This week’s main review is Powerpuff Girls #1, an outstanding debut. Plus, the Wednesday Comics Team has its usual rundown of the new #1s, finales and other notable issues from non-Big 2 publishers, all of which you can find below … enjoy!
Powerpuff Girls #1
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist/Colorist: Paulina Ganucheau
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Review by Jordan Jennings
Synopsis: The City of Townsville is back and along with it are its sworn protectors, the Powerpuff Girls! Yet, when the girls take a career aptitude test that leads them down far different vocational paths, who will be there to save the city?!
Right out of the gate, Powerpuff Girls #1 nails the tone and essence of the beloved 90’s animated classic by simply starting with the signature opening narration “City of Townsville”. Throughout the issue Kelly Thompson’s writing captures what made the original cartoon series work. There is a sense of weird Silver-Age whimsy and weirdness with the plot—a career aptitude test administered by a machine known as the Highly Intelligent Machine being the catalyst for the Powerpuff Girls taking on wildly varied career paths— that fits in with the superhero comics you would see throughout the 50’s and 60’s but definitely in the cartoon series. The issue is actually reminiscent to the season 3-episode Super Zeroes, which has the girls modeling their super heroics after comic characters with each girl referencing wildly different super heroes, but the comic diverges pretty quickly with the main antagonist.
Thompson channels the voice of the characters with a deft touch. Everything from the Narrator to the Girls are in character. The humor Thompson infuses into the comic is right in the tone of the original series and a delight for the fans. Personally, I found the job choices for the girls—Blossom as the hard-boiled detective, Bubbles as a bunny, and Buttercup as a Luchador—is spot on and a real highlight of the issue. Thompson even manages to perfect the pacing of a regular episode of the show.
Paulina Ganucheau’s art is spot on as well. Every character is perfectly on model, of course, but that is not what makes her art excellent. Instead, it’s Ganucheau’s use of the comics medium. The centerpiece of the issue being the three divergent career paths can pose a challenge to showcase in a single issue of a comic. 22 pages is not a lot of real estate to show something as verbose and keep the pacing of the issue where it needs to be.
What Ganucheau does is for several pages is that she divides a double-page spread into horizontal thirds and gives a running plot for each of the girls. It allows us to see each of the girls live out of their careers but see them come to the same realization on the exact same plot beat. It is a fun and novel solution that I really found enjoyable.
Powerpuff Girls #1 is an excellent read and a delight for everyone—fans and the uninitiated. The comedic timing, the action, and overall, the fun of this issue made this one of my favorite comics I have reviewed this year.
Verdict: BUY
The Rocketeer Breaks Free #1
Writers: Stephen Mooney
Art: Staz Johnson
Colors: Len O’Grady and Marco Lesko
Letters: Shawn Lee
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Review by Clyde Hall
The Rocketeer Breaks Free is the latest IDW miniseries featuring Dave Stevens‘ iconic hero as helmed by scripter Stephen Mooney. With art by Staz Johnson, this volume of airborne New Pulp derring-do may be the truest yet to both Stevens‘ vision of the character and the cinematic thrill of the 1991 film.
It certainly launches that way, with a rollicking battle against 1930’s gangsters illustrating just how versatile Cliff Secord’s become utilizing his rocket pack. That’s followed by our hero, his best girl Betty, and mentor Peevy taking a Thanksgiving holiday road trip to San Francisco. Fellow pilot and U.S. agent Debbie Seville has opened her home to Cliff and crew while Betty films on location for a new feature.
The character interactions in the Seville home illustrate how improved Secord’s become at balancing domestic life with Rocketeering. But only to a point. He still hides the helmet and rocket pack from Betty, knowing that bringing along his superhero persona on a getaway like this would be less than appreciated.
Still, when an emergency arises with young lives in jeopardy, Betty has no qualms that the Rocketeer’s close at hand. Likely they will share choice words after the excitement blows over, though. Other complications loom just over the next cloud bank as well. One concerns the matter of intellectual property. The other lurks in deep waters beneath that engineering marvel of the Bay, the recently completed Golden Gate Bridge.
The San Francisco setting lends an attractive crime fiction veneer to the opening issue, one that makes elements of Betty’s cinematic career shine differently than they would in Tinsel Town. Even so, the Johnson artwork still applies opening night limelight to every panel. Although his style’s been well established over three decades (2000AD, Detective Comics, Avengers, Spider-Man, Catwoman, Robin, Transformers, Dr Who), Johnson conveys the spirit of Dave Stevens in homage-worthy fashion. With his opening pages come James Horner theme music and an invitation to imagine once more how it would feel, strapping that gizmo on your back and flying like a bat out of hell.
