Geek-Girl: Series 2 #5 starts with the revelation that Ruby has joined forces with local businessman Johnny Carlyle to become the face of The Kaye Foundation, Carlyle’s charitable organization that is sponsoring a new superhero team. Of course, it will be led by its namesake, the one and only Geek-Girl! Some of the other capes enticed to join up seem to have some rather… odd abilities, though. What will Ruby and Summer think of the new HQ? Can Johnny Carlyle drop his business to be with his wife in the delivery room? Is a random mash-up of super abilities a great idea? Only time will tell.
The latest issue of Geek-Girl lets the protagonist take a bit of a break and just enjoy the rewards of signing up for Carlyle’s new venture. While danger is lurking on the horizon, it’s broadly defined (nameless bulletproof villain), and it hasn’t made it to Ruby’s new stronghold yet. The new superheroes get short introductions through the story and in a few introduction videos the girls watch at the new headquarters, but I didn’t get a strong feel for their powers or psyches. The story simply hints that these aren’t the top-tier capes floating around in this society; like Ruby, the monetary gain is a big factor. (We all have bills to pay.) Hopefully, some of them will truly want to help humanity, but I don’t know if I really want to understand Guano Man’s special ability…
Ruby presents like a realistic college girl in this issue, despite her extraordinary glasses. She accepts Carlyle’s offer to help her parents with her medical bills, and the new superhero headquarters gives her a place to live besides her old bedroom. She and Summer reveal natural reactions to everything they see (including Ruby’s introduction video) and convinced me that I was seeing two close girlfriends exploring life.
Granda didn’t get the opportunity to draw very many action shots in this issue (There’s a little excitement near the end.), but every panel holds to the style from the very first Geek-Girl. Some of Ruby’s expressions made me laugh aloud, because I’ve seen those looks from myself.
Geek-Girl Series 2 #5 is designed to be a jumping-on point for new readers, so it sets up the action for future installments rather than diving in. Everyone can get a sense of the world, explore the setup for new teammates and villains, and begin to anticipate the upcoming conflicts. Who is the young blonde man spouting incantations and surviving a shot to the chest? Can Ruby live as part of a team of superheroes for hire? Who is the mysterious supe on the plane? We’ll have to wait until February 2020 to find out!
4 Awkwardly Perky Building Dedication Ceremonies Out of 5
Creative Team: Sam Johnson (Writer), Carlos Granda (Artist), Chunlin Zhao (Colorist), Paul McLaren (Letterer)
Publisher: Markosia Press
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