Get back in the suit, Jenny!
Creative Staff:
Story: Dave Dwonch, Brockton McKinney
Art: Magenta King
Colors: Arnaldo Robles
Letterer: Dave Dwonch
What They Say:
Like a big, bad hangover, Jenny Zero is BACK! Following the events of volume one, Jenny returns to Japan with the Action Science Police, and reunites with her BFF, Dana Sheratin! But the two badass besties soon find themselves dealing with a Kaiju Death Cult, a giant burger mascot, and a new monster called . . . fame?! The massive madness starts HERE!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Dave Dwonch and Brockton McKinney wrapped up the first four-issue series back in the summer of 2021 with word that more was coming. I liked what was in that series well enough that coming back for more was easy as it had a kind of anything-goes aspect to it but with a general plan and idea behind it all. As I’ve said previously, the book is a crazy mix of western comics and Japanese manga with a flair of European style mixed in that definitely worked well both in story and visual design. Magenta King and their artwork continue to be one of the best parts of the series and that definitely plays to the mix of styles in a good way with a lot of detail and some solid flow to the panels and layouts.
With Jenny in custody, she’s being brought back to Japan by the Action Science Police and it’s pretty much a bad time for all as she’s just a pill and the guards just keep talking. What we do get during that, and a bit later, is a flashback through the diary of her father that talks about when the alien artifact first landed and how he and his group were caught up in securing it. There are no real surprises here yet but it’s good to see what her father was like and just how low-level he and his pal Kagawa were at the time, and the way he had a good heart and with Sammy the dog that they made an informal member of their platoon. But the more time that goes on with investigating the artifact, the more likely that the experiment black bag is going to be for one of them instead of someone else.
The time we see in the past fills in some good blank areas from the first issue but the bulk is focused n the present as Jenny destroys a couple of guards that are watching her and ends up making her way into a vehicle with a woman who turns out to be Director Santos. She basically orchestrated Jenny’s “escape” through a trio of powered women who are essentially triplets. Done to showcase just how much they can influence and control her, it’s all about bringing Jenny on board as the creature that her father dealt with is being resurrected by some other group and the director needs Jenny’s help. She knows exactly how to get to her, such as bringing in Dana and spending time fluffing her, but Jenny’s in that weird space still where she hasn’t really cemented with doing what’s being asked of her with all of the problems with what they do.
In Summary:
The start of the sequel series is off to a good start as I really liked the flashback material to explore how some of this came about and who her father was before everything. The time spent with Jenny is the dominant part and that works well as we see how and why she’s acting as she is and just what she’s capable of as well. It’s a lot of fun as it moves us through the story well but without spending time rehashing or talking about what came before. It does need a recap/previously piece at the start in some form just to clear it up but the reality is that this is largely being picked up by people who enjoyed the first and have a thirst for more.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 11th, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
