In the world of covert ops and espionage, World War II is almost legendary in its stories, both fictional and real, of code breaking, infiltration, assassinations, and intelligence gathering. Spy fiction has used the WW2 backdrop to tell stories both grounded in realism as well as pulpy and farfetched. Most of these stories center on male secret agents that run from suave and seductive to gruff and lantern-jawed; however, past this archetype, there’s a legion of women agents - vamps, femme fatales, and secret agents, too - with their own stories to tell.
Stalkings is a graphic novel that tells the story of five OSS agents: Nancy “Lips” DeLeon; Christine “Beauty” Darling; Virginia “Peg” Alexander; Molly “Red” Boyd; and Violette “Cinder” Kane. Each lady brings her own special talents (assassination, interrogation, blending in, etc.) while they go on a variety of sorties against the Nazi forces. Even with their successes, the unit is placed under the command of Vincent King who turns out to be a Nazi agent. After killing one of the ladies, the rest of the unit “stalks” him across Europa, seeking revenge and justice.
Per the introduction, Stalkings originally began as a weekly, one-page comic, with each page being a self-contained portion of the narrative, such as a character introduction, a mission, and so on. This piecemeal aspect of Stalkings, combined with the black-and-white art, conveys the story in an almost newsreel-like fashion. In this regard, the readers of Stalkings are getting their story in a condensed, shortened fashion, just as folks during WW2 would’ve when they went to the cinema.
The story is firmly rooted in the espionage-thriller genre, with gunfights, scenes of seduction, and escaping from un-escapable situations; however, the graphic novel has a few humorous moments, such as when the ladies are cracking a joke in French (“Molly, what are you thinking about?” “I need to practice my French.”) and their prisoner laughs with them, before getting an elbow to the face. A parachuting, cigar-chomping Winston Churchill also makes for a lighthearted scene.
Stalkings is a celebration of the ladies of espionage and intelligence gathering which the writers acknowledge in their introduction, naming off luminaries such as Hedy Lamarr (actress and inventor), Mata Hari (who is also currently receiving the comic book treatment via Dark Horse), and Virginia Hall (OSS agent). The comic is not just a celebration of these femme fatales, but an engaging story of intrigue, double crosses, action, and, ultimately, gruesome revenge.
STALKINGS is a World War II graphic novel about women spies (the beginning of the book even tells you to Google these Women’s names: Vera Atkins, Nancy Wake, Josephine Baker, Edith Cavell, etc). The self-published graphic novel is by Alex Dandino and Evan Peter.
Alex Dandino even writes in the intro about how they were astounded and blown away by the stories of female spies they researched about. Dandino also thanked his dad for watching the History Channel and AMC while he was growing up.
They also shared the best way to read STALKINGS, which Dandino admits was supposed to be a weekly, 1-page comic and that Peters work is supposed to be absorbed. They may want you to not rush reading it, but it’s hard not too.
STALKINGS specifically tells the story of five OSS agents (Nancy “Lips” DeLeon, Christine “Beauty” Darling, Virginia “Peg” Alexander, Molly “Red Boyd,” and Violette “Cinder’ Kane). We get a look at each woman’s back story and their battles against the Nazi Regime as well as getting vengeance for the death of one of their own. It’s bloody, intense, and intriguing!
I enjoyed the artwork of STALKINGS and liked that it used black and white panels. It may be the time period that it takes place in, but I found the artwork to remind me of something that my grandparents would have read at the dime store or as something I read as a kid (aka Frank Miller). The retro feel for me is another win.
Dandino and Peter know how to convey a story based on fiction and fact! They also know how to construct some kickass women that are more than one dimension. If you find World War II history, spies, and killer characters interesting, you’ll then want to read STALKINGS sooner than later. STALKINGS is now available for purchase HERE.
