Broken Frontier

There are times when I just want to punch movie critics right in the kisser. That time is usually summertime, because I have this thing where I sometimes like to see movies with plots that don’t get much more complicated than gorgeous babes and things that go boom. So yes, I freaking love Danger Girl and my hardcover edition gets read lovingly and often. And I love it for the reason I love that rare summer movie that winks at you just big enough to let you know that it knows it’s schlock and revels in it.

Having Andy Hartnell and J. Scott Campbell back in the saddle on a monthly is therefore a dream come true for me. Because while it’s never the most intellectual of fare, there’s something so polished about this team’s over-the-top style that I can’t help but love. That said, Wildsiderz is no Danger Girl, but it’s still definitely an enjoyable read if that’s what your thing happens to be.

If you accept that Danger Girl was basically a winking celebration of the best parts of Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Charlie’s Angels, then think of Wildsiderz as some kind of cousin of Campbell’s Gen 13, but a cousin that’s seen Weird Science and My Secret Identity in between a steady diet of Saved by the Bell reruns. Local whiz kid invents the technology to create solid holograms with amazing powers, said powers get distributed to an unlikely mix of kids from varying social castes, wild hijinks ensue. Gorgeous babes, robots, and maniacally evil geniuses guest star.

Writing-wise, Wildsiderz has yet to really reach the same level of endearing charm, however. Likewise, Campbell and Hartnell are so eager to get to the good stuff in the story this time around that they’ve skimped on some of the character introductions in favor of getting all five of the kids suited up as quickly as possible. The exact logic behind Styler’s handing out the Wildsiderz technology to three kids he’s just met and one friend gets glossed over in a hurry and in fact is downright mystifying when you compare it to, say, Peter Parker inviting Flash Thompson to get a little spider bite of his own.

But this is candy-coated bubblegum fun and nobody in the business does it better than Hartnell and Campbell. As always, the trademark impossibly curvy Campbell women and the chiseled jaw hunky guys are on every page and Edgar Delgado’s color effects are pretty easy on the eyes as well. The relationship dynamics that leave a little to be desired in the scripting come off a little better because of the quality and expressiveness of the figures. In short, this is a book with an insanely high production value, which you’re definitely paying for. At $3.50 a pop, it had darn well better be scrumptious.

So the short version goes like this: If you love J. Scott Campbell, you’re going to be rewarded for picking this beauty up. It’s beyond terrific that drama and intensity and huge emotional baggage are finding their way into the bimbos and supertights, but a person can only take so much brooding and complexity in their escapist fantasy before that person’s craving naturally turns to something glossy and fun-loving and just plain exciting. Wildsiderz has its hokey bits, not the least of which involves spelling itself with a "Z," but thanks to Campbell’s prowess, the charm remains intact as the sparkle in one of his blondies’ eyes.