Strange Girl vol.1
Written by: Rick Remender
Art by: Eric Nguyen
Remender seems to like to question beliefs. What I like is he does it without seeming preachy or superior and still lets the story progress as he asks questions. This story is a fun spin on a post apocalyptic dystopia but caused by spiritual/magical forces as opposed to large scale global technological wipeout or natural disasters which makes for an interesting change and you can tell that Remender did his research as to the details of the rapture to add details to his story and not just make it a series of sex trade scenes and bar fights.
Remender uses quiet moments to make the reader think with frequent interactions between the main character Beth and her demon companion Bloato discussing the merits and motivations of god- in a style that reminds me of Kevin Smith’s movie Dogma but without as many fart and sex jokes. The back and forth between the two characters is funny as they clearly have the kind of relationship where mocking each other is a standard and can get away without saying that they care about one another.
That’s not to say, this story isn’t action packed, with the use o magic and easily upset demons this story is like a Hell’s Angels party meets Mad Max with all the action you’d expect from that kind of combo (all it’s missing is a Thunderdome). Eric Nguyen’s art matches the action perfect as his sequential style, angular shapes and ability to emphasise movement makes the work leap off the page and none of the images seem static or lifeless.
There isn’t a lot more to say after this without spoiling too much other than this trade is a lot of fun. It’s a great premise and well paced with a mix of story, great characters and frantic action that’s a great read for anyone who isn’t too sensitive about the whole religion issue.
Rating: 7/10
