Geek Girl #0 (Actuality Press)

Rating: 3/5 – Indy super hero book with a funny bent

http://samjohnsoncomics.wix.com/geek-girl#!location/c2q4
www.geekgirlcomics.com

Here in the hallowed halls of the ComicSpectrum, we continue the age-old debate about the utility and even the very purpose of the zero issue.  From my perspective, it should give you a flavor of the title, both is art, storytelling, genre but preferably not bogging it down with excessive exposition.  It needs to function as a quick introduction that stands apart and does not impede the eventual number one issue.  Usually a shorter affair, it is freed from some of the normal constraints of a traditional number one issue by allowing a cheat to get into the matter quickly.  According to my self-serving interpretation, Geek Girl is somewhat successful as a zero issue but would have been better served skipping the origin in favor of an early adventure.

Sam Johnson (writer) and Sally Stone-Thompson (art) bring us a twelve page origin of Geek Girl aka Ruby Kaye.  Trevor shows his friend Jeff a pair of eyeglasses that have a special chip in the lens that grant its wearer super powers.  Kaye overhears and wins the glasses in a strip poker match (held off panel).  She shows them off to her friends at a club but her clumsy nature results in spilt drinks and ruined dresses.  Chastised by these shallow friends, she is about to discard the glasses, when she uses them to overcome an obsessed ex-boyfriend of an innocent bystander. Thus Geek Girl is born.

Johnson’s humor is evident throughout the script, but is that sort of “adult” humor that revels in the juvenile and fast paced dialogue of characters exchanging quips.  Kaye gets the boys’ attention by making out with her girlfriend.  I mean no negative connotation in that description but it may be a little much for younger reader however there is no nudity or bad language. For a sampling of the quips and by way of example, when discussing proving her super strength, Kaye says “What can I crush? Give me something to crush” gets the response “How about your credibility?”

This is an indy book in the true sense of the word, so the black and white artwork will remind those of us old enough to recall the explosion of b&w titles in the 80s, post TMNT.  I think Thompson does an excellent job of conveying facial expressions and actions.  I do have some ambiguity at the end as the ex-boyfriend appears to transform into some mystery man but unsure if we lay that at the feet of the writer or the artist.  The backgrounds are not overly rendered to put it most generously, but the scenes are all established as to locations.  I would say this issue reminds me of a less polished version of Spinnerette, http://www.spinnyverse.com/ a long running webcomic with Kickstarter success under its belt, er webs might be more on target.  The low cost of entry in this zero issue ($1 digitally) provides you an opportunity to check out Geek Girl.   Getting a print copy is a bit more problematic, it’s only $2.50, but is print on demand through ComiXpress and the shipping costs would be more than the cost of the comic.  Thus it’s review here as a digital comic.

Reviewed by: Andrew Sanford – andrew@comicspectrum.com
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