Take one part Powerpuff Girls, one part Madman and one part The Tick, and imagine that the resulting amalgam was envisioned by Tony Hawk, and you might have an idea of what to expect from Street Angel. For the most part, the book is an unapologetic spoof of the super-hero hero, mocking its conventions by completely bucking its trends and rules. But in the midst of the frenetic silliness, there's some biting social commentary to be found as well. Street Angel manages to be charming and crude all at once. It entertains with its impudence while challenges with its importance.
Angel City is overrun by ninjas and schoolyard bullies. It's a dangerous place, to be certain, but there's one person who helps to keep its streets safe. She's Jesse, an eighth-grade student and homeless orphan better known to the populace at large as the scourge of villain, Street Angel. With her martial-arts know-how, attitude and skateboard, she decimates the denizens of evil. The mayor calls her into action when his daugher is kidnapped by the mad scientist Dr. Pangea, who's hellbent on returning the world's landmass to its prehistoric shape.
Rugg's artwork here boasts the same sort of dichotomous qualities as the script. It's cute but edgy, well choreographed but rather simple in style as well. There's an interesting mix of detail and simpler character designs. I'm reminded me of Mike (Madman) Allred's style here, as well as those of Ted (Courtney Crumrin) Naifeh and Scott (Zot!) McCloud. Rugg really impressives with how he maintains the cuteness factor in the title character while showing her to be responsible for over-the-top violence and gore.
I haven't had this much fun with ninjas since the early issues of Ben Edlund's The Tick ("We're a hedge."). The creators poke fun at the absurdity of ludicrous antagonists that somehow came to be accepted in pop culture.
The message at the end of this issue is crystal clear: society seems to go out of its way to cater to the whims of the rich and privileged, casting aside the poor and the vulnerable in the process. Even the spunky, uber-competent title character is powerless to change that social imbalance. She can't even provide for herself, even though she can kick ass like nobody's business. It's a funny point, but it's also an important reminder of inequities all around us that we seem to accept as ordinary.
