Decorum by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Huddleston (Image Comics) has a simple but fascinating premise: wicked cultured assassins in space.

The first issue, unfortunately, is more of an info dump than world-building narrative, consisting mostly of infographics explaining historical events, political factions, and locations. No assassins even appear until the last third of the issue.

When the story does begin, we’re introduced to Neha, a courier tasked with delivering a priority package to “the Bouweriz.” Even here, the narrative is interspersed with an infographic of a meal Neha eats and a page of exposition about a plague that has nothing to do with the matter at hand.

The POV then switches to Morley, an agent from the Syndicate Major, on her way to deliver a message to mob boss Dorvan. The message is not a happy one, so when it turns out Neha’s package is also meant for Dorvan, bad quickly goes worse

Morley is by far the most intriguing part of the story to me. She’s ruthless and confident, without needing to announce how strong she is, yet her emphasis is on manners. She chides a dangerous mob boss for being rude. After tearing through a room of thugs, her first priority is adjusting her clothes and hair. She tells the uncouth and scrappy Neha off for being a minute late with her delivery, and their dynamic has a lot of potential.   

The dual format of Decorum’s first issue, though, feels nonlinear and disjointed in a way I think hinders the storytelling. The book is full of interesting ideas, the art style is brutal and beautiful, and the characters and infographics are stylish and aesthetically pleasing. I hope, going forward, the focus is on Neha, Morley, and their stories. 

Decorum #1 dropped in March, and issue #2 came out this week (because of pandemic delays).