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IT GIRL ONE SHOT
Recommended (7/10)
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Oni Press
Writer: Mike Allred
Artist: Chynna Clugston-Major
Colors: Han Allred
Letters: Bryan O'Malley
Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
I read the first couple of issues of Mike Allred's The Atomics when it was first released, but it really didn't hook me, I'm afraid. I loved his simple but quirky and hip sense of design, but the characters and story didn't click for me, somehow. I feel a little bit out of the loop with these characters now, but Clugston-Major's light, pop art is quite appealing, and despite the often sad tone of this script, there's an irreverence to the characters that's makes for a fun read.
The Atomics are all set to make the transition from super-hero team to pop band, but suddenly, Adam backs out of the deal. Luna, AKA It Girl, mopes about town, upset that her boyfriend seems to cast aside her dreams and their relationship. A visit with a fortune teller enlightens her to an outside influence, though... one that's making Adam act not quite like himself.
I love Clugston-Major's artwork on her black-and-white Blue Monday comics, also published by Oni. But her style is even more fun and enticing when it's presented in color, as it is here and on Ultimate Marvel Team Up #11 a while back. The artist instills a delightful innocence in the title character. The super-bright colors reinforce the pop look of the book nicely as well.
The plot here is quite simple and even borders on the contrived (when it comes to the fortune teller). That simple nature makes for a far-too-quick read, but it also allows for a lighter tone, an engaging sense of fun that's somehow fostered by teen angst. This comes off as sort of like The Archies, but with a more modern context. Allred and the other creators seem to celebrate youth here. This is sort of the flip side of Allred is doing with writer Peter Milligan on Marvel's delightfully cynical X-Force series.
There's enough information in the script that even new readers will be able to follow along and get the general gist of what the Atomics are up to now. Still, I found I wanted to know a lot more about these characters than the script provides. The latter half of the book is surprisingly sparse when it comes to dialogue, and it makes those later pages fly by a bit too quickly for my tastes.
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