'Apex City is a globally-recognised hub of progress and beacon of hope - until it's ripped out of our universe by an ancient cult and its army of demons. The only one who can save it is its newest resident, teen Cássia Costa, after a magical dragon bracelet rockets into her life - but the bracelet is powered by belief, and a life of hardship has left Cássia with little of that to spare.'
If you're a fan of Power Rangers you should be listening to the Ranger Danger podcast, a show that's been going for several years now where a group of friends sit down and watch their way through the Power Rangers franchise from the beginning. At the time of writing this they're on Power Rangers Ninja Storm! Having been listening to it for several years it's been lovely seeing the people behind the podcast becoming involved in comics, with one of the hosts, Mat Groom becoming a comic writer who's worked on DC projects, Marvel's UltraMan series, and Power Rangers itself. But now there's a new hero on the block; an entry in the ever growing Massive-Verse. Inferno Girl Red.
Originally launched as a Kickstarter, the book is now being released in individual issues; but having backed the Kickstarter when it first launched I'm lucky enough to have received the entire first volume in one gorgeous hardcover set. So, after waiting for the book for a few years now, how does it stack up against expectations?
Inferno Girl Red tells the story of Cássia, a teenager who's moving to the high-tech Apex City to attend one of the most prestigious and respected schools in the world. Her mother, Ana, has come along to join her, looking for a new job in the city as a reporter. However, Ana is finding it hard to get a job thanks to her past, reporting on the super hero Inferno Girl Red; who a lot of people still think never existed in the first place. Despite this, the two of them are looking forward to starting a new life in Apex City.
Shortly into starting her new life at Helix Campus Cássia's life is thrown upside down when the entire city is pulled out of place, materialising in a distant part of the universe. Thankfully, the advanced technology of the city saves everyone as a force-field comes online. But it's not fast enough to stop some dark entities from coming through. With monsters attacking the city a new hero is needed; luckily Cássia comes across a strange artefact, a magically powered bracelet, that allows her to become the new Inferno Girl Red. Now Cássia must learn how to harness her new powers, and will have to figure out who's behind the strange events before everyone in Apex is killed.
Inferno Girl Red is a book that's designed for fans of tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and even Power Rangers. It wears that influence proudly, sticking genre conventions such as heroes in helmets, shouting your transformation catchphrase, having special moves to deploy, and villains sending henchmen one at a time. If you're not into that kind of thing you might not love the book as much, but there's still a ton of wonderful stuff here to get your teeth stuck into no matter how much of a fan you are.
Cássia makes for a really good protagonist. She's clearly a smart person, having earned her place at Helix, but she's also full of nerves and is unsure of herself. She feels like she hasn't really earned her place at Helix, she worries that she's not going to fit in, and she feel bad for her mother relocating to be near her. This helps to keep her somewhat grounded, and stops her from becoming some kind of overconfident showoff when she gains her powers. Other people would revel in being a super hero, they'd want to show off, to receive the adoration; and after a few wins they'd probably start thinking that they could take on anything. Cássia keeps it pretty level though. She feels like she's becoming comfortable and confident one step at a time throughout the book, getting used to her new abilities and responisbilities slowy rather than just diving in head first.
A big part of the reason Cássia does well at becoming a hero is her mother. We learn almost straight away that Ana knew the old Inferno Girl Red, though never knew who she was behind the mask. She was the Jimmy Olsen to her Superman, and it's a really great relationship that's painted in this book. Ana is a bit more Lois than Jimmy, and her passion and drive makes her the hot headed of the team; but her expereince with the former IGR helps her to guide her daughter and give her advice. If it weren't for Ana Cássia wouldn't have even been able to transform the first time.
The mother/daughter relationship is the central one of the book, and it's great to see a familial relationship be given the focus over a romantic one. It helps the book to feel different from other super hero type tales; especially as the mother character is also the mentor, and the person who sometimes needs saving. That being said, it doesn't feel like the book is completely without romance. Maybe I'm reading into things that aren't actually there, but there are a few times when Cássia seems to have a special connection with her roommate, Harriette. There are several panels in the book where the two share looks that feel full of romance, and there's a time or two where it felt like the next panel could have been a kiss and it wouldn't have been out of place. I don't know if this is just my queer eye seeing what it wants to, but I really hope that this is something that happens in future books; as I'd love to see another queer hero leading their own title.
The book is also filled with action though, and fans of tokusatsu will enjoy what's on offer here. There's no giant monsters or mecha, but there's plenty of regular sized monsters, martial arts moves, and energy attacks to keep the moments of action feeling fresh and exciting. I absolutely loved the monster designs on offer here, as they each felt unique, but very clearly all connected. They have a style to them that's creepy and beautiful at the same time, and it feels like a design concept that has a lot more life in it yet, and that future volumes can introduce many more. The main villain also has a pretty cool design to them, and whilst looking visually different to IGR it seems to fit the kind of look that this universe is going for.
Speaking of designs, the artwork, provided by Erica D'Urso, Igor Monti, and Becca Carey, is wonderful to look at. The book is gorgeous. There's not a moment where you're left looking at a panel wondering what the hell it's supposed to be or who people are. Everything is crisp, clear, and well defined throughout. All of the characters look distinct and unique, the environments are gorgeous, and the action scenes are filled with energy and a sense of scale. There are a lot of times I read a comic and come away loving the story but feel let down by the visuals, but Inferno Girl Red is one of those times where everything comes together perfectly. It's the kind of book where you'll find yourself flicking through it after you've read it just to spend time looking at the pictures, soaking in more of the art.
Whilst those collecting the issues as they release, and the eventual graphic novel will be able to enjoy all of that, the Kickstarter edition of the book comes with some fancy exclusive extras. There are several pages that show the various stages of character development and the designs that went into creating Inferno Girl Red, as well as the characters around her. It's always interesting to see behind the curtain like this, and to see some other possibilities put onto paper. Some of the unused designs are really good, but it's interesting to look through them as none of them feel quite right; and it's only when you see the first sketch of what will become the final design that it hits you that somehow this character was always meant to look like this.
There's also a break down of script to final page, with each stage being laid out for audiences to see, as well as a art gallery that contain some amazing images from new artists, as well as industry mainstays. If you were generous enough to pay in more to the Kickstarter you may even have these as prints.
Overall, Inferno Girl Red was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It introduces everything new to the reader, new characters, new world, new lore, and does it all without it feeling bloated or too complex. The characters all work well, the action is entertaining, and there are enough mysteries and clues for things to come that you'll find yourself eagerly anticipating the next volume.
You can check out an interview I had with Mat when the book was first announced here.
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