bit of work to wrap your head around. Those willing to spend some time, and especially those who have read the previous volume, will find themselves rewarded with a deep and complex story that is full of artistic merit and "indy cred" as well as lots of good old fashioned fun.
It's damn near impossible to really describe the plot of Yellow Menace, which was also the case for Pistolwhip, and that speaks a lot to the originality of the piece and the creators. The story surrounds a radio star who seems to have come to life, his conflicted female assistant, a very amateur private detective, a hotel maid, a beat cop and a demagogue very reminiscent of the late Fredrick Wertham. Throughout the book, the story veers between the "reality" of the main story and the backstory provided in the Jack Peril radio adventures, with plenty of parallels between the two realities.
If it sounds a little confusing, that's because it is. For all that Pistolwhip is a fun read, it is also a fairly complex one, and the fact that Hall keeps important information from his characters to increase tension and mystery also means that he has to withhold it from the readers. This is a book to read more than once, as you'll have a much easier time grasping the story once you've watched it unfold, but at the same time there's something deeply entertaining about the dizzying feeling of information overload and frustrating mystery that accompanies the first read.
Matt Kindt's artwork is as impressive as it was in the first Pistolwhip, a stylized version of people and pulp settings that always feels just a little askew, and helps to reinforce the unusual tone of the piece. He's clearly grown as an illustrator as well, with some terrific storytelling tricks that help set aside the fantasy/other media sequences and the "real" plot at the center of the whole thing. I particularly enjoyed the flashback that spells out what happened to bring Jack Peril to life, as he switches from several different points-of-view and realities to tell one cohesive tale.
Pistolwhip: The Yellow Menace is also a beautifully designed art object, not quite as nifty as the mock radio that graced the cover of the previous volume, but still pretty keen. The cover mixes the notion of an old book imported from the orient with the colorful characters of pulp comics, giving the book a unique look while also fitting nicely on the shelf with the prior volume. If you judge a book by its cover, you'll come away being impressed with Pistolwhip: The Yellow Menace. However, you'll be considerably more impressed if you crack those covers to find the complex and highly entertaining pulp mystery/melodrama within.
