Contracts & Agendas is the second collection of Kal Jerico stories. For those who don’t know who Kal Jerico is, he’s a bounty hunter featured in the Warhammer Monthly comic book. A native of Necromunda, he manages to find himself in a wide variety of situations, which require a delicate touch. For those who’ve never read Warhammer Monthly or didn’t pick up the first volume, don’t despair. This is a self contained graphic novel and doesn’t require the reader to have any intimate knowledge of the series or the character.

In the first book, he worked more or less alone. Here however, he’s joined by Scabbs, a Ratskin Scout of Necromunda. The two manage to get themselves into several little mini-adventures, each one self-contained until we get up to The Nemo Agenda. The introduction adventures are Kal and Scabbs running around catching bounties and serves as a good introduction to the two and a reminder of how hard life is in Necromunda. Take for example the Acid Rain. Dangerous stuff.

The Nemo Agenda though, is a bit different. Several chapters long, it brings together many elements. Take the biker gangs, old technology, mobsters and religious fantatics. Mix Kal Jerico in whose out to retrieve the ancient tech, and you’ve got the Nemo Agenda down pat. Some of my favorite quotes from this section come from Cardinal Crimson, a Redemptionist Zealot. “And remember, blessed shall be he who brins me the head of the arch-heretic Kal Jerico!” Good stuff.

Overall, the writing is sharp for a comic. There seems to be a little more humor in this one than the previous volume. For example, in the first story, Kal manages to get ambushed not once, but three times. Another example is the final fate of Cardinal Crimson. Suffice it to say that Gordon Rennie has a fine sense of irony and humor. It sets up his bad luck as a guide that enables him to find and escape more situations than he has a right to. The addition of Scabbs also works as a nice counter to Kal’s smooth ways.

One of the things that most impressed me about the book though isn’t the storyline or the fascinating tidbits about Necromunda. Rather it’s in Wayne Reynolds art. See, I’m a role player, dungeons and dragons, and all that jazz. Wayne is one of the artist whose done a lot to bring the look of D&D up to the new year and his art style is one I particularly enjoy. Here he does a great job with almost every aspect of Necromunda. The only thing I don’t actually like however, is his illustrations of Kal who he draws with dark hair and his front two pony-tails look very off kilter for some reason as they aren’t shaded.

One of the other benefits is that for a trade paperback, even in black and white, it’s fairly inexpensive at $6.95. If you like action based comics of bad men who aren’t as bad as those they hunt, that Kal Jerico’s second graphic novel, Contracts & Agendas, will be right up your alley.