Breathless #1 Review

Writer: Pat Shand / Artist: Renzo Rodriguez / Black Mask Studios ”First question. Are you a privileged, entitled prick? -Charlamagne tha God, to Martin Shkreli, Notorious Pharma-Bro One of the recurring subplots in Modern American History is that of a particular pharmaceutical mogul who got the spotlight shined on him after he boosted the prices of HIV/AIDS medications by 5000% percent. He then purchased Once Upon a Time in Shaolin for 2 million dollars before it got confiscated when Martin Shkreli was arrested for… securities fraud. Shand describes the catharsis behind the story better than I ever could: “In a society where it’s normal to go bankrupt in order to not die, does that change the way we understand humanity? Empathy?”

With that central idea in mind, Breathless opens with one of the most familiar scenes to most American citizens: the purchase of controlled pharmaceuticals that still require a co-pay even with insurance. As someone unfortunate enough to have firsthand experience in a healthcare-adjacent industry, I’m quick to empathize with Scout Turner.

Scout Turner is a Black woman freelance scientist, who goes from picking up her inhaler to surgically removing several organs from a truly monstrous Hisser before having to deal with “That One Officemate” incarnate in the form of Grace-Eisley Wellington Burke. She is exactly the type of person you’re imagining. Conversely, Scout Turner is the exact type of spiritual successor to a long list of pulp fiction action…