I am old enough to remember the Lori Petty Tank Girl movie from 1995 with all of its quirkiness and admittedly, I thought the movie was a cheap knockoff of Buckaroo Banzai, not knowing a comic and a novel had existed beforehand (which I eventually caught up on and LOVED!!). So fast forward to 2014 and this comic was on Kickstarter, as the original team that created the character, wanted to bring her back for a new generation. Nonetheless, the Kickstarter had a successful run and now the fruit of the crowd funder can be seen by all, and it does not disappoint.
21st Century Tank Girl #1, published by Titan Comics, is an interesting collection of stories that explore the many facets of Rebecca Buckley AKA Tank Girl. I hate to sound like a parent, but to pick which one of these stories is my favorite is like admitting you have a favorite child. As each writer and artist who has ever worked on this character since its inception have all came back to write and draw a story as almost like the comic book version of Grosse Point Blank.
IN the first story, “ Space is Ace”, which reunites the original creators, Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, fees like a throwback of sorts, much like the stories I used to read in 2000 A.D., as it is part Heavy Metal part Doonesbury in its humor and in its eye-popping art. You can definitely see that neither have a lost a step, it almost makes you wonder , if this really was a new story or was it a scrapped one from the original run, either way, longtime fans will love their collaboration.
In the second story “Easy”, it feels like a Disney short that comes before the main attraction, as there absolutely is no dialogue, but one can follow the action regardless, it is amusing and brief.
In the third story,” The Runny Man”, which is drawn by Bret Parson and written by Alan Martin, is their fun take on a similarly named movie form 80s starring a certain ex-governor. This story brings the gore that the movie version did not, but also keeps the fun aspect in sight, which makes this story a bit of a conflict in feelings for the reader, as far how one should feel at the end, either way, excellent art and story, probably the strongest of this collection.
The anchor of the this collection of stories, is “Sundrenched Martian Superholiday,” which is drawn by Jonathan Edward, serves as the funniest part of the book, as it recaps some of their other adventures, in a comical manner.
Altogether, these stories, although all different, stay true to the character, and as can be felt by the spirit it was written and drawn, a true labor of love for the creators, and new love affair for her fans.
Story: Alan Martin Art: Jamie Hewlett, Brett Parson, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, Jonathan Edwards, Philip Bond
Story: 8.0 Art: 9.6 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Read
Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
In 2018, Titan Comics are celebrating 30 riotous years of Tank Girl! The celebrations kick-off this October 2017 with The Wonderful World of Tank Girl – four brand-new stand-alone adventures written by Tank Girl co-creator Alan Martin and illustrated by Brett Parsons.
