Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Girl, Intercepted
Written by: Steve Vance
Penciled by: Christine Norrie
Inked by: Daniel Krall
Colored by: Lee Loughridge
Lettered by: Kurt Hathaway
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Joan Hilty
Publisher: DC Comics
10 pounds of luck in a 5 pound bag
Well the squeeze is on in Bad Girls, and I’m not talking about the air headed characters squeezing into their pants. Originally planned as a six-issue mini-series, DC has unceremoniously dropped the title down to five issues. I talked about it last month, and it didn’t really bother me all that much, but now that there’s only one more issue, I am a bit more annoyed. What’s really maddening is the fact that there hasn’t been any comment on the creative side of things. It would be nice to know just how this will affect the remainder of the story.
This book is definitely a guilty-pleasure of sorts. It may seem like the type of book you wouldn’t go around bragging that you like. Yet, I find myself enjoying it more and more each month. Part of it, for me, is the “train wreck†mentality that is evident in the book. I don’t really watch much television, in fact the only show that I do watch regularly is Fox’s 24. On occasion though, as I flip through the stations, reality-shows do grab my attention. Not really Survivor or some of the other more “high class†reality shows, but mostly the dating styled shows or some of the other programs that follow these very “interesting†people. Man, I just sit there, and it’s like a train wreck. I don’t want to look, but no matter how bad it is something keeps you watching.
This isn’t in any way a sleight to Steve Vance’s writing. In fact, it’s a major thumb’s up. When it comes to Bad Girls, Mr. Vance has perfectly captured that feeling of looking in on people, people that by all rights we shouldn’t be seeing, and most certainly have no business being in the spotlight. Yet here they are—and my goodness what are they doing—it’s “train wreck†comic books. While the basis of the series, teenage girls with superpowers, is inherently unrealistic. The sharp, realistic dialogue makes it just real enough to the reader. Of course, there’s a major difference between the two. Thankfully Bad Girls isn’t real, but unfortunately those people on television are.
â€Perhaps, I’ve said to much?â€
Anyway, on to the issue that currently resides in my grubby little paws.
Five issues would probably have worked out as the perfect length, had the first issue not dragged on quite so much. Steve Vance is forced to pick up the pace this month, and is actually quite successful. The best parts of the comic, center on Lauren, the star, as she learns to deal with her newfound “mind reading†powers. There’s probably not a better location in the world to be able to read minds, than a high school. The tasty tidbits that Lauren comes upon are truly priceless. The characterization in the series has been amazing. While the “Bad Girls†themselves are played way over the top and really are nothing more than caricatures, the rest of the cast has a distinct “truth of life†to their portrayal.
The artwork continues to shine this month. Christine Norrie has a wonderful command of these characters. Especially when it regards facial expressions. The wide range of expression that Ms. Norrie brings to these characters, reminds me of the remarkable work done by Kevin Maguire. For a book that’s meant to illicit a laugh, there’s not much more important than distinctive facial expressions.
To be honest, I don’t know how much of what’s in this issue played out as it was originally supposed to. Considering this is a mini-series, I hope that DC gave the team enough notice so what would have been the final issue, didn’t have to get squeezed into the last four pages next month. It’s really a shame to cancel a finite series; hopefully the storyline won’t become completely incomprehensible because of this.
