Klik Klik Boom #1 Review: An Inventive, Neon-Soaked Gun-Fu Thriller

Often times one of the biggest criticisms of the comics medium is that it's packed to the brim with superhero tales. You can't go into a comic book store on a Wednesday without seeing dozens of new issues any given week featuring the capes and tights. That's why it's so surprising when a title is released that doesn't come close to the genre or anything even similar. Klik Klik Boom isn't a superhero book, nor does it have anything to do with zombies or vampires. Instead, it involves a mute assassin in one of the most inventive stories you'll read this month.

At the center of Klik Klik Boom is Sprout, a 20- or 30-something assassin that's mute, only able to communicate through the usage of Polaroid pictures. By the time this story picks up, Sprout has been trained by her grandfather, a Vietnam veteran who's been busy doomsday-prepping in rural Idaho. Now, Sprout finds herself in the middle of New York City in hopes of avenging her grandfather's murder.

The story itself isn't too far from an action vehicle like John Wick or Atomic Blonde, and it doesn't aim to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it faithfully embraces the tradition of similar stories that have preceded it. Klik Klik Boom knows what it is and it does whatever it can to stick to that spirit. Doug Wagner's script wastes little time in setting a solid foundation for Sprout, introducing both her, her place in this comic world, and a solid chunk of an origin story within this first issue without having the character even speak a single word.

Between the Polaroids and gritty-yet-refined line art of Doug Dabbs, Sprout's not only able to communicate effectively with other characters in this story, but with those reading the comic. There's plenty of dialogue involved in the story thanks to the others involved, which helps ease the weight of Sprout's shoulders. That said, this issue places a great deal of importance on the Polaroid device, the one thing keeping this whole story above water. Luckily, for comic readers of any stripe, Wagner and Dabbs manage to tread that water with ease, releasing a stellar debut for the intriguing Klik Klik Boom.

Published by Image Comics

On June 14, 2023

Written by Doug Wagner

Art by Doug Dabbs

Colors by Matt Wilson

Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Design by Erika Schnatz