I’m no fashion guru, but follow along if you’re so inclined.
Issue #1 of I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer was a sketch of, say, a pantsuit — the idea is there (Rennie enrolls in fashion school while managing her homicidal inclinations) even if things were still clearly coalescing. Issue #2, then, saw the design develop a little further, and we begin to better experience the deeply human story as unfurled by creators Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard.
Issue #3, however, is when we start putting the suit together but then we also stab ourselves a dozen times with the shears.
Which is to actually say, after dispatching those frat bros in issue #2, Rennie has hit a true stride in this latest issue. She’s basically stopped killing, and even obsessively scratching at her arms/body. And while she doesn’t land a prestigious internship, she is given the direction and support to follow her dreams. It’s all like that moment in The Devil Wears Prada where Andy finally hits her groove in the cutthroat world of high fashion. (But with more murder, obvi.)
But all good come-ups need their requisite come-down, and for Rennie in issue #3, it’s the little things. There’s trouble with her BFF Sofie’s, um, wandering boyfriend; more trouble with Sofie potentially having to leave fashion school; and even more beef with the school’s resident mean girl, Constance. It’s enough to make a girl want to stab somebody in the forehead, amirite?!
Courtesy of Image Comics.
I love the choice of “triggers” here — they’re mostly external and not of anything to do with Rennie per se. It’s this idea that, as she hits her stride personally and creatively, it’s her friends that struggle, and that reminds her of the tenuousness of her own happiness and how it relies on so much of the outside world.
And that’s a really interesting and essential idea: It reminds Rennie of her powerlessness, and try as she may to make friends and develop as a person, things can still go wrong and there’s nothing she can do about it. (Well, nothing that doesn’t involve breaking bad and going back to slaying, of course.) It feels like a solid decision by Wagner and Hillyard to test their lead in a way that feels especially effective and perhaps something we can grapple with to some degree or another.
And this path is supported by even more strategic art choices (which includes the efforts of colorist Michelle Madsen). Rennie’s need to itch becomes this repeating visual device to track her status, and as it intensifies across the issue, we can feel her mood start to slowly but solidly swing. They also use the appearance of a odd bear necklace/charm to explore Rennie’s mood, as it too gets ever closer to being out outside her shirt once again, you can once more feel the mood twist in a really visceral manner. Even a slight wardrobe change for Rennie toward more colorful patterns means a lot — when it all starts going wrong, the return of long sleeves and plaid is among the most horrific sights in any horror property.
I certainly loved the endless blood of issue #2, but pulling back in this issue made everything more cerebral, and that direction is vital if this book can prove to be deeply effective and not just gore for the mere sake of it.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Really, that level of subtlety works optimal for I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer. To yet again reference older Wagner-Hillyard tales, Plastic was a veritable blood bath, and while this book could easily beat that by the metric ton, the fact that it isn’t feels really important. It’s an energy and sense of purpose that takes what could be a slightly slower, less packed issue (packed in terms of not large events but rather world-building and character work) and makes it feel packed with significance.
In fact, there’s only one proper hint about the possibilities for issue #4, but it’s executed with a violence and intensity that feels utterly disarming. And it’s also similarly packed with nuance and subtle-but-important visual cues that feel in line with this issue’s tempo, and that’s quite important for fully cementing the true value of this third chapter.
Sure, you may have guessed even before the end of issue #3 who at the fashion school is next on Rennie’s chopping block. However, even if that feels obvious — and also something we’ve all been salivating over since the debut — there’s no telling if it’ll happen. Or, if it’ll actually mean anything for Rennie emotionally. Because as the creators made clear in this latest issue, the story of I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer isn’t just another character study of a psycho.
There’s some real care and attention shown to Rennie, and the creators want to push this girl to see if she can handle the pressure in a way that’s productive at all. It’s a story that goes beyond some of their other efforts to feel more robust, confrontational, and generally about humanity’s ability to overcome its worst tendencies. (Or, conversely, if all we can ever truly amount to are said tendencies.)
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Ultimately, I don’t know what will happen in issue #4 of I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer (which is the penultimate issue, FYI). I do know, however, that whatever direction this story goes, we can expect more emotionally-charged social dissections, a bit of blood and gore (OK, plenty of both), and a story with real charm and stakes.
Even if this were a pantsuit made of barbed wire, I’d totes rock this lil’ number.
‘I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer’ #3 embellishes this story blazer with pockets of nuance and intent
I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer #3
This third chapter sees a more deliberate, psychically intense plan unfold for the remainder of Rennie’s first year at fashion school.
Wagner and Hillyard continue add to their “psycho canon” with a decidedly organic, intriguing look at humanity.
The art doesn’t overwhelm with blood and gore but instead pokes at the brain with thought and strategy.
Rennie’s problems develop in a way that feels refreshing in their context and scope.
It remains to be seen if two issues can be enough for Rennie’s big finale.
