Review - Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 (@ImageComics)


"Daph! Hook me up wid a twenny 'a that quality broccoli!"

Getting involved in the drug trade comes with highs and lows (no pun intended), some of which involve violence. The entire game is predicated on supply and demand and that brings with it a need for force sometimes. In the case of Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 from Image Comics, that force comes from three young women and a pair of magic socks. The issue is written and illustrated by Jim Mahfood, colored and lettered by Justin Stewart.

Join Gwen, Daphne, and Rita as they reunite for a pulse-pounding psychedelic adventure through the streets of Freak City. This first issue is stuffed to the gills with an action-packed story, bonus art, soundtrack, sketchbook, and a behind-the-scenes comic thingy.

From the outset it's very apparent that Mahfood's tale in Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 is going to be unorthodox. Each of the characters act in ways that are purposefully over the top and a visual representation of hyperbole in the sense that every action is purposefully overstated. Mahfood infuses each of the main characters in Gwen, Daphne and Rita with very distinguishing personality traits that allow them to effectively play off of one another. And the entire premise of the series seems to revolve around a pair of magic socks which should make the read that much more enjoyable. The dialogue exchanges between characters are rife with sardonic retorts that Mahfood infuses with a healthy does of profanity for effect, but it all works.

Mahfood also handles the artwork for the book and his loose, detached style fits the book's attitude very appropriately. Similar to the different personalities, each of the three main character sport a look that's unique to them and gives the reader a sense of what they're all about. And Mahfood's style is edgy and bold, affording scenes like fights in night clubs and gang showdowns to come off as caricatures of themselves--in a good way. The line art is jagged and focus is shifted from front to back for many of the panels, giving Mahfood the chance to show the reader what he thinks is most important. Stewart's colors shouldn't be undersold as his palette choice further helps that visual pop.

Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 is extremely trippy and a blast. The premise of the series is just as ridiculous as the characters in it and things promise to get zanier before they get more grounded. The script by Mahfood holds nothing back in its approach, eschewing formality for a more rugged approach. Mahfood's art style is just as frenetic as his story and it's definitely going to turn some people off, but it's such a good match for the story. Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 is a pretty trippy adventure that doesn't really care who it offends.

Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1 is available now.

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