Geek-Girl #0
Publisher: Actuality Press
Writer: Sam Johnson
Artist: Sally Stone-Thompson
Letters: Jaymes Reed
B&W, 16pages, $2.50
This month is the release of the second printing of “Geek Girl” #0, by Actuality Press! The solicit is “with great glasses, comes great klutziness,” and that is very approprié! When a young dude, Trevor, tells his friend Jeff that he’s invented a pair of glasses that can give the wearer super powers, the initial response is less than what he’d hoped for. Eventually though, Jeff buys in on the spectacles, and Trevor goes for a drink. Two hot young ladies are close by and hear the conversation. One of them, Ruby Kaye, believes the hype and really wants the glasses. After convincing Trevor to let her have them, Ruby and her friend hit the club scene. A few moments later in the alleyway outside the club, Ruby shows a thug just how effective these glasses can make even the geekiest of girls!
OK, after reading a couple of other titles from this author (“Cabra Cini” and “The Almighties”), people definitely need to check out this guy’s work. The first title was a gritty, hard-core book that involved magic, the second was a parody on the Avengers, and now the third, “Geek Girl,” is an excellent example of Sam’s diversity. This book is an action/humor title that really showcases a strong female cast with lots of potential for even more in a genre which is currently quite lacking in the industry. This is an area that has the most room for expansion, and books like this can be a great launching point for young female readers. A smart, tough, and geeky girl that shows she can be assertive without being portrayed as a muscular amazon is just what the doctor ordered! Yes, the cover is a little deceiving as it shows a sexy young woman, but the inside isn’t plastered with scantily clad curvy women that look like nothing but eye candy to sell a book.
From an artistic standpoint, the characters are all spot on as far as what you’d imagine if this were a prose book. In the scene where Ruby knocks out the thug, her facial expression is absolutely perfect. She looks as though it’s the first time she’s done anything like that, and if you think about it, that fits the bill perfectly. She’s not a tough chick, she’s a geek, and kudos to the artist, Sally Stone-Thompson, for that. Definitely check this book out and give it a chance, because books that have a strong female presence in them that are actually believable are hard to come by these days. Rating 4/5
Geek-Girl #0, written by Sam Johnson, illustrated by Sally Stone-Thompson, and published by Actuality Press is available now, priced $2.50 at www.samjohnson-comics.blogspot.com
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
