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Posted by Paul on February 26, 2007, 7:06 pm I just got my copy of Femforce Issue 138/Gargantarama 2 and, since I have no contribution to the issue, I can offer the following unbiased review! The Femforce portion of the issue opens with a story by Chris Irving (art by Cerrutelli and Austin) in which Ms. Victory and Rad have a knock-down drag-out fight. The story is complete unto itself, but like most if not all of the Chris Irving stories in recent issues, it’s clearly setting up for the future. At this point, it’s evident that each of the small stories Chris is telling is a brick in the structure of the “Nothing to Fear” storyline that will really come to the fore in the next issue or two. In fact, although seemingly unrelated, they all put the various characters involved in place (physically and emotionally) for the execution of the overarching storyline which, so far, is still hidden. The interaction between mother and daughter in this story flows away from what had become a detente and Rad’s underlying anger spills out. This change in flow of their relationship doesn’t come out of the blue, however, as Chris’s earlier stories featuring Rad and the Black Terror set the stage for the emotions on display this issue. The result is a satisfying read that advances “character” while still delivering fighting action. I suspect that the resurrection of the “issues” between Ms. Victory and Rad is a building block setting the stage for the climax of the “Nothing to Fear” storyline. The next story in the issue, “Shadowhunt,” by Chris with art by Ken Hunt inked by Mark Heike, features Nightveil. Laura Wright, in any form, is one of my favorite characters, so I’m predisposed to liking this tale. I think I know where this is going and, if I’m right, then the hints at “major changes” won’t be bluster. Whenever I’ve done polls on my website asking fans their favorite Femforce character, and based on the favorites listed by fans back when I was doing member cards featuring their favorites, Nightveil/Blue Bulleteer is the overwhelming favorite character of Femforce fans. In this story, Nightveil’s taken down pretty easily in a very cryptic way. She’s still around at the end of the tale but...I guess we’ll see what the future holds. Ken Hunt does a nice job with the storytelling in the art and shows talent. I understand he’ll be back next issue for a story and then he’s moving on to other non-AC projects. Mark’s inks do a great job of setting lighting, mood, and atmosphere! The final story on the Femforce side is a Tara story by Enrico Teodorani, with art by Antonio Conversano. This story actually involves a story element from an earlier story that Enrico plotted and I scripted back in Femforce issue 128 and the Italian Convention Special Issue of Tara drawn by Silvano a few years ago. That’s right, the rare Siberian Tiger is back! I liked the story, but then I like Tara stories set on Jungle Island ;-) The art is some of the best I’ve seen from Antonio, with clear storytelling and some nice layouts! The story gets a thumbs up from me. Enrico, this time teamed with Drew Gardner, also gives us a She-Cat story. It’s 6 panels long and has some interesting artwork. Switching to the Gargantarama side of the book, we begin with a Garganta tale. I’m not a Giant Woman story fan, so I can’t speak from that perspective. I do like NASCAR and have been to the Daytona 500, though, so the fact that the story revolves around that event provided a real-world basis for interest. The traffic problems, the idea that robbers would try to steal the box office receipts, the concerns about fan reaction to a giant woman in the infield, all made me chuckle. The story and pencils were by Mark Heike with the inks by Jeff Austin and that creative team always seems to deliver the goods! I liked Garganta as a character more after this story than before and I believe it’s probably her most personable appearance. In the next story, “Attack of the 5'6" Woman,” newcomer to AC, Eric Theriault, with assists by the Heikes, delivers a fun story that plays with the Giant Woman conventions a little bit. It’s well-paced and I liked that the reader knows what’s going on but the protagonist does not. It’s a mix of cheesecake and the old “Land of the Giants” tv series (and, if you’re old enough to remember that I guess I just gave away the surprise). The final story has art by my buddy Silvano and is written by Xizor, and includes two Femforcers, Synn and Stardust, in costume. Surprisingly, it was my least favorite. It features Stella Stargaze and the story basically has her growing out of her clothes for 5 pages. That’s it. Anybody who likes it can feel free to explain the allure to me. The last thing I wanted to mention was Bill Black’s nice text piece about Marty Nodell. Like many convention attendees, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Mr. Nodell so it was nice to see him remembered. That’s my review. What did you all think of the issue?
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