The cover and little hints in the dialogue later in this book would seem to indicate this is a super-hero book, perhaps a la Astro City. The script for this debut issue doesn't really delve into that, though. Instead, it focuses on the friendship among three women, and the dialogue rings incredibly true. The art is strong as well, bringing a realistic look to the characters and settings while maintaining an energy and a glow that makes it clear these three women aren't just average gals. There's a problem, though. While it's clear who this story is about, there's little indication what it's about. The premise is elusive.
Three friends make their way home after a decadent dinner, but one of them spies a crude little poster in a poor neighborhood. It seems one of the residents claims to be a fortune teller, and the woman behind the wheel thinks it'll be a blast to glimpse into the future, be it real or the product of a wild imagination and creative huckster. Each one of the three women learns of a different, albeit vague, fate that lies less than a week ahead.
The art here can perhaps be best described as a cross between the styles of Joshua (NYX) Middleton and Adam (Wonder Woman covers) Hughes. The urban backgrounds are highly detailed and convincing, and while the main characters are typical visions of female beauty, they don't look like exaggerated Barbie dolls either. There's a bright, airy look to the art that reinforces the notion that these are not three regular women despite behavior that would indicate the contrary.
The writers have developed clear personalities and voices for the three main characters. There's a natural tone to their dialogue, and the banter among the women is quite believable. Given that the focus is on a small group of female friends out on the town in New York, the writers could have easily tried to replicate the word-play "wit" of the Sex and the City gals in order to capitalize on its popularity. I'm relieved they didn't, though. I've always found it to be irksome, and the Lunas avoid enveloping the characters in artificial and shallow attitudes. They seem real, but still a bit raunchy as well.
I can appreciate that the writers/creators wanted to focus the readers' attention on the three protagonists' more grounded qualities, they beat around the bush when it comes to the larger context of the series. The characters are apparently super-heroes, involved in some sort of commercial and altruistic venture that's made them famous, but there's really little more information than that available to the reader. The script omits nuggets of information that would have been helpful. I realize the Lunas are trying to foster an air of mystery in order to draw the reader into the story, but there's no clear need for a mystery. The reader is left confused as opposed to intrigued.
