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Talent vs. Beauty, which will win?

One of the great pleasures of randomly picking a book off the shelf to read and review means occasionally I get something a little special on my stack that I may not have noticed otherwise. The unassuming I Hate Gallant Girl awakened that realization this week. 

First, let me say that going out and picking up I Hate Gallant Girl #3 and reading it, you might think that it seems a little clever, but not really that unordinary of a super heroine comic.  After reading it though, I felt like I was missing the jokes.  Something in the story kept telling me that I needed to go back.  So, I did.  Picking up the first two issues and reading them, I found this a complete, charming and fun story.

I Hate Gallant Girl tells the story of Clement Harbor, a not so sleepy port town that annually picks the ‘face’ of their super hero team – The Freedom Fellowship – with a pageant.  The winner takes the name of Gallant Girl.  This year’s winner should have been a powerful young woman named Renee, only she learns they have no intention of giving her the title.  Why?  Despite having real superpowers, she is simply not pretty enough for the part.  The real story picks up when the Freedom Fellowship’s leader Blue Thunder decides to take Renee under his wing anyway and we learn that the Freedom Fellowship and Gallant Girl are not all they appear. 

Kat Cahill’s vivacious and speedy script originally came from her idea that ended up the runner up to the’ Who Wants to Create a Super Heroine’ contest. The story I Hate Galaxy Girl, retooled into I Hate Gallant Girl and fast tracked actually hit the stands before the winner of the contest.  Paired with Seth Damoose (Brat-Halla, Digital Webbing) for the art, the script and pencils weave together quite nicely.  Seth’s detailed art allows the range of emotion and slap stick comedy to blend together well, though I still think Renee comes across as pretty, unless the whole joke is that she’s just not blonde enough…

Honestly, go back and pick up the whole series. I Hate Gallant Girl #3, while good, does not compare to reading all the issues before hand first. A quick, fun read that will have you smiling through most of it and probably hating Gallant Girl just as much as Renee does. 

I Hate Gallant Girl #3
Plot by: Jim Valentino
Script by: Kat Cahill
Art by: Seth Damoose
Colors by: Kanila Tripp
Lettered by: Jason Hanley

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