Comics Features

REVIEW: The Adventures of Aero-Girl #1

Created by DeWayne Feenstra, The Adventures of Aero-Girl follows the titular heroine as she and her father, Battle Jack, defend the city of Foxbay from various villains whilst jostling their everyday lives as Jacqueline and Jack MacKenzie respectively.  The story is well-paced and well-sequenced, with emphasis on the father-daughter dynamic between Aero Girl and Battle Jack, which is strong and shows moments that are sincere and touching without it becoming too cliché or hammy. A key message taken from their training together was to not to solely rely on one’s powers or abilities, as they may not be necessarily the way in defeating the enemy.

Furthermore, another perplexing thing I couldn’t get my head wrapped around was some aspects of the character designs, particularly the head shapes of Jacqueline and her mother, Diane MacKenzie. Jacqueline’s is unusually rectangular and Diane’s appears too triangular, though this is only a minor observation. Also, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities and/or influences from pop culture to some of the characters; such as with Dr. Chimera (and his animalistic experimentations) being reminiscent of a green-skinned, long-haired and red google-wearing Dr. Animo from Ben 10, not to mention the red-head high-school student/cheerleader/heroine is similar to that of the eponymous Kim Possible. But again, a minor observation.

On the other hand,  the characters overall are interesting and well-designed, from the circus-themed “Three Rings Gang” compiled of Ringmaster, Strong Man, and the Bearded Lady; to Dr Chimera and his anthropomorphic, leotard-wearing henchmen, the “Animen”. The hero character designs too are worth honourable mention, particularly Aero Girl’s, as I like the homages to steampunk and The Rocketeer.  Although, I was left wondering how/where she acquired her power gauntlet and her jetpack from and such, so I hope this will be brought up in a later issue. You can see full character designs here.

Axur Eneas’ art style stands out as the highlight of the comic, as it fluently brings the story to life off the pages; it’s fun and cartoony whilst particularly standing out thanks to the exceptional colouring and rendering by Juan Pablo Riebeling. Their collaboration effortlessly work together to bring an entertaining story to life.

The Adventures of Aero-Girl #1 is a surprising gem from the previously unheard-of Action Lab Entertainment, despite a few minor hitches. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the near future.

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About the author

Paul Boyling