Writers & Artists: Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley
Colorists: Brad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro & Brian Reber
Cover Artists: Tim Seeley & Brian Reber
Publisher: Image
Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 27, 2024
Inga wanted to save Farmington, but compromising her principles destroyed her marriage, cost people their lives, and left her town in ruins. Now, Inga lives as a fugitive and hides under an assumed name. But 3rd Gen, CrossJack’s former superhero team, has government resources. What happens when Neon, Camo Crusader’s husband and Jack’s former lover, finds Inga? Let’s don our balaclavas, leap into the Local Man: Bad Girls Special, and find out!
Story
Inga takes orders in an all-night diner. Yet she drops plates and makes excuses for her failing job skills. She may go by the name Vicki, but a customer recognizes her. Then he fades away to reveal Neon. As Neon suggests Inga share her booth, fog fills the diner. Neon’s superpowers will shield their conversation from others more effectively than a fake name could ever obscure Inga’s identity.
Inga refuses to admit the disaster in Farmington was her fault. She tries to blame it all on Jack. But Neon cuts her argument short. Jack Xaver may have been Inga’s boyfriend before he left Farmington, but Neon worked with him for years. Jack had his faults, but he didn’t cause the Farmington fiasco. Inga funded her restaurant and the Farmington Future Forum by entombing 4th Gen in tanks, draining the young heroes’ superpowers, and selling them to the highest bidder. In addition to killing her world’s future heroes, Jack’s father—and Inga’s friend and business partner—also died. Did Inga kill Ben Xaver?
Inga refuses to answer. So, in the Local Man: Bad Girl’s Special, Neon tells her about another woman who cared too much. Dr. Monique Galludet wanted to protect her planet against ecological collapse. So she took a leaf out of Thanos’ book, adopted the name The Sixth Extinction, and opted for radical remedies to Earth’s ills. Neon's tale underlines the 4th Gen’s promise, but Inga won’t accept responsibility for their deaths.
A second story about the late Stacey Wohl, aka Frightside, who drew on the powers of an angry god from another dimension, should provoke remorse. Instead, Inga justifies her actions. She insists she is more worthy than others, which entitles her to steal their powers. So, Neon stops talking about others and shares her tragic past.
Local Man: Bad Girl's Special reminds us that actions have consequences. When we act out of pain or anger--like The Sixth Extinction, Frightside, and Neon--we hurt others. When we use people to gain an advantage, like Inga and Camo Crusader, we also injure ourselves. Anyone can be a villain. But Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs’ story suggests that it's never too late to turn your life around and become the superhero of your story.
Art
Ribbons of orange cloud stretch across the evening sky, yet those inside the diner display no happiness or wonder. Neon's demeanor evokes a mentor chastising a promising student. The Sixth Extinction looks slim and athletic but also unbalanced. A mirror ball in a disco evokes an earlier era. Some superheroines will remind fans of 90s Image comics. Others first appeared in previous issues of Local Man. While Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley have never avoided adult situations, Local Man: Bad Girls Special contains female nudity. Be warned.
Brad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro, and Brian Reber apply a loaded palette to each page. Panels display texture. Light and shadows create depth. Characters always emerge from backgrounds. The Sixth Extinction’s green hair hints at her frantic hunger to heal our ecosystem, while an aqua blue or teal character reveals a healthier link. Pink dominates Local Man Special: Bad Girls. Neon is no Barbie. Yet she burns with pink energy that manifests as light and fog. Where better to display a sparkling mirror ball than in a story suffused with pink?
Large uppercase black letters fill dialogue balloons. Smaller, lowercase words fill narrative boxes in Frightside’s tale. Colorful sound effects relate the mundane sounds of cooking, doorbells, and sizzling food until Neon's laughter fills the air, and she relates her haunting and explosive origins.
Artist Selina J contributes six pinups to Local Man: Bad Girls Special. Her images have a dreamy, noir quality that evokes the paperbacks once relegated to thrift stores but now prized by collectors. Fact sheets on Frightside, Neon, Seascape, and The Sixth Extinction recall the 90s trading card craze. In a series where perspectives differ radically, these objective histories cast additional insights into the characters in Fleecs and Seeley’s superhero universe.
Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Two women meet in a diner. Inga craves either punishment or absolution. Instead, Neon offers enlightenment. Local Man: Bad Girls Special offers additional insights into Fleecs and Seeley’s superhero universe and a jumping-on point for mature readers.
Rating 9.8/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
No comments:
Post a Comment