Baboushka really delivers with the espionage stealth vibes and Bond-style action, but it's character development that gets just a tad confusing. Contessa's monologue in the beginning was very dark and grim, but when she gets into a fighting sequence she spouts juvenile jabs that just come off as immature. The artwork is satisfying, with extravagant settings but a lack of popping colors. The storyline is very interesting and promises a lot of spy thrills and covert mission sequences, but readers will probably start wondering which kind of personality Contessa has and be confused if they see too many contradictory behaviors. In the end, Baboushka is a must for espionage fans! Read Full Review

Watching her garrote a man with her wig and use an exploding earring sets the book up as a spy story that isn't afraid to laugh at itself too, especially the panels that end the scene by showing her final escape by motorized hang glider. They'd be a perfect ending to the issue, but for some reason, there's another page after that sets up a cliffhanger. With more build up, maybe the moment would be a good tease for the next issue. Instead, it feels tacked on and takes away from the impact of what came before. But it's an understandable mistake. Launching a successful comic book is hard. Johnston or Image or whoever can't really be criticized for defaulting to a pretty reliable way of making readers come back. After all, there are lots of Russian spies in comics. Read Full Review

All told, "Codename Baboushka" #1 is many things, and its flexibility and layers could become an asset going forward. There's plenty of potential here to harness and I'll pick up issue #2. However, for a first issue, I'd have preferred a stronger pitch and a touch more editing down. Read Full Review

Codename Baboushka: The Conclave of Death #1 has a lot going for it, but at the moment not too many pieces are coming together successfully. Chankhamma's art is the highlight of this issue, as it successfully delivers fun action, even if it sometimes looks a bit too lighthearted for the brutal action on the panels. Fans of espionage may want to give this issue a try, but most readers won't miss much passing this one up. Read Full Review

Overall, it was okay. If they keep her as a badass female anti-hero who don't need no man, I can see this opening up, but it felt very standard, spycraft, intrigue stuff. Read Full Review

There might be some First Issue Blues happening here, but I can't see the wishy-wash art being a selling point for me even if things with Baboushka pick up. I love the idea of a female spy, but there's just not enough here for me to love the idea of this female spy. It's entirely possible this comic just isn't for me, but I still think this issue is a sub-optimal gateway for anybody to enjoy this series. Read Full Review

Image has made a name for itself in recent years by putting out some amazing creator-owned works, each with their own unique potential to appeal to readers. It's my hope that Codename:Baboushka will find its audience, but that audience is not going to include me. Read Full Review

A tried and tested formula that sadly offers nothing new to the genre. Lacklustre artwork doesn't help matters. Read Full Review