mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
"Orphaned by the world... raised by the streets... Jesse Sanchez is a kung fu master... and the world's greatest homeless skateboarder. In Wilkesborough, Angel City's deadliest ghetto... she fights ninjas, drugs, nepotism, and pre-algebra as... STREET ANGEL."
Rugg and Maruca's creation is basically the Chuck Norris of her world --- nothing can defeat her. She's a middle schooler with a huge appetite, a bad attitude, and insane skills. And her stories are fairly gonzo. In one of my favorites from this volume, not only do the baddies come introduced with trading cards ("Throws, Bats, Knifes, Shoots: Right"), but Jesse brings a tiger from a rival gang into their lair and it has its own trading card ("Saved from a poacher's bullet as a kitten..."). Added to all this are day-glo graphics and full page spreads from Maruca, who mixes up art styles from gritty urban landscapes to super simplistic supersuits to corporate advertising for robot ninjas. (There's a remarkably effective Christmas story told --- much to my astonishment --- in thickly inked black and white.)
Still, at their heart, these are stories about a middle school girl, and they work on that level. Jesse spends time with her friends, ending up fighting a creepy boy at her school, befriends a lost dog, and sneaks into a "take your daughter to work" event. It's just that the somewhat normal appears in the midst of the absolute crazy.
[A more capitalistic note: these are reprints of short stories that were (mostly) published by Image separately as hardcovers that never seemed worth the price. This is a much more economical package.]
If you like [a:Jim Mahfood|61339|Jim Mahfood|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s stuff, like what [a:Paul Pope|61230|Paul Pope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394339449p2/61230.jpg] has done with his YA graphic novels, or are interested in kickass girl comics, pick this up.
Rugg and Maruca's creation is basically the Chuck Norris of her world --- nothing can defeat her. She's a middle schooler with a huge appetite, a bad attitude, and insane skills. And her stories are fairly gonzo. In one of my favorites from this volume, not only do the baddies come introduced with trading cards ("Throws, Bats, Knifes, Shoots: Right"), but Jesse brings a tiger from a rival gang into their lair and it has its own trading card ("Saved from a poacher's bullet as a kitten..."). Added to all this are day-glo graphics and full page spreads from Maruca, who mixes up art styles from gritty urban landscapes to super simplistic supersuits to corporate advertising for robot ninjas. (There's a remarkably effective Christmas story told --- much to my astonishment --- in thickly inked black and white.)
Still, at their heart, these are stories about a middle school girl, and they work on that level. Jesse spends time with her friends, ending up fighting a creepy boy at her school, befriends a lost dog, and sneaks into a "take your daughter to work" event. It's just that the somewhat normal appears in the midst of the absolute crazy.
[A more capitalistic note: these are reprints of short stories that were (mostly) published by Image separately as hardcovers that never seemed worth the price. This is a much more economical package.]
If you like [a:Jim Mahfood|61339|Jim Mahfood|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s stuff, like what [a:Paul Pope|61230|Paul Pope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394339449p2/61230.jpg] has done with his YA graphic novels, or are interested in kickass girl comics, pick this up.
katepowellshine's review against another edition
5.0
Street Angel is the best. Only I wish it were written and drawn by women. You hear that, ladies? We have work to do!
devinr's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, first things first: this book is about a 12-year-old girl who is a martial arts expert and the world’s greatest homeless skateboarder who has to fight ninjas, crime, time-traveling pirates, and nepotism deep in the heart of the city. That sentence alone made me want to read it, and it is just as awesome as it sounds, if not more. Plus, the supporting cast includes a one-armed, no-legged skateboarder named Bald Eagle, an old Blaxploitation hero named the Afrodesiac, and an Irish astronaut named CosMick. Seriously. The book just walks right up to you, slaps you in the face, and then DARES you not to read it.
Okay, aside from the high-concept comicky goodness, what else is to like? Well, the art, particularly in the first issue, is incredibly dynamic. At times, it felt like the images were actually moving. And yes, the whole thing is extremely silly, but there are a couple of more serious moments that come out of nowhere and yet don’t seem out of place. However, it’s not all ninjas and chocolate. Because there’s no ongoing storyline, it had a hard time holding my attention. And as the book went on, I felt that the stories started falling a little flat. It didn’t help that the first issue was so awesome, the rest of the book suffered by comparison. So overall, a great concept that might fall a little flat at times, but the first issue embodies what great comics can be.
Okay, aside from the high-concept comicky goodness, what else is to like? Well, the art, particularly in the first issue, is incredibly dynamic. At times, it felt like the images were actually moving. And yes, the whole thing is extremely silly, but there are a couple of more serious moments that come out of nowhere and yet don’t seem out of place. However, it’s not all ninjas and chocolate. Because there’s no ongoing storyline, it had a hard time holding my attention. And as the book went on, I felt that the stories started falling a little flat. It didn’t help that the first issue was so awesome, the rest of the book suffered by comparison. So overall, a great concept that might fall a little flat at times, but the first issue embodies what great comics can be.
slooperstar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
This is an odd collection of reprinted comic book stories about a street girl, who is also a bad-ass ninja. She solves mysteries. She beats up bad guys, and she likes to eat.
She is probably helps Santa, and a ghost at Halloween. She goes to Juvie, and breaks out all the girls, not just the one she was supposed to. She is very much her own self.
All very strange. I think it is an acquired taste.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
She is probably helps Santa, and a ghost at Halloween. She goes to Juvie, and breaks out all the girls, not just the one she was supposed to. She is very much her own self.
