Girl Crazy

Rating:
Summary: A tasty dish from one of comics' brightest lights
Review: If you were partially responsible for one of the great modern comics, what do you do when it ends? Gilbert Hernandez has answered that question in a variety of interesting ways, from his adult erotica "Birdland" to all-ages fun stuff like DC's "Yeah!" (with Peter Bagge) and Dark Horse's "Girl Crazy," collected in this volume.

At first glance, "Girl Crazy" seems below Hernandez's gifts -- a retro adventure involving the efforts of three beautiful teenage girls to break their friend out of prison on their common 16th birthday. It looks like fun and games, but nothing more. But a more careful reading reveals a tale as poignant as it is entertaining (mostly in the climax, which I won't give away). Once you get into it, and realize that this is a far cry from Hernandez's magic-realist Palomar saga, you'll have a great time with it.

It reads very much like Hernandez's conscious decision to create an all-ages fantasy with superheroine escapades, that is nevertheless engaging and witty. It's almost as if he saw the mindless garbage out there and decided to do his part to beat the mainstream boys in their own court. It's a comic for the kids, as if Hernandez were saying "Hey kids, never mind 'Spawn' or whatever, here's some adventure comics that are actually a good party." But it also appeals to longtime "Love and Rockets" fans, who will enjoy seeing Gilbert mellowing out, paying homage to the carnival-style comics he grew up on, and even dropping one or two references to his own work (as when one of the girls delivers a line spoken by Luba in "BEM"). It also proves Hernandez's versatility as a creator who can produce G-rated stories and lose none of his storytelling wizardry (his brother Jaime has had equal success with his all-ages post-"L&R" comics like "Whoa, Nellie").

Definitely worth a buy, and look at that cover -- if that doesn't sell you, you're obviously not a fan of Hernandez's lovingly crafted women, often generously proportioned but never bimbos. You can tell he loves drawing girls who look like this, but he also loves giving them a mind, a heart, and a voice to speak both.

Rating:
Summary: A tasty dish from one of comics' brightest lights
Review: If you were partially responsible for one of the great modern comics, what do you do when it ends? Gilbert Hernandez has answered that question in a variety of interesting ways, from his adult erotica "Birdland" to all-ages fun stuff like DC's "Yeah!" (with Peter Bagge) and Dark Horse's "Girl Crazy," collected in this volume.

At first glance, "Girl Crazy" seems below Hernandez's gifts -- a retro adventure involving the efforts of three beautiful teenage girls to break their friend out of prison on their common 16th birthday. It looks like fun and games, but nothing more. But a more careful reading reveals a tale as poignant as it is entertaining (mostly in the climax, which I won't give away). Once you get into it, and realize that this is a far cry from Hernandez's magic-realist Palomar saga, you'll have a great time with it.

It reads very much like Hernandez's conscious decision to create an all-ages fantasy with superheroine escapades, that is nevertheless engaging and witty. It's almost as if he saw the mindless garbage out there and decided to do his part to beat the mainstream boys in their own court. It's a comic for the kids, as if Hernandez were saying "Hey kids, never mind 'Spawn' or whatever, here's some adventure comics that are actually a good party." But it also appeals to longtime "Love and Rockets" fans, who will enjoy seeing Gilbert mellowing out, paying homage to the carnival-style comics he grew up on, and even dropping one or two references to his own work (as when one of the girls delivers a line spoken by Luba in "BEM"). It also proves Hernandez's versatility as a creator who can produce G-rated stories and lose none of his storytelling wizardry (his brother Jaime has had equal success with his all-ages post-"L&R" comics like "Whoa, Nellie").

Definitely worth a buy, and look at that cover -- if that doesn't sell you, you're obviously not a fan of Hernandez's lovingly crafted women, often generously proportioned but never bimbos. You can tell he loves drawing girls who look like this, but he also loves giving them a mind, a heart, and a voice to speak both.

Rating:
Summary: Girl Crazy is Girl Alright
Review: My mom gave me Girl Crazy because I've been a fan of the Hernandez Bros for a long time. The art was pretty much typical of Gilbert, good, and in his own style, but I personally like Jaime better, so it was like *eh* in that department. The storyline was very creative though. It made me think, and that's always a good thing. All in all I suppose it's worth the 10 bucks, but the ending is one that's gonna make you want to buy the other issues, so be prepared to buy more.