I was a little concerned that I wasn’t the target audience for Geek-Girl #7 when I opened my review link to see an overly busty Summer as Geek-Girl plastered across the front cover.  She looked flirty and confident, but her bust looked larger than normal, and it was clearly so male gaze-oriented that I felt taken aback (I’d also just seen a Facebook ad for a bra that could increase your breast size appearance by two cup sizes, so my brain was a little baffled.); however, the issue developed into a female bonding night out between BFFs Ruby and Summer and newcomer Kerry as they enjoy time as twenty-somethings in a college town.

Unfortunately, none of the plot teasers suggested in Geek-Girl #6 get fully played out in this issue, but seeing the primary cast enjoy the various events at a LGBTQIA+ club that caters to anyone who doesn’t fit into mainstream society is a nice palette cleanser from the harsh realities of 2020.  Some of it’s a little silly (feats of strength like at a carnival?), but it’s fun to read.  There’s a side story with a tough lady in a convenience store pulling a fairly well known scam, but I’m sure it’s not just gratuitous; she’s going to show up in the future, and I doubt she’s on the side of our heroes!

The Geek-Girl team finally gives readers (okay, maybe just me) what they want in issue #7, though, because a tipsy Ruby takes advantage of the club’s “airing of grievances” to lay into her fair-weather friends, Karin and Stacey.  I was so relieved to see that she recognizes how poorly they behaved towards her at the beginning of her superhero arc, and even though she’s hidden it well, she does feel hurt.  I know that women are particularly primed to forgive slights because of societal conditioning, but seeing Ruby cut toxicity out of her life made me want to cheer.   

I’ve already pointed out my initial reaction to Summer’s presentation on the cover, but I do think that the artist accomplished what they intended: selling Summer as a sexy lady.  The interior drawings are not all T&A, and there’s equal time spent on men and women in the crowd scenes. Setting the majority of the storyline in a club featuring costumes allowed the artist to have a lot of fun with character designs that wouldn’t fit in a normal street scene, as well, which was entertaining and eye catching.

Geek-Girl #7 felt like a calm interlude before everything in its world is ready to let loose.  Things are on the horizon, and who is that Teyla girl who has such a wide skill set that she’s probably more than she seems? Ruby doesn’t get to just have a night out with friends; there’s more to this night at the club than meets the eye.

4 Sassy MCs in Drag out of 5

Creative Team: Sam Johnson (Writer), Carlos Granda (Artist), Chunlin Zhao (Colorist), Paul McLaren (Letterer)
Publisher: Markosia Press
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