Fight Like A Girl has one of the best titles to hit comics in years. The awesome title is accompanied by an interesting premise that’s populated by characters that the reader will want to journey with. All of that is wrapped up in a bow of wonderful art that’s a cross between Paul Pope and Becky Cloonan in my humble opinion. If that all sounds good to you then let’s continue and figure out what this debut issue is all about. The issue begins with our character from the cover standing before what looks like a judge. It’s quickly revealed that there’s a pantheon of Gods sitting in the room and they begin discussing the worth of our main character, Amarosa’s wish. They never tell us what the wish is, which is a clear indication that there’s some twist to it. After debating back and forth they decide to grant her the chance of obtaining her wish and instruct her to return to the wishing well in five days.
After that there’s a brief segment with Amarosa and a friend (possibly a boyfriend) and she discusses her brother dying and that she’s going to go before the Pantheon and Judge (ie what we just saw). This gives us her motivation, but she doesn’t explicitly say what her wish is either. The next time we see Amarosa she’s being given the rules of the wishing well, but what she’s up against is unlike anything you’d think of after hearing the word’s “wishing well.”
The concept for this story is solid. David Pinckney makes sure that the reader has all the rules of the story so that you understand what Amarosa is going up against. That’s an important bit of information to not only set up, but to get out-of-the-way. Without it the mystery behind the Pantheon and what Amarosa is really up against would stumble. Instead we’re intrigued by the mystery and delighted with Amarosa’s braveness and caring heart.
The action is a big part of the second half of the story and that’s where artist Soo Lee has opportunities to shine. It’s pretty solid action for the most part, I think the coloring of the antagonist hindered the scenes at times, but for the most part I enjoyed the battle. Where Lee excels is in the character design. Modern clothing and fashion in a comic book is practically unheard of, yet this comic was full of it and that made it relatable in a way. It’s also relatable in the fact that the battles can be viewed as metaphors.
Fight Like A Girl doesn’t release until November which gives you time to pre-order it. Trust me this is going to be one of the best series Action Lab Entertainment has published this year and they have produced some great books already. This series is hip, cool, and full of action and fun. Frankly it’s everything you want from a comic book when you pick it up.
Score: 5/5
Writer: David Pinckney Artist: Soo Lee Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/26/14 Format: Print/Digital