As a general rule we usually leave super-heroes to other sites to cover. But there are always exceptions. When we do give space to them at Broken Frontier it’s either because they’re doing something interesting with the form above and beyond the genre or they feature work from exciting new voices on the scene. Or both, as in the case of today’s subject Very Hungry Women #1 by 2026 BF ‘Six to Watch’ artist Daisy Crouch.
Like fellow Six to Watch-er Tom Philipson (who is one of the team on super-hero noir series The Stranger, reviewed most recently here at BF), Crouch’s work here is of note because it actively looks to find a different starting point – an alternative narrative inroad – to a much exploited strand of comics storytelling. Take note if self-publishing super-heroes is your game…
The first thing the reader will notice is what a striking cover adorns Very Hungry Women #1. It’s a visually metaphorical take on the book’s premise with the logo in particular, with its fang-like arrangement, feeding into the horror motifs. The story itself focusses on the connection between two women. Some years after her time as a super-hero in the Stellarguard team was cut short in as yet unrevealed circumstances, protagonist Antonia is working as a reporter. When 14-year-old Issey enlists her help in looking into the disappearance of her missing friend, the incompetent super-villain Snakefoot, Antonia is set on a path that will lead her to the city’s newest and much loved defender, Galahad…
Described as “a queer horror comic about cannibals, superheroes, and being bad at letting go” some of the more overt themes of the comic are elaborated on more in the original Kickstarter blurb for the issue than they necessarily are in this opener. That’s becoming a standard of crowdfunded serial comics, though, and in its own way gives creators an opportunity to tell their stories with a more organic pacing while still being able to hint at wider plot points elsewhere.
What’s notable about this first instalment is how ably Crouch sets up what we know from those pre-publicity details is to come. There’s separate mysteries surrounding Antonia and Galahad acting as hooks for both women’s arcs; hints at something much darker going on in the background; and a sense of character paths converging. Crouch’s dialogue is also excellent throughout – sparky, engaging and witty where needed, and always feeling naturalistic in delivery rather than awkwardly expositional.
Crouch’s visual characterisation is an important part of this; it’s expressive and brings us as firmly into her characters’ moods and emotional states as their words do. This is the creator’s first foray into comics for a wider audience so, understandably, there are areas to think about. At times in the early pages Crouch’s fluid visuals are slightly swamped by the lettering, obscuring her figures to a degree. But self-publishing is, of course, a learning curve and the best way to learn those lessons, after all, is often on the job.
Very Hungry Women #1 remains a strong opening issue, though, leaving the reader eager to see where the story goes next and doing everything right in giving us plenty of reasons to feel pulled in by the plot. Appealing art and vibrant colouring also make this a super-hero story to watch out for if you’re looking for something more than a little different to the output of the Big Two.
Daisy Crouch (W/A) • Self-published, $4.00
Review by Andy Oliver