Mooney (Half Past Danger, Bettie Page and the Curse of the Banshee) is continuing his Rocketeer contributions at IDW with greater refinement. His 2022 series, Rocketeer: The Great Race, had solid concepts but plotting difficulties. His 2023 mini, Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves, was fun and fast-paced, the plotting much improved. I believe The Rocketeer Breaks Free will exceed them both. Added kudos for keeping the crimefighting in this issue neighborhood-friendly instead of mixing in “Nazi spy rings, flying commandos, the works” right away.
A few minor Editor quibbles aside, The Rocketeer Breaks Free #1 will be a treat for fans longing for fresh helpings of knuckle dusting, bullet dodging, Rocketeer action.
Verdict: BUY
Star Trek Annual 2024 #1
Writers: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Artist: Rachael Stott
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Review by Avery Kaplan
In the 2024 Star Trek Annual #1 by writers Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, artist Rachael Stott, colorist Charlie Kirchoff and letterer Clayton Cowles, Data tracks down Lore with the help of Miles and Geordi. This issue flows from the main Star Trek series, which I have not been following. However, I know the gist of the main book’s storyline, and because the main characters in the story have already been heavily utilized in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard (did I miss any?), I had no problem following along.
Meanwhile, the supporting antagonist was previously seen in the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager. So, even without having kept up with the main Star Trek title, there’s no trouble recognizing everyone. But, I would like to see “going” from some bold new characters, even if they’re appearing alongside legacy heroes. I did get excited to see Orion appear, but having a Madame show up for two pages just to be throttled by Data was disappointing, no matter how apologetic he might have been afterward. Some tie-in books from the main Star Trek line have been stellar and stand on their own, like the justifiably Eisner Award-nominated Star Trek: Day of Blood: Shax’s Best Day #1.
However, Star Trek Annual (2024) #1 is geared towards those who are already devoted to the main series and are actively engaged in those ongoing storylines. That being said, I understand there are some very devoted Trekkies who adore the main title and will most likely find a lot to love in this issue. Shout-out to Stott’s art for faithfully recreating the likeness of the actors, and for an excellent depiction of the antics of Spot as well the varied locations. Speaking of the locations, Kirchoff does an impressive job of varying palettes to create a shifting sense of place between scenes. And of course, Cowles delivers consistent quality with the lettering, which has been strong across the entire Star Trek IDW comics line.
Wednesday Comics Reviews
Biker Mice From Mars #1 (Oni Press): Writer Melissa Flores captures a very 90s charm here while also engaging with the realities of resistance. There’s also some heart wrenching moments here that really make you pause. The original cartoon provides a clear basis for the conversations happening in this issue, while current events make the parallels between occupational violence here and in the real world. We meet the Biker Mice from Mars and we’re moved briskly from scene to scene in the beginning of the issue, setting up the conflicts to come with increasing Plutarkian occupational violence right up until the end. The art of Francis Portela is spot-on and the saturated colors of Leonardo Paciarotti really help this first issue capture the feeling of an early morning cartoon and that’s perfect. There’s excellent use of page space and the letters of Ghost Glyph Studio’s Taylor Esposito bring the whole thing together making this first issue a fun ride. It’s an achievement to be able to translate a feeling and spirit seamlessly into another medium and that’s what this team achieved here. —Khalid Johnson
The Last Wardens # 1 (Mad Cave): Living in a dead-end small town can be hell enough as it is. You sure don’t need a demonic entity threatening the lives of everyone you hold dear to add to it, but Danielle Pryer will have to deal with it anyway. Written by Elliot Sperl and Amit Tishler, The Last Wardens poses the question of, “what if the only people capable of saving the world were a bunch of people who seem to kinda hate each other?” It’s a fun premise set in the post-Vietnam era with art and colors by Rui Silveira and Francesco Segala, respectively, who match the ideal setting aestetic for this era. Letters by Frank Cvetkovic emphasize the body horror that permeates through the book, bringing it home for that squeamish yet entertaining feeling. —Bryan Reheil
The Prog Report
Roxy (Rebellion Publishing): I’m going to use this space this week to point you toward something a little bit different than usual — Rebellion Publishing’s first-ever Kickstarter, Roxy. It’s a really fun project, featuring work by an A+ lineup of modern creators, including Erica Henderson, Alex De Campi, and Tula Lotay, among others. It’s got four romance stories spanning 80 pages, a nice chunk of comics for a Kickstarter. It’s especially interesting considering its roots in British comics history. The original Roxy was a girls’ romance comic published in Britain by Amalgamated Press and Fleetway Publications, running between 1958 and 1963, for 288 total weekly issues. This Kickstarter is to fund an all-new Roxy anthology. Learn all about it here. Full disclosure, I’m a backer of this one, and so I’d love to see it come to fruition, with as many stretch goals unlocked as possible. Our resident British comics expert, Dean Simons, wrote about it here. Check it out! —Zack Quaintance
Read more entries in the weekly Wednesday Comics reviews series!
