Ruby cut her toxic friends out of her life in Geek-Girl #3, but it’s hard when you have to attend school with them!  She’s analyzing whether she needs to keep her alter-identity secret when everything with Lightning Storm comes to a head, but the guys who created the power glasses simultaneously are pressuring Ruby to get them back.  Could the timing be any worse?

Geek-Girl #4’s cover says this issue is the mini-series finale, but with the cliffhanger ending, I hope there are more installments around the corner.  Ruby finally finds a sense of self and purpose, and Lightning Storm’s backstory reveal took a turn I didn’t anticipate. (I actually sympathized with her motives if not her methods, darn it.)  The showdown between the electricity diva and newbie super has built up with each issue, and I was not disappointed.  I just really need to know whether or not the continuation will be published!

The latest issue of Geek-Girl positively looked at women’s roles in society and began to analyze how objectification and sexism can affect individuals. (See Emma a.k.a. Lightning Storm.)  After a mixture of female power and unhealthy female relationships in the first three comics, I loved the turn that the creators took, and I did find myself sympathizing with the villain just a little.  As a nice twist, Ruby holds her own with her classmates who created the glasses when they realize that she’s using her new powers to help society, not just for personal gain, despite the underhanded way she acquired them.

The artwork has been good throughout the series, and Granda gets many opportunities to portray different aspects in this issue.  There are action sequences, crowd scenes, SF/horror bits with crackling electricity, and just slice-of-life clips, and they all remain consistent, which is no mean feat.

The mini-series finale ends on a cliffhanger, plus there are some dangling storylines from Geek-Girl #1-3, so I don’t think there’s any way things can stop now. (Please don’t stop now…too many questions.)  Overall, I was very satisfied with Ruby’s journey so far and have great hopes for her evolution into a stellar superhero and amazing woman.

Geek-Girl #4 is out now and available in regular, digital, and variant editions at www.geekgirlcomics.com – along with new variants of Geek-Girl #1-#3 for newcomers to her mini-series.



4.5 Sentimental Teddy Bears out of 5