Street Angel #1

Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2004
By: Darren Schroeder

Creators: Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca
Publisher: Awefulbooks/Slave Labor Graphics (Self Published)
Address: PO Box 4517, Pittsburgh, PA15205, USA.
Price: $2.95(US)

In a world overrun by street gangs of ninja's life in the ghetto can be tough. It's made even harder when a mad professor decides he can gain world domination by moving all the continents back into one mass. The Mayor decide he needs some serious help, so calls in Street Angel - the skater girl who hasn't meet a Ninja that she couldn't knock on their arse.

With tongues firmly in their cheeks Jim and Brian have created an amusing spoof of action hero adventures. They have a great eye for the absurd, so ninja's hang out on every street corner playing basketball. There's also some social satire, such as when Street Angel gabs a megaphone off a policeman (after beating up the SWAT team) and uses it to talk to the mayor in his office. It's a great moment that perfectly compliments Laurie Anderson's voice of authority piece.

As we have come to expect from Slave Labour comics this has classy artwork to please the eyes. The creators use their graphic design qualifications to produce cleaver layouts and crisp illustrations that hint at a retro style and Michael Aldred's work. The use of 3D lettering for some sound effects caught my eye. It's an effective technique to punctuate characters breaking down doors etc.

It you enjoy off the wall humour of books like Madman or My Monkey’s Name is Jennifer then check this out, just don't judge the book by the naff Faux Liefield style back cover. Eke!

In a Word: Phat

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