First it was Hawaii, and now Vegas. I figure the next Danger Girl one-shot will be Danger Girl Does Dallas, but hey, what do I know?
The name of the game here is cheese, my friends. And I'm not just talking about the cheesecake artwork, but the cheesy dialogue and plotting. To be fair, though, it seems to be quite intentional. The writers have their tongues planted firmly in cheek. Still, the book's sense of humor and irreverent qualities don't hide its gratuitous nature and the rather obvious plotting.
The Danger Girl crew is hired by an eccentric Las Vegas casino owner to retrieve an Egyptian artifact from the hands of some rather shady characters in South Africa, and as always, there's no mission they can't carry out. That earns them the gratitude and hospitality of their employer, Prince Akoo, but his Egyptian-themed casino isn't the only unusual thing they find. Akoo is behaving oddly, and the agents of the Danger Girl organization also meet a mysterious woman who warns them of Akoo's dark agenda.
Phil Noto's pop artwork is an absolute joy to drink in. His sleek figures make his style perfect for bringing the women of Danger Girl to life. The wide-eyed faces and slender lines make for some sexy, stunning visuals, and his Vegas designs are a great deal of fun as well. But what really impresses me about the artwork are Noto's colors. They add depth and texture to the art, but they're surprisingly dark. He seems to opt for pastel shades, but muted ones that bring just a little tension to this otherwise light and goofy story.
The writing doesn't boast the same strength, unfortunately. The plot is painfully predictable; there are no surprises awaiting readers in these pages. Furthermore, the plot is thoroughly familiar, which no doubt contribute to that predictability factor. I'm also surprised and disappointed to discover that the writers just take it for granted that the readers will be up on the premise here. No background is provided, no explanation of what motivates the protagonists.
Danger Girl stories are first and foremost spy spoofs, specifically riffing on the James Bond movies. My disdain for those films probably rules me out as a potential audience member for this property. Still, there's no denying the sense of fun that fuels it. There's an energy to the characters and premise that I can appreciate. I was particularly impressed with one new character here, Jackpot, the one-armed, walking slot machine, whose Two-Face-like gimmick is just too silly and entertaining not to pop up again.
