The Kitchen
Ollie Masters, writer; Ming Doyle, artist; Jordie Bellaire, colorist
Vertigo Comics, 2015
Set in the 1970s in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, this eight-issue miniseries tells the story of three women married to Irish mobsters, and what they do to carry on after their husbands were sent to prison. Kath, Raven and Angie had been playing the part of faithful wives--with no involvement in their husbands' illegal activities--but they can’t see any other way to make a living. So they start collecting protection payments, and discover that they are good at it.
Which means that they are good at violence, intimidation--and killing, when it seems necessary. Their success attracts the attention of other mobsters, and before long they have connections with the Mafia. This leads to power struggles, ultimately involving all three in ways they could not have anticipated. The story also reveals the history of their marriage relationships, which explains a lot about the way the wives reacted to their husbands going to prison.
This is a standard gangster tale in many ways, with the women gangsters as the main difference. When the men get early release their wives have to decide if they want to continue with their leadership roles or return to their traditional status. If they had decided to defer to their husbands the story would stop there...so their decisions almost go without saying. The women are strongly drawn, so that angle is more than a gimmick. Ming Doyle's art has a stylized realism which is reminiscent of cover artist Becky Cloonan. The ultimate fate of the wives comes to seem almost inevitable, but it is no less compulsive a read.
Replies
I enjoyed this one. Looks like it's going to be made into a movie with Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elizabeth Moss in the lead roles...and one of my favorites, Margo Martindale, in a supporting role.