Damsels #1 Story by Leah Moore and John Reppion
Illustrated by Aneke
Letters by Simon Bowland
Colors by Ivan Nunes
Covers by J. Scott Campbell and John Chen Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 13, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
Damsels is not your grandma’s renaissance faire, unless of course she happens to have endless reserves of energy, then perhaps it is. Our popular culture seems to be tiring of the impending apocalypse or equivalent and looking to the simpler days of yore, that never was, for stories. Not to worry, zombies still have lots of brains to eat and our own modern minds can’t seem to make a fairy tale without that sense of great fear and trepidation intrinsic to the plot. Think Grimm, Once Upon a Time or in the comic world Fables or Fairest where they take cute folk tales from our youth and weird those up so adults will care about them.
I like this escapist concept and there are endless paths for a narrative to go when your main characters are not Instagraming what they had for lunch from their iPads. Damsels answers that challenge of making a new series with a popular premise stand out by bringing lots of cinematic style action and chaos into the mix. Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and Rapunzel may never be the same again.
Danger Girl G.I. Joe #2 Written by Andy Hartnell
Pencils by John Royle
Inks by Philip Moy
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Edited by John Barber & Scott Dunbier
Covers by John Royle & J. Scott Campbell IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
After reading Danger Girl G.I. Joe #2, I’d advise you to breathe into a paper bag, put your head between your knees, whatever it is you need to do to catch your breath. This issue, as was the first, is quite a roller coaster ride!
Andy Hartnell has proven himself time and again that he can write Danger Girl. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that he’s the BEST writer of Danger Girl that there ever has been and ever will be. You can imagine my surprise, then, at how well written this issue is, because the Danger Girl team is BARELY IN IT!!! That’s right, it’s 90% G.I. Joe and 200% awesome. The thing that I love about Hartnell’s work here is that he chooses the continuity that EVERYONE knows when it comes to G.I. Joe – the cartoon continuity. And from there he drops Abbey Chase and friends smack dab into the action. VERY well played.
Danger Girl: Revolver #3 Written by Andy Hartnell
Art by Chris Madden
Colors by Jeremy Cox
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Covers by J. Scott Campbell & Chris Madden IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 4, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99
Danger Girl Revolver #3 is just what you’ve missed about Danger Girl comics. Hopefully now that they’re back at IDW we can look forward to more minis or maybe even an ongoing. This franchise is too much fun to let lay for too long.
Series co-creator Andy Hartnell tells a classic Danger Girl story here, actually it’s more than your typical Danger Girl story as he uses this issue (and series) to delve into the personal lives of the team, which we haven’t seen before. Also, there’s TONS of action, intrigue, and a nice ongoing mystery. This issue is a goldmine for fans of the franchise, because Hartnall crams this issue with tons of past Danger Girl character cameos, which is a real treat for long time fans. My only complaint would be that it’s a quick read, but that’s due to pacing, and not lack of story.
Andy Hartnell brings the girls back in Danger Girl: Revolver #1. Like most comics in the action-spy genre this issue paid homage to the movies, comics, and novels that have defined the spy franchise. Instead of the sleek, classy, and cool agent, Hartnell re-introduces readers to his impossibly proportioned heroines. Danger Girl: Revolver #1 is an introduction to this genre done right. With dynamic art and choreography, this issue introduces a brand new Danger Girl storyline lacking any dull moments. From the second this issue started it demanded the reader’s attention.
J. Scott Campbell is one of my favorite artists who’s worked on one of my favorite comic books, Danger Girl. But, my favorite comic book series of all time (which you have heard and will continue to hear me say) is Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.
One of the characters introduced in The Sandman is Death, sister to the Sandman himself, Morpheus. Campbell recently tweeted to Gaiman a link to his DeviantArt page of his rendition of Death, and it’s a real beauty. Check it out here above.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press