The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay, I kinda sorta loved this book.
I had read Friends with Boys and thought it was okay. I really like Hicks’ art style and when I saw this book on our new shelf last week, I grabbed it because how could I resist Superhero Girl standing there on the cover! She is both badass and adorable at the same time. I hoped the book would amuse me. Maybe that is why it totally caught me off guard.
Superhero Girl is a comic that Hicks does for Halifax’s free weekly newspaper and she also posts them to a blog to share with the rest of the world. At some point, Dark Horse decided to pick it up and publish it as a collection, which is what I read this week. Once I started, I could tell it must have been a web comic of some kind since usually the entire story is done in a single page (though there are a few longer arcs that span pages).
The book is filled with a very dry wit and lots of references to superhero pop culture, plus a few pokes at how Canada is not known for having enough crime to warrant a superhero to protect it. The best moments come when Superhero Girl tries to just lead a normal life, like going to the grocery store, applying for a job or going to a party.
Originally published online in black & white, the book is in FULL COLOR. And it is GLORIOUS! I hope to see more from Superhero Girl in the future.
orangerful 