All very strange. I think it is an acquired taste.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
plaidbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Jesse Sanchez is the Street Angel, urban superhero, martial artist, and world's greatest homeless skateboarder. She deals with ninjas, mad geologists, Incan gods, time lost conquistadors, Blaxploitation heroes, Satanists, Irish spacemen, and one apparently determined giant squid. She also has to endure her harsh life on the sreets, constant hunger, and the embarassment of having classmates see her dumpster diving. Part wacky superhero send-up, part serious drama... you wouldn't think the two could balance so well, but that they do speaks volumes about the talents of Misters Rugg and Maruca.
acrunchwrap's review against another edition
2.0
2.5. Fun, but only on the surface. Saved from a lower rating bc I did laugh out loud a few times
readingrobyn's review against another edition
3.0
With a cover that stands out among other graphic novels, Street Angel wasn't something I could pass by without at least taking a peak inside.
The story here follows a young 8th grade girl, Jesse, who is orphaned, homeless, and living on the streets of a unforgiving ghetto full of ninjas and crime. (Yes, I just said ninjas, I'll get to that in a second.) On the streets she's known as Street Angel a skate boarding hero with deadly skills.
In this world of Street Angel's, ninjas roam in gangs (and play a surprising amount of basketball), supervillain geologists try to flatten the earth, gun battles are fought, there are ware-sharks, black guys called [b:Afrodisiac|7507555|Afrodisiac|Brian Maruca|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1285126124s/7507555.jpg|9693634], and even a Irish astronaut. Not to forget the time travel, gods, war, Jesus, and all the other nonsensical trouble that Street Angel gets herself into.
It sounds crazy, because it is crazy. But in the end it all works together rather well. The book is broken up into numerous non-intersecting chapters with one strange plot after another. Street Angel battles her foes one by one with some pretty interesting results. In some ways this really benefits the story being told. But I'm not going to lie, I would have liked to see one continuing story surrounding this extraordinary girl.
Street Angel is a brilliant character. She has one foot in reality and one foot out the door at all times. She's so incredibly young and because of that everything she does has a certain level of tarnished innocence. She's not the big busted, latex covered female super-heroines that we're all use to seeing. No, she's just a girl with her skate board/ninja skills who is relied on as a saviour in her fucked up city.
The art by Rugg is what sells it. His name is asosiated with a lot of projects, the one I'm familuar with being [b:The Plain Janes|313162|The Plain Janes|Cecil Castellucci|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173671615s/313162.jpg|2267175]. His drawing brings out the best in these characters and makes everything just that much more enjoyable.
The only thing that kept me from really loving this book was the storytelling itself. I like my stories to have narratives. Although the absurd characters and situations were fun, the flow didn't give anything enough time to shine. One moment this is happening, the next moment it's gone, without the time for me to really appreciate the fun or the depth of everything that's happening. Paced too furiously, I couldn't get a handle on the situation. It's lacking in the areas that would really make it an all around read. You can't just rely on great characters, there's got to be some great story there too.
This is one of those things that I was surprised to find, but incredibly glad I did. Not without it's flaws, Street Angel is something that is still really enjoyable to read and I would definitely recommend it to the curious.
The story here follows a young 8th grade girl, Jesse, who is orphaned, homeless, and living on the streets of a unforgiving ghetto full of ninjas and crime. (Yes, I just said ninjas, I'll get to that in a second.) On the streets she's known as Street Angel a skate boarding hero with deadly skills.
In this world of Street Angel's, ninjas roam in gangs (and play a surprising amount of basketball), supervillain geologists try to flatten the earth, gun battles are fought, there are ware-sharks, black guys called [b:Afrodisiac|7507555|Afrodisiac|Brian Maruca|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1285126124s/7507555.jpg|9693634], and even a Irish astronaut. Not to forget the time travel, gods, war, Jesus, and all the other nonsensical trouble that Street Angel gets herself into.
It sounds crazy, because it is crazy. But in the end it all works together rather well. The book is broken up into numerous non-intersecting chapters with one strange plot after another. Street Angel battles her foes one by one with some pretty interesting results. In some ways this really benefits the story being told. But I'm not going to lie, I would have liked to see one continuing story surrounding this extraordinary girl.
Street Angel is a brilliant character. She has one foot in reality and one foot out the door at all times. She's so incredibly young and because of that everything she does has a certain level of tarnished innocence. She's not the big busted, latex covered female super-heroines that we're all use to seeing. No, she's just a girl with her skate board/ninja skills who is relied on as a saviour in her fucked up city.
The art by Rugg is what sells it. His name is asosiated with a lot of projects, the one I'm familuar with being [b:The Plain Janes|313162|The Plain Janes|Cecil Castellucci|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173671615s/313162.jpg|2267175]. His drawing brings out the best in these characters and makes everything just that much more enjoyable.
The only thing that kept me from really loving this book was the storytelling itself. I like my stories to have narratives. Although the absurd characters and situations were fun, the flow didn't give anything enough time to shine. One moment this is happening, the next moment it's gone, without the time for me to really appreciate the fun or the depth of everything that's happening. Paced too furiously, I couldn't get a handle on the situation. It's lacking in the areas that would really make it an all around read. You can't just rely on great characters, there's got to be some great story there too.
This is one of those things that I was surprised to find, but incredibly glad I did. Not without it's flaws, Street Angel is something that is still really enjoyable to read and I would definitely recommend it to the curious.
mistled's review against another edition
3.0
Are you the target demographic for Aqua Teen Hunger Force? That is to say, high? Then buddy, have I got the book for you! It's got ninja riots, time traveling conquistadors, a dangerous geologist, and other nonsense straight out of a fever dream and onto a comic page!