I know what you're thinking. "Hey, you already reviewed Street Angel #1 and #2!" Either that or "Mmmm... bacon!" Either way, yes, I have reviewed a couple of these books before, but now that I've seen three of them, I feel like the book deserves a bit of a spotlight, as I feel like I've gotten my head around the concept at this point. Street Angel is not just a gonzo book that tends toward the surreal humor and bizarre pop culture references like Scurvy Dogs or Flaming Carrot, but it combines that sense of humor with beautiful artwork and some really cool action sequences.
Just as the best Star Wars movie was the middle one, so too is the second issue of Street Angel the best book. No, there's no incest and nobody gets their hand cut off, but there is a streetwise Incan god and his lovely assistant, there's insight into the rivalry of pirates and ninjas and there's an Australian-Irish astronaut, which is almost as good. Each issue of Street Angel reads like Rugg and Maruca threw several gags together and wrote a story around it, whether it's the aforementioned elements from issue two, satanists and a guest spot by Jesus in issue three or the combination of pulp-esque mad genius Dr. Pangea and more ninjas in issue one.
Ninjas are the unifying element of the Street Angel books so far, and ninjas haven't been this funny since the early days of The Tick. In the world of Street Angel, ninjas are less a deadly menace and more like a mixture of gangsta thug and cockroach, seemingly everywhere and really more annoying than actually dangerous. Issue one makes references to "Ninja riots" which resulted in the formation of an anti-ninja police unit and shows them playing a game of street hoops and worrying about losing their ID badges. Issue two shows them wading willy-nilly into a fight with pirates, using an alarm they keep for just such a purpose, because the two of them are natural enemies. Issue three... well, issue three doesn't have any ninjas directly, but it does feature a ninja teaching how to play the kentucky bluegrass banjo in a short featurette that is hilarious given the incongruity of the ninja mystique with such a goofy grade school lesson.
Actually, in reading all three of these books together, I came to appreciate that Rugg and Maruca throw in some cute continuing gags in the front and back of the book. For example, the inside front cover features illustrations which seem like just eye candy, but when you look at all of them, you realize that there's a theme of Street Angel battling a squid. Likewise, the inside back cover always features "Ninja dojo," with a ninja providing lessons on banjo, baking cookies and, in the least bizarre lesson, how to use a bo staff. This is pretty indicative of the general sense of humor of Street Angel, which takes strange elements and plays them pretty straight, rather than trying to play them off in a goofy manner and making the whole thing too obvious instead. The juxtapositon of earnest, Stan Lee-esque narration with these strange, comedically mismatched elements makes for a lot of laughs.
What makes Street Angel really stand out, though, is not just the originality of the concept or Rugg and Maruca's skills for picking out strange elements and making them funny. This is also a fantastic looking book, with a gorgeous and well-detailed urban backdrop and comedic timing to spare in the artwork. Street Angel has the attitude and style of David Lapham's Amy Racecar, and resembles that teenage wish fulfilment character visually as well, and the designs for the incan god, the satanist villain of the third issue and the "valiant bald eagle" are likewise terrific visuals. In addition, Rugg does fantastic action sequences, from the ninja fight in issue one to the ninja/conquistador melee in issue two to the smackdown between Street Angel and a satanist demon in the third.
Street Angel is a strange and hilariously funny book, unpredictable and imaginative and beautiful to look at. It's one of the most fun books of all 2004, and is well worth a look for those who dig books like The Goon, Dork! or Scurvy Dogs, which are just a few of the book that Street Angel shares some sensibilities with.
