Reviews
[Comic Review] “Southern Cross” #2 – Tense And Mysterious
Reviewed By Jorge Solis. As the suspense mounts and the cinematic imagery takes hold, “Southern Cross” #2 is a captivating follow-up to the stellar first issue. This sci-fi thriller succeeds thanks to an immersive world created by Andy Belanger and the cerebral and existentialist mystery, rising from Becky Cloonan’s script. “Southern Cross” isn’t afraid to slowly build tension, which is felt through the claustrophobic menace that lurks within its pages.
WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan
ART BY: Andy Belanger
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: April 8, 2015
In the vastness of outer-space, Alex Braith is consumed with grief over the death of her sister, Amber. To start the mourning process, Alex travels in-between the planets and stars to collect her sister’s remains. But on her journey into the never-ending darkness, someone has gone missing in the colossal spaceship. Where could this missing person be hiding? And why does Alex feel like she is suddenly being watched?
On the second day of her voyage, Alex meets some of the crew members and other passengers in her spaceship. I love how writer Becky Cloonan builds the mystery with numerous suspects and red herrings. Because the narrative is told from Alex’s point-of-view, the reader joins the main protagonist as she questions everyone’s motives. It’s an interesting guessing game because we’re not quite sure who’s supposed to be a friend or foe.
Cloonan emphasizes Alex’s strong personality through her snappy dialogue. There is a feistiness to her punkish attitude, as if she’s unafraid to speak her mind. Alex wants everyone on the ship, especially the other female members, to think she doesn’t care, but she really does. Alex has to deal with the external conflict as well as her internal struggle.
Knocking it out of the park, artist Andy Belanger plays around with size and scope as the panels switch from different angles. In a two-pager, we get to see the exterior of the spaceship in all its glory. In these tight close-ups, Belanger captures the claustrophobic atmosphere Alex feels in her cramped private quarters. Notice how the dripping of the faucet is driving her nuts, like “the tapping on her chamber door.”
With her sleeveless jacket and wool cap, Alex looks like she belongs to a tough biker gang. Colorist Lee Loughridge’s vividly paints the cafeteria scenes in yellow tones, emphasizing the foulness of the food. Then Loughridge switches to a pinkish shade, to highlight Alex’s isolation in the vastness of outer-space.
“Southern Cross” #2 continues to be an great read. I cannot wait to get my hands on the third issue.
Reviews
‘The Last Temptation of Becky’ Review: Threequel Has A Blast Destroying Nazis [Fantasia 2026]
Over the course of three films, Lulu Wilson’s Becky Hooper has emerged as the unlikeliest of action heroines. What kicked off as a surprisingly brutal thriller back in 2020’s Becky evolved into a full-blown franchise with 2023’s The Wrath of Becky. Now there’s a third and possibly final film with The Last Temptation of Becky.
The latest entry hails from Jenn Wexler, the director of The Ranger and The Sacrifice Game, who co-writes the script with Matt Angel from a story by Angel and Suzanne Coote (The Wrath of Becky). Temptation opens on a now-adult Becky on her latest mission with the CIA. The caper is a complete failure, ending unsurprisingly in extremely bloody fashion.
In a post-mission debrief, CIA director Baker (Fiona Marr) explains to the young agent that she’s too much of a loose cannon, but as flashbacks to her psych evaluations and select events from the first film confirm, Becky has never truly recovered from the murder of her father by white supremacists.
It makes sense, then, that this outing brings Nazis back to the forefront as a kind of full circle moment. Becky’s new adversary is General Wilhelm Reuss (Neil Patrick Harris), a devout member of the Reich who believes so strongly in the cause that he recently moved his family, along with enforcer Russell and Dr Friedrich Metzger (James Urbaniak), to the Wolf’s Lair in Poland.
Turns out that despite the passage of several in-universe years between films, Becky still hasn’t learned how to play well with others or follow the rules, despite the guiding touch of handler Montana (Kate Siegel, Hush) and the model set by fellow agent Rigby (Brandon Flynn, Hellraiser). When Becky is given one final opportunity to prove her worth to the CIA, it sets up a collision course between her and Reuss that is guaranteed to be an all-out bloodbath.
The series continues to get good mileage casting against-type for its villains, although it should be noted that NPH doesn’t get as much to do as either the first film’s Kevin James or the sequel’s Sean William Scott. That’s because, in part, Reuss’s family comes as an evil package. Introduced in a great comedic scene when Becky checks in – all smiles – to the family’s Nazi motel, mother Helga (Catherine Walker), daughter Luisa (Aiofe Hughes), and son Otto (Noah Leggott) are as much of a threat as the patriarch.
Of course, the main selling feature of the film is Becky, and Wilson continues to have a blast bringing the prickly, quippy, and trigger-happy character to life. Wilson remains an absolute delight, from her delicious voiceover (“Mission ‘find out what these fuckers are up to’: commence”) to her dinner table banter with the Reuss family (“Where do you heil from?” she asks them). Three films in, there’s no fear that Becky could actually die, but the film isn’t afraid to put its characters through the wringer – Becky sports a broken nose for most of the film’s last act – and there are, naturally, some extremely cathartic Nazi casualties.
While there’s a disappointing lack of rocket launchers in this entry, by employing the tropes of the spy movie, The Last Temptation of Becky does get to have its James Bond/Q moment when Montana walks her pint-sized agent through a litany of Chekhov’s items that are inevitably used to destroy Nazis later. Ditto Becky’s newfound interest in fencing with Rigby, which serves her well when she goes up against Luisa in a duel. This sequence also includes the best exchange of the film, when Becky enquires where the girl went to Hitler Youth Camp and Luisa replies: “Mississippi.”
The Nazis are rightfully portrayed as a legitimate threat and, simultaneously, the subject of complete mockery. The brownies – armed guards who do the dirty work of patrolling the woods and escorting prisoners – are comprised of men who explain they’re just following orders or they are “media and Performing Arts majors from Ohio State.” They’re idiots who are the brunt of multiple jokes and insults throughout the film, including Becky’s immediately iconic jacket emblazoned with “Fuck Nazis” on the back.
Then there’s the hilarious reveal of Reuss and Dr. Metzger’s master plan, which is simultaneously pathetic and hilariously short-lived…because even The Last Temptation of Becky understands that the only logical response to Nazis making a literal comeback in 2026 is to barf on them, punch them in the face, or blow them up. Preferably all of the above.
If there’s a misstep, it’s the film’s uneasy mix of practical FX and CGI. An early death involving a drone and a landmine would be much more compelling if the accompanying explosion and fire were real, and a decapitation winds up looking cheap because of the digital blood. Compare this to another death later when someone bleeds from every facial orifice: it’s clearly practical and, as a result, looks great.
There are a few other instances of violence that miss the mark. A potentially brutal knife in the mouth is partially obscured; some of the hand-to-hand combat in the last act doesn’t hit terribly hard. But overall, it’s impossible not to cheer on Becky as she fucks Nazis up at every opportunity.
If that’s what your heart desires, then The Last Temptation of Becky will be right up your alley. Here’s hoping that, despite the possible implications teased by the title, Lulu Wilson decides to return to the role every three years (or less!) for a new Becky film.
The Last Temptation of Becky made its world premiere at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival. Release info TBD.


You must be logged in to post a comment.