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Getting Back the Jetpack in “Rocket Girl” #6 [Review]

By | May 7th, 2015
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

After another long wait, Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder’s “Rocket Girl” returns! The first arc was a bright and colorful and lively adventure as DaYoung Johannson battled evil corporations and time paradoxes. And now, after a year since she last strapped on her jetpack, Rocket Girl finally returns.

Written by Brandon Montclare
Illustrated by Amy Reeder

“SPLIT SECOND”
Rocket Girl returns for a second time-travelling story arc!
In 1986 NYC, DaYoung Johansson vowed to hang up her helmet and jetpack-now there’s no one’s left to right the city’s wrongs. And what could possibly be happening in the time-travelling 2014 that shouldn’t exist at all?

 

When we last left off, DaYoung Johannson managed to succeed in her mission and wipe out the future 2013 run by Quintum Mechanics. (Actually, Annie did it.) Now, DaYoung is trying to adjust to her new life in 1986, find her place in this new world with all these people who don’t understand where she came from or what they’re even going to do with her, and wonder how she’s even able to exist if her future just got obliterated.

There are three segments in the issue. The first involves DaYoung trying to cope with being an underage ward of a bunch of grad students and promising herself that she won’t change to be like them. The most action-packed elements focuses on a young Rocket Girl going off on her first mission with the Teen Police Force way back in the alternate 2011. She and a different partner — a girl we meet just in this issue named Tasha — and a strong desire to show people what’s what. This even younger and smaller DaYoung is far more reckless, brimming with excited and adrenaline, and ultimately careless. The issue closes in the 1986 New York City as Montclare and Reeder gleefully add more mysteries.

Montclare’s script keeps up the idea of change and transitions, from DaYoung’s humbling Teen Police mission to her adjusting to life as a teenager in New York City in the 80s. He makes parallels between her choices in 2011 and her choices in 1986, and the fact that DaYoung’s thoughts and comments and decisions show that, you know, she learned something, it’s obvious she still doesn’t have it as together as she thinks she does. Also, it’s consistently funny and engaging and leaves Amy Reeder with plenty of fun sets and situations to draw. He does well, too, to introduce even more mysteries and questions, while reminding us about the ones that are already in play. (Such as: what’s the deal with Quintum Mechanics? why did that CEO jerk need DaYoung to come take them down? what’s going to happen to Annie and the rest of her classmates?)

As always, Reeder’s art is energetic and exuberant. You can see why there’s such long delays between these issues, as she constantly fucks around with perspective and detail. Her cityscapes are packed with a Where’s Waldo amount of information and life and even if we only see it once, the hint of it carries through the rest of the book. This 1986 New York City carries the excitement and coolness of living in New York City but doesn’t shy away from the 80s New York City’s dankness and dreary.

She infuses this crazy amount of exhilaration in her action sequences. Take a look at the delight and zestiness she captures of flying through a city with a jetpack. Her characters’ facial expressions are just nudged to the right amount of exaggeration to make them feel authentic. Reeder comes from the manga school, and her panels cut through the pages, stack up on top of each other, and break off to sort of fall off the page; they actually feel about as restless as DaYoung. It all comes together to make a mostly satisfying reading experience.

“Rocket Girl” continues to be bright and full of color and life. And I think that’s the most lingering element of the book. For all the mysteries and conspiracies and characters bickering with each other, I think what I take away most issue after issue is the aesthetic of it, its lively vibe. Honestly, I would be hard pressed to immediately tell you anything about the plot or motivations or time-traveling what-have-yous, but Reeder’s exuberant images and style constantly lingers on after the issue is over. This might be a book that takes forever to come out, but Reeder’s artwork makes it almost worth it each time.

Final Verdict: 8.1 – It’s nice to see this book return.


Matthew Garcia

Matt hails from Colorado. He can be found on Twitter as @MattSG.

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