Rocket Girl #4: Review


After a promising start, we’ve finally hit the point where the plot of Rocket Girl is desperately trying to keep up with this series’ kick-ass art…and starting to fall behind.

Here’s the official word from Image:

The book everyone is talking about has plenty more surprises locked, loaded, and ready to shoot you in the face. It’s all-out action in this issue with a rocket chase through the graffiti-littered subway tunnels of NYC. DaYoung is stuck in the ’80s, with only her jetpack and wits to help the teenager crack a time-spanning conspiracy. Rocket Girl will get the who, what, where, when, and why — and deliver the wham!

Time travel, kid cops, and, now, with issue #4, the introduction of two new villains that are tangentially rootedScreen shot 2014-03-18 at 10.00.22 PM in Rocket Girls past (or is it future?). Yes, you have to give Rocket Girl credit for being one of the most ambitious books out there right now — writer Brandon Montclare has absolutely no qualms about making his readers think (and sometimes flip to previous issues just to figure out the current plot-line). And while there’s something refreshing about Rocket Girls breakneck pace and narrative backflips, issue #4 reveals one fundamental truth: Montclare needs to slow down. While issue #4 offers yet another fast-ass chase scene, it offers very little in the way of character development or good old-fashion storytelling. It makes one wonder if Montclare is more obsessed with offering artist Amy Reeder  opportunities to show off her craft than telling a tightly structured story.

Even though the story felt a little flatter with issue #4, the art does not. I could look Amy Reeder’s work all day. It is *simply* fabulous; her ability to illustrate chase scenes, capture facial expressions, and the flow of bodies fighting is worth every penny of this book.

Yes, I love Rocket Girl, but just four issues in and we’re already starting to get a series that just plays three notes over and over: chase scene, science talk, and quirky monologue that highlights the novelty of kids-as-cops (again). If this series is going to last, we need a bit more.

 

OUR RATING
7.5
+ LOVE the art - But the Story Needs to Catch Up

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