Comic Sunday #10: Rocket Girl, Vol 1: Times Squared

Comic Sundays are an American newspaper tradition where new comic strips are published weekly. At Becoming Books this tradition will continue focusing on comic strips, comics and graphic novels appealing to young adult and adult audiences.

Rocket Girl, Vol. 1: Times Squared

Story by Brandon Montclare and Illustrations by Amy Reeder
YA Fiction – Science Fiction, Graphic Novel, 120 pages // July 9, 2014

Image Comics, $9.99
Advanced copy provided by the publisher. – Opinions are my own, review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

A teenage cop from a high-tech future is sent back in time to 1986 New York City. Dayoung Johansson is investigating the Quintum Mechanics megacorporation for crimes against time. As she pieces together the clues, she discovers the "future" she calls home - an alternate reality version of 2014 - shouldn't exist at all!

The plot and premise move quickly, interchanging between present time of 1986 and the future of 2013 via time travel. Time travel is always tricky and with the Teen Police Force it's no different since DaYoung and her colleagues have not even been born yet. With dialogue overflowing from each frame the reader gets a taste for the world building of a "cesspool" New York City and the 2013 NYC which has been commanded by a private tech company. What the reader does not get is the world's rules and consequences of said time travel. There is a hint that consequences will be the second story arc.

Rocket Girl is an interesting character, balancing the stereotypes of teenage drama and understanding her place in the world. Lacking a love interest Rocket Girl is inspiring as a modern superhero out to save the "old world", and she'd pass the Bechdel Test too. The secondary characters in both 1986 and 2013 offer an array of diversity and comic relief to support Rocket Girl in her debut.

Reeder uses a mix of non-traditional frame composition and white space to deliver action packed sequences in dual worlds. The inkings and shading differentiate the year before the setting box is even needed. This makes for a clear road map while reading when there are spilt scenes and the reader could easily get confused. Sadly, there are times when Reeder's illustrations do not get a chance to truly shine due to an overload in dialogue per frame.

Why I'll be reading volume two:
I am digging this world building and kick butt teenage, female superhero who is (so far) not stuck in a love triangle. I want to see the consequences of her time travel, the sci-fi of Quintum Mechanics and all of the other possibilities that can come of this storyline!

3.5 Stars 

Bonus: This comic was a Kickstarter project funded a little over a year ago!