by Akonkid » December 5th, 2010, 1:44 pm
My top three favorite Metrobay women are Valient Grrl, Belinda, and Crissy. I'm counting my lucky stars that this issue focuses on all three!
For starters, Valient Grrl once again proves why she's my favorite heroine. Sassy and feisty, she'll lay a verbal smackdown just as much as a physical one. It's great seeing her in action, kicking ass and making villains cower in fear... but then it's just as satisfying seeing the tables turn due to some shocking twists and finding herself helpless. Even then, I loved how she kept on harassing Belinda right up until her mind broke. Having Valient Grrl become an emotionless, mindless loving slave to the woman she hates most, not even a thought or memory of her friends or loved ones, is, in Crissy's own words, "the hottest thing I've EVER seen".
Belinda, also, proves why she's my favorite villain. She's such a shameless opportunist. She goes from cocky confidence when Valient Grrl discovers her lab to "nearly wetting herself" when Kristen proves she's more than capable of dealing with her to right back to cocky confidence when the tables are turned. As Valient Grrl gives her sass, she gloats maniacally in the face of her defeated captor, insulting her mind and body, rubbing in her inevitable enslavement, and teasing her with the knowledge that Alpha Woman wouldn't exist in her mind anymore... a truly wicked and devious villain. In her own words, "an expert" at what she does.
And then we have Crissy. This is a big issue for her. In this issue, Crissy moves beyond being just curious about her fetish, a tad demanding and annoying, a little naughty, and she has officially become a full-blown VILLAIN. It's even weird for me to say that, but the once sweet and kind "Sorority Sleuth" has become a backstabbing, relentless villain. She and Valient Grrl have always been shown as very good friends in the past, with Crissy admiring and respecting Kristen, so the events of this chapter show just how far she's slipped off the deep end and just how twisted she's become. Very compelling, and ultimately very very hot!
The art, as usual, is gorgeous. Fin's work continues to impress. Whether it's amazingly staged fight and action sequences, extremely expressive faces showing a wide range of emotions, or even the soft ambient glow of the green machinery in the background, the art is amazing. Crissy looks mischievous. Belinda looks smug and satisfyingly evil. Valient Grrl is strong and curvy. They all look great.
And the dialogue, wow, is top notch. Whether it's the battle banter, the way each character has their own quirks in their dialogue, the taunting, the mindless mantras... it all works very well, coupled with a narration that really drives home what we see on the page. Valient Grrl isn't just fighting, she's a force of nature tearing through flimsy obstacles. Belinda isn't just afraid of her, she's a blabbering mess of panic and hysterics. Valient Grrl isn't just being mind controlled, she's having her brain seared into, her thoughts, memories, and emotions burned out of her skull, and new thoughts forcefully shoved into her pliable mind, molding her brain like play-do. It's great stuff, and one of the hottest issues I've read in awhile.
Cannot WAIT for more.
If she would just do what I asked, I wouldn't need to use mind control!