Two-in-One Review: Girl Genius Madcap steampunk adventure is the order of the day with Girl Genius, the creation of Kaja & Phil Foglio. Randy: I remember when the Girl Genius preview book came out, it made me laugh out loud several times and I was struck by all the potential in the series. Then I sort of lost track of the book, so I was happy to get this chance to catch up with the first collected edition of the story. Don: Fantasy meets the Industrial Revolution in this charming, quirky story. Well... maybe "story" isn't the right word, as stories have endings. And the Foglios are just getting started in this initial collected edition. Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank published by Airship Entertainment written by Phil & Kaja Foglio illustrated by Phil Foglio, Brian Snoddy & Laurie Smith Don: Agatha Clay is a lowly lab assistant at the local university, but what she doesn't know is that she's much more than that. The theft of her special locket and the death of her mentor and protector set into motion a chain of events that will brings Agatha to the attention of the ruthless yet brilliant Baron who rules over the city. Oh, and a robot (or "clank," in this world's vernacular) runs about the city looking for someone. Randy: One thing I have to credit the Foglios for in Girl Genius is a neat concept. Combining steampunk technology and the wacky sense of humor that has defined the Foglios' work for the most part, this is definitely something different from most of what's out there. The notion of "Sparks" also gives a touch of super-hero flavor to the book, as the lead characters and their villains are set apart from humanity by accident of birth, and have abilities that make them more powerful in the society where they exist. Don: I enjoyed the script as well. The Foglios have a playful approach when it comes to language. The world of Girl Genius has its own unique, inventive but accessible vocabulary. Clanks, sparks, breakthroughs... the dialogue is deliciously colorful. I also enjoyed the phonetic approach to one sergeant's dialogue. Randy: What struck me most about this first chapter, though, is how little we actually learn about the characters and the world. Plenty of characters are introduced, but it's almost too much, and I found myself wishing for a little more focus on strictly Agatha, or on the history of the Heterodynes, who are clearly important but who aren't too well-defined as of yet. Similarly, Baron Wulfenbach seems to be the adversary, but he's hardly a completely bad man; in fact, he seems more like a benevolent dictator than a truly dangerous man. While I enjoyed the moral ambiguity this gave the book, I would have liked a clearer picture of the world's status quo. Don: I had similar qualms, and I think they stem from the fact that this initial collected edition just isn't complete. This is all introduction... save for the backup feature, which, unlike the rest of the book, is presented in color. Furthermore, the backup story looks forward to a time when Agatha is fully aware of her abilities and has embarked on a series of adventures. It makes for a divisive read, both visually and conceptually. Randy: Of course, the Foglios have crafted a likable cast of characters here. Agatha is a klutz and a loser in many ways, but she has a nice core personality and a determination which would mark her as the protagonist even if she wasn't on the cover with her name in the title. The weirdly-accented Jagermonsters are hilarious background actors, and I particularly loved their attempts to use an overlarge gun without properly compensating for it. And Agatha's adoptive parents, with their obvious love of the outlaw lifestyle, made quite an impression in their brief appearances as well. Don: Actually, I was struck more by the powerful personalities of the corrupt Baron and his spoiled and impatient son. They're a couple a nasty people, but at the same time, one can't help but enjoy their sharp minds and thirst for excitement. The characters aren't completely deplorable, and those added touches in their characters make them fascinating figures. Randy: The artwork is also quite beautiful, as I would have expected. Though I'm more anxious to see the book after it becomes full-color (in the next volume), the book looks good in black and white. The monstrous clockwork mechanicals that occupy the book are amazing to look at, and Foglio and Snoddy display a terrific sense of comic timing throughout. The sepia tones for the most part work as well, although on some pages they seem to fade to a more black-and-white look, while others are far more brown, and a little more consistency would have been nice. Don: Some of the more detailed images -- usually full- or double-page splashes -- lose some of that key definition. The rampage of the "seeker" clank, for example, is a bit muddy when we first see it, as well as on some subsequent pages. But the designs for all of the clanks are wondrous and entertaining. Randy: Any way you slice it, Girl Genius represents an unusual entry into the comic-book market, and it's a whole lot of fun. Like one of Agatha's experiments, this first issue has a few unusual quirks to prevent it running completely smoothly, but there's plenty of potential and I'm interested in seeing more. For more information about Girl Genius and read free previews of issue one or the color story in this collection, visit Studio Foglio. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.