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.
A lot of the action feels a little awkward, or is framed weirdly.
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.
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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