As Cabra Cini begins to take more page time in the Geek-Girl crossover, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Where did her powers come from? Why are they so unpredictable? What is there in her past that gives The Rook and other denizens of the Infinite power to hurt her so deeply? There’s no easy way to include them in the Exodus crossover, but Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0 – Exodus Prelude is a convenient way to give glimpses into our anti-heroine’s checkered past and gain a little understanding.
Cabra’s introductory issue contains two short stories that provide a little insight into what drives her. In the ½ volume, she was tough, feisty, and hiding a sentimental heart, but she struggled with a few more demons before reaching that stage. In Control/Freaked (A Flashback Story), the dark corners of Detroit (and perhaps the overall metro area) face an influx of zombies, and Cabra tests a new pseudo-voodoo spell to harness a warlord, much to her detriment. One-Night Stand reveals the leading lady’s greatest weakness and openly demonstrates the depth of her drug and alcohol dependency. Her description in previous issues hinted at magic replacing substance addiction, but this is the first time it’s been fully explored on the page. It’s darkly uncomfortable, but this isn’t the series to give readers warm fuzzies. The plot does a good job of showing Cabra as a caring individual who struggles with addiction rather than making the dependency her only personality trait.
The art styles between the two stories are distinct, but I feel that both fit the Cabra Cini world with their blend of supernatural weirdness and realism. As always, this universe mostly uses muted or dark colors with occasional pops of reds or bright shades to emphasize a scene. The usage of blurred faces in One-Night Stand worked particularly well for me to demonstrate how altered Cabra’s senses were during the entire encounter.
Readers don’t need to have much knowledge of Cabra Cini before the stories in Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0, but I found both installments more meaningful because I know where she’s gone since then. The biggest surprise to me is that Cabra is likely older than I had estimated and may look younger due to constant contact with the Infinite. My best suggestion for this volume is to read it as a companion to Cabra Cini #1/2 because the six stories together provide insight into a complex, flawed anti-heroine who takes no crap. This series is meant for mature readers since Cabra’s sensibilities generally lean towards harsh, rough, and lethal. It’s a dark, gritty world, and readers are just her ride-along in how she navigates it.
4 Painful Trips Down Memory Lane out of 5
Creative Team: Sam Johnson (Writer), Mike J.C. (Artist – Control/Freaked), Fernando Melek (Artist – One-Night Stand), Mark Dodson (Colorist – Control/Freaked), Harwan Stia Yoga (Colorist – One-Night Stand), Kris Johnson (Letterer – Control/Freaked), Paul McLaren (Letterer – Control/Freaked and One-Night Stand), C. Granda (Cover Art), Chunlin Zhao (Cover Art), Carlos Villas (Cover Art), and Yannas Rubus (Cover Art)
Publisher: Actuality Press
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