Ruby Kaye is back, after a brief stint through a coma induced sleep. Battling Super Villain Lightning Storm took it out of her. Luckily her BFF Summer was on hand to step into her shoes. Or rather her glasses. The OG Geek-girl is back in town people and the war on crime is finally starting to change when Ruby is given an offer she can’t refuse. Geek-Girl #5 sets up a solid foundation for future issues with a fast-paced and intense rhythm. This leads to some of its many characters making great lasting impressions and others being more forgettable.
Plot
Geek-Girl #5 written by Sam Johnson, with artwork from Carlos Granda, Chunlin Zhao and, Paul Mclaren delivers that same lighthearted vibe we’ve all come to know from the series. The issue lays the groundwork for future issues introducing us to Ruby’s new super team but suffers from a few pacing issues. Moving at such a breakneck pace with such a large cast of characters means some make a great lasting impression. Others, however, I forgot about rather easily. First of all, things kick-off when a young lad is unexpectedly shot in his home. Promising to bring his friend Kristina back before opening his door and being taken out in a shot that reminded me of DC’s A Killing Joke. We aren’t’ given too long to really think about this before we get to the real meat of the issue.
The issues revolves around former weapons dealer Johnny Carlyle giving Ruby the deal of a lifetime. Rather than working alone she could be part of a team, fighting crime togther. Due to her last battle with Lighting Storm Rubys a little hesitant about getting back into the superhero game. Nevertheless, she decides to carry on fighting crime, but only until she can pay her college fees off and get back to a normal life.
The idea is interesting enough, I just wished the issue stuck with it a little more. Rather than switching between three or four different subplots and never letting one truly flourish. After a small press conference between Johnny, Geek-Girl and another hero named Digger we cut to a flight. More members of Geek-Girls team are on board including Guano Guy and Mr. Marvelous Man, which I have to say are fantastic superhero names.
Back and Fourth
Another cut takes us back to the scene of the crime from the start. The supposedly dead victim isn’t quite so dead as he heals his own wound with some sort of incantation. Definitely the most intriguing part of the issue, I really want to know more about his guy. Who is he and what is his game plan? In contrast, the issue also spends a fairly large amount of time with Johnny and his pregnant wife who is going into labor. I never really cared for this too much and I hope it pays off in a significant way in future issues.
Watching Ruby and her BFF Summer, who previously stepped in as Geek-Girl for a short while, explore the new Superhero HQ was really fun. I love their back and fourths and the two of them really help hold the issue up. They meet a third hero already at the base named Minger who doesn’t have a lot to do here. She does, however, have a really interesting character design and I can’t wait to learn more about her.
Finally, the issue wraps up after the plain is attacked by some unknown enemy. Who he is, and what he’s all about I still don’t know but a homeless-looking supervillain? Certainly has me interested. A third hero on the plan helps fend off the stranger villain whilst Johnny’s baby is born. Plus, Summer, Ruby and, Minger all get to enjoy a drink waiting for their teammates to arrive.
Overall, a solid foundation that nicely sets up future issues to carry on this story. Certain parts work much better than others and the issue does move at a breakneck pace which was a little distracting but I am excited to see where exactly they take this story next.
Characters
Geek-Girl #5 has such a large list of characters, which it runs through so quickly only some of them end up sticking. The ones that do however are really fantastic. Let’s start with the stars of the show Ruby Kaye and her BFF Summer, both of which have held the mantle of Geek-Girl. Whilst reading issue #5 I found myself really buying into their friendship which was vital for them to get right. They feel like real friends and their back and fourths togther are some of the best moments in the whole issue.
Another couple of standouts were Guano Guy and Mr. Marvelous Man who still made a fantastic lasting impression despite not having a lot to do. Characters like Johnny and Digger didn’t have that initial spark like the others and failed to intrigue me like our un-named plain attacker and our surprisingly hard to kill murder victim. Therefore they ended up feeling a little left out.
Artwork
Once again, Geek-Girl’s artwork is stunning. The issue is littered with small intense action which was cool to see but added to that fastpaced feeling. Nevertheless, it was still beautifully captured on the page. The various different heroes and their powers all captured with their own unique look were fantastic. Geek-Girls #5’s artwork only adds to the issues already intense storytelling in all the best ways. I never found it to be too over the top.
Geek-Girl #5 is a really solid start, which will hopefully allow future issues to take this new story in an exciting fresh direction. Some pacing issues might take some readers back a little but if you can keep up with the action Geek-girl #5 is a really enjoyable read which fan of the series are sure to enjoy.
Geek-Girl #5 is Out Now, and available at geekgirlcomics.com and comixology.com and you can check out our last Geek-Girl review here.
