Welcome back to the adventures of your unlikely superhero, Geek Girl. Issue 3 is a jump on board issue, as the issue quickly catches up new readers on who Ruby is, why she has her powers, and her problems as a superhero and as a young woman in college. All the while she is continuing to explore her powers and fight crime.
The Good:
The comic has a nice blend of humor, cattiness, and science fiction. The humor is sprinkled throughout the comic, starting with Ruby approaching the police asking what the 4 on 1 is on a crime that is being committed. This shows how geeky Ruby is and how the comic does not take itself too seriously as it eases readers into the story. Furthermore, the humor continues as Ruby faces 2 robbers attempting to rob a store. When she is questioned about if she knows who they are, she gives the unexpected answer that she does not know who they are. This is funny as it catches a reader off guard, as it is unexpected thing for a superhero to say when stopping crime. While all of this is occurring, Ruby, outside of fighting crime, has to deal with cattiness from her fellow classmates/friends. In particular, from Karin, who at every turn is attempting to take a shot at Ruby. Throughout this issue she is cleverly taking shots at Ruby insinuating that she is a lesbian. This shows that despite Ruby having these super abilities she is still human and is subjected to being bullied and discredited. In many ways this is exploring a new side to the superhero genre as it is putting the human component ahead of the superpower element. Finally, the comic introduces an element of science fiction into the story. It is revealed that Mariella’s ex-boyfriend was punched by Ruby and his skin became cracked rather than bruised. Which eventually led him to disappear. The same thing occurred when Ruby hit Karin, as half of her face disappeared. It turns out that the faces were being transported to a creature named Arim. Arim is a creature that came to earth from another dimension and wanted to make people feel as bad as he did for losing a woman named Delfi. Eventually Delfi stopped Arim, but his introduction has opened the door for other creatures and entities to come into this comic from various dimensions.
The Bad:
Issue 3, in many ways feels like a tangent from the original plot of the comic. Initially, the comic had established that Ruby would be the replacement for Neon Girl, while she recovered. In this time she would bring Lighting Storm, the woman who took Neon Girl out, to justice. Issue 3, makes no mention of Lighting Storm rather it has Ruby fighting other criminals. Lighting Storm is the reason why Ruby is a superhero and it seems off putting for her not to be mentioned in this issue. In particular, considering that issue 3 is aimed for new readers to be exposed to the comic.
The Verdict:
Issue 3 of Geek Girl is a solid issue for both returning fans and new comers. Returning fans are exposed to more of Ruby’s struggles as she is balancing her superhero life and her personal life. In her personal life we finally begin to see Ruby stand up to Karin and her bullying. While in her superhero life she is beginning to understand her powers. For new fans, they are quickly brought up to speed on what has occurred in previous issues and immediately see the gains she has made in her superhero and personal life. Geek Girl, Issue 3 has done an excellent job with this issue as it appeals to new and returning readers without one of these groups feeling that they did not get enough story.
Geek-Girl #3 is Out Now in regular, digital and variant editions, and available at http://www.geekgirlcomics.com and http://www.comixology.com
