While It Girl features work from two creators I usually enjoy, it seemed to be very clearly not for me. I haven't really followed The Atomics, where It Girl featured, and so I didn't really get a sense of who she was or what her general status quo was in this issue. This is a focus on a character for those already familiar with her, rather than one for casual Allred or Clugston-Major fans who might want to see them work together on a piece. It's pretty to look at, and as professional as you would expect from these creators and this publisher, but it didn't really click for me.
From what I can gather, the Atomics have decided to stop being a super-hero team and start being a band, and this issue focuses on their problems when Adam, a member of their band, doesn't show up for a gig. Adam being It Girl's love interest, this causes more than a little bit of misery and introspection for her, interrupted by a strange fortune-teller who gives her wings to find her man. That's not even mentioning the undead hypnotist. If you're getting the sense that It Girl is more than a little bit weird, than I'm describing it correctly.
I'm fond of the sort of quirky weirdness that has defined Allred's work, but I'm more fond of knowing what's going on, and I didn't really have that with It Girl. The characters are not defined at all for those who are new to them, and even It Girl, the lead of the piece, isn't really given any sort of clearly-defined personality. Her problem is clear in the issue, and the plot certainly makes enough sense, but without any pre-existing attachment to the character, I found myself not really caring about the end results.
On the artwork side, It Girl is shiny and pretty, a pop art confection. Clugston-Major's style shines through, but she has also adopted the weird and distinctive look of Allred's artwork, which makes for an interesting blend of styles. In addition, Han Allred does a very nice job on the colors, making them bright and shiny, not unlike Laura Allred's coloring style but with a little more gloss to it. And there's sort of a dreamy, haunting mood at work when It Girl is using borrowed wings to seek out her boyfriend.
All in all, this was a book that didn't really connect with me, but that's really more my fault than any fault in the book. Fans of The Atomics, or those who have followed a lot of Allred's work, will want to check this out, as will fans of Clugston-Major's artwork. Casual fans of either creator, however, will probably find this a bit too specifically mired in The Atomics characters to appeal to them.
