I loved The Naked Spy #1 so of course I had to get the next issue. Unfortunately, I somehow missed the Kickstarter campaign when it was launched, but thankfully, it still got funded, and I was able to contact the creator after the fact and buy a copy. The creative team of writers Jared and Jessica Chinigo (who I’ve been informed are married) and artist Bugra Bathan Berah return for another 24-page story.

This story, picking up from the conclusion of issue 1, details Mata Hari’s first official covert mission for the French government. She travels back to her homeland, The Netherlands, to stop an Austrian-Hungarian general who is working on a deal that could sabotage France’s war efforts. She arrives under the guise of being hired for a special performance of her infamous stripteases. She checks into her hotel, where she’s met by some local operatives, a man named Adre and a woman named Famke, who assist her in her mission.

We see Mata Hari using her brain and body to carry out her mission. To get through to the general, she must distract his assistant and does so by bribing her way into the local brothel to take the place of the man’s favorite courtesan and seducing him into a very vulnerable position (which involves her getting on her knees, if you know what I mean) which allows her to torture the information she needs out of him. She then manages to seduce the general and have sex with him and steals the information she needs afterward. The issue ends on a cliffhanger in which a figure from Mata Hari’s past makes a surprising return.

This issue feels like a classic James Bond story. Andre and Famke even outfit Mata Hair with some secret weapons, like a bladed pocket fan, for her to use on her mission. She also gets some opportunities to use her impressive martial arts skills. The writing is suspenseful, and the art fits the tone of the story. And once again, the scenes of sex and nudity manage to be erotic without feeling exploitative or gratuitous. Mata Hari did use sex to achieve her goals, so it’s shown here.

Heck, I almost wish the issue was a little more gratuitous. There’s a scene thought was leading up to some girl/girl action between Mata Hari and Femke (Femki helps give her a bath, and then Mata Hari gets into bed naked and asks Femke to sleep next to her, which she does), which would’ve been hot to see drawn by Berah, but alas, it doesn’t go there.

This issue gets a Chacebook rating of FIVE STARS. I’m happy that the Kickstarter campaign for the third issue is currently active and successful. I’ve backed it, and so should you!