Socialite Marla Drake has become unstuck in time, toggling between an alternate 2013 where Nazis covertly run Washington DC, and a more familiar 1943 where the nation is caught-up in the anxieties of the second world war.  How might one deal with mayhem of time travel? Put on a sexy cat suit, of course.

Here’s the official description:

In 1943, Miss Fury is drunk and suicidal, dangling off the edge of Manhattan’s highest skyscraper. In 2013, she’s racing in a high-speed bike chase through Washington, DC, in pursuit of time-traveling Nazi agents. Which reality is true? Meanwhile, CIA Agent Harmon uncovers the true identity of those who unhinged her from time..

It’s hard to reboot characters, and I have give props to writer Rob Williams for approaching this Gold Age heroine in such a daring way. As a character who was first envisioned in the ‘40s, part of Ms. Fury’s charm is that she mixed death with sex at a time when female protagonists were usually getting saved by men, not slaughtering them. But by setting a portion of the story in the early days of WWII, Williams can still play against cultural expectations of an earlier age, while also allowing the character to get modernized when she slips into 2013. Williams is trying desperately to balance mystery with action, and in Miss Fury #3 we get a little more about the Nazi plot that Ms. Fury has been trying to unravel.  That said, there’s still more shooting than mystery and we’re quickly approaching the point where the time-travel thing will feel like a gimmick unless Williams starts working it more intentionally into the plot.

Jack Herbert does a great job illustrating this issue. Ms. Fury is sexy, but not over the top sexualized — when she’s crushing skulls and dodging the bullets the emphasis is on action, not anatomy, which is refreshing to see for a female character who wears black leather.  Additionally, Herbert’s style is fluid enough to offer both the modern look of 2013 (check-out the Robocops), and the classy formality of a 1940’s cocktail party.

Miss Fury #3 is worth checking out, but if Dynamite wants readers to stick around, they’re going to have to start offering something other than a cool premise.

4/5