Review – Street Angel
Street Angel: Fist Fight Funnies by Jim Rugg + Brian Maruca
The Ninja Kid challenges Jesse “Street Angel” Sanchez to a fight – does he have a death wish?
Orphaned by the world, raised by the streets, Jesse Sanchez is a deadly kung fu fighter and the world’s greatest homeless skateboarder. In Angel City’s worst ghetto, she fights ninjas, drugs, nepotism, and pre-algebra as Street Angel!
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do a full page-by-page breakdown and won’t anytime soon (I’m trying to make that a patreon thing, anyway). But here are the quick thoughts:
* I like the cover, and I like the old-timey superhero comic aesthetic. Lots of comics open with a pulp comics type cover (LotH does!), but I’ve never seen one do all the -Ed notes and references to previous comics (that I presume don’t exist). It’s a fun gimmick, and makes your comic stand out.
![](http://66.media.tumblr.com/450a7f2626c6360b1fd2c63157c6e50a/tumblr_inline_oaw9k8lALp1r8fbhx_540.png)
A lot of the action feels a little awkward, or is framed weirdly.
![](http://66.media.tumblr.com/739e6233e6d07140c453f70274114335/tumblr_inline_oaw9omAH131r8fbhx_540.png)
This panel in particular is very weird. Visually, it’s not clear that Street Angel did a spin kick and Ninja Kid dodged it, since there’s no clear indication of where they are compared to each other (is Street Angel jumping or is it weird perspective?). Also, I think Street Angel’s hair is going the wrong way for her action? I get that you’re trying to be arty, but it’s mostly just unclear and confusing.
Here are some good Strip Panel Naked videos to check out for action scenes.
![](http://66.media.tumblr.com/79cd524305ea40bb90e69139fd2b8d51/tumblr_inline_oaw9w9WQQk1r8fbhx_540.png)
Besides the fight scenes, the art is really good. It’s got a very Bronze Age feel to it, really kind of gritty.
Plotwise, I think the setup is good, and the tone is set really well, but I don’t understand the ending of chapter one. Why did Street Angel throw the fight? I don’t have a very good grasp of her character or why she does the things she do.
Oh, also, if you’re gonna have a lot of one-panel pages, please get on a platform with keyboard navigation. Thank you.
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