“When ‘Little Miss Popular’ Ruby Kaye lands a pair of super-tech glasses (invented by brainiac college geek Trevor Goldstein) in a game of Strip Poker, she’s granted flight, super-strength, and – due to a flaw in the glasses’ programming – super-klutziness!”
“Trying to be a super-hero, Ruby Kaye stumbles across a mysterious and extremely dangerous new villain taking down her town’s Numero Uno heroine – and is forced to step up and use her powers for more than just accidentally knocking drinks over her friends… Geek-Girl is entering the Super-Hero Big Leagues – whether she’s ready or not!”
“Geek-Girl” is a series I’ve been wanting to review since its release in 2016. During that time I was reviewing for two different online publications, but in my heart I really wanted to publish this on my own geek-cultured publication. And here we are, the difference being that I’m reviewing the entire four issue mini-series, in its collected, graphic novel form. “Geek-Girl” is written and created by Sam Johnson with artwork by Carlos Granda, colors by Nahp (issue #1) and Chunlin Zhao (issues #2-4), and lettered by Paul McLaren (issues #1, 3, and 4) and Micah Myers (issue #2). The cover for the graphic novel is illustrated by Matt Olson and is published by Markosia Comics.
Looking at the cover for issue one, readers will see the titular character in a typical superhero pose. A lightning bolt is visible in the background, and it’s aiming at a hot dog cart and the vendor, leaving a crack in the concrete ground. First impressions indicate that this may be the main foe for Geek-Girl, but how will this story pan out? Being a four-part mini-series, will this story be rushed, or will it have enough to keep the readers entertained? Every origin story needs a beginning, middle, and end, and I say this all the time…it’s not easy to introduce new characters to readers without proper characterization, action, emotions, and a hint of realism. Basically, will the target audience care about these characters by the time the story comes to a finale? Only by picking up this series can readers find out.
The origin is unique, and the way it’s presented is clever, yet hilarious. What I thought was brilliant is the woman behind Geek-Girl, Ruby Kaye. People’s perception of superheroes is that they’re perfect; they’re flawless, but not Ruby Kaye, she’s far from the norm. After ONE incident, her (best) friends begin to treat her differently, and this is where things become interesting within this story. This is where readers will realize that Ruby is not that different from you or me. Issue two is my favorite chapter by far, because not much action appears for Geek-Girl, but readers will see the side of Ruby, and all the drama she faces is all too real…and it’s so well written and the visuals are outstanding!
The story continues for the climactic battle between Geek-Girl and Lightning Storm. Readers will find out just how tough Lightning Storm is and what she’s capable of doing. How will Geek-Girl triumph over a super-powered foe who’s capable of manifesting lightning bolts out of her body? How will this story come to a conclusion? All I can say is that this story ends on a shocking level, comic book fans will have to check it out to see what I mean.
Overall, the first story arc of “Geek-Girl” was quite enjoyable. Combining the story, artwork, colors, and lettering, the creative team presented us with something memorable here. These are characters that readers will care about, dislike, and feel like they’re a part of. Ruby Kaye is a character that is relatable, and Geek-Girl is far from perfect, and this is a nice twist with the superhero genre. My rating for “Geek-Girl Volume 1: Lightning Strikes!” is 4.8 out of 5 Geek-Heads! Comic book readers, especially the ones who are into independents, should definitely read this series, I couldn’t recommend it more! You can find it by clicking on the official website HERE, on Amazon HERE, or on comiXology by clicking HERE.
Geek-Girl and all characters/contents copyright © 2018 Sam Johnson.
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