It’s time for Comic Review Friday! Speak up, Shy Beardman!

Molly Danger, the newest book from Action Lab, is the best new superhero book on the market hands down.

Very rarely do we get superhero comics that exude with passion for the genre, but Jamal Igle not only showed his passion, he also proved that he is worthy of joining the ranks of Robert Kirkman and Ed Brubaker in the ranks of legendary superhero authors. Molly Danger is a thrill from the very first page. If you believe that all superhero comics are the same repeated idea over and over again, then this is the book for you. Actually, if you are literate in any sense, this is the book for you.

Molly Danger is the story of “young” girl, who much like Superman developed super powers when she arrived on Earth. Unlike Supes, her immortality comes with a kicker: She doesn’t age. While she has lived thirty-three years, she still has the body of a ten year old girl. I felt going into this book that she was going to be immature and naïve, but she actually proved to be one of the wisest characters in the book. Igle’s ability to write her as a child, but with the wisdom of thirty plus years, was simply uncanny.

Alongside Molly herself, the other central character is Austin Briggs, a former military pilot, who gets fired from the police force only to hired by Danger’s Action Response Team (D.A.R.T.), and organization built around assisting Molly in her crime fighting. Briggs is not afraid to bend the rules to do the right thing, and this allows him to build a relationship with Molly, who has been isolated from the world by D.A.R.T., almost instantaneously.

A lot of story threads were set up in this issue, which is important for any first issue of a superhero story. Molly’s budding friendship with Briggs and his stepson, her possible cloning project, D.A.R.T.’s almost anti-heroic actions, and the possibility of a major villain team-up really give the book direction in scenes that might otherwise be considered filler, while showing that the book is telling a bigger story than is initially expected.

Whether you are a hardcore superhero fan or have never picked a comic this book should be an enjoyable read. The story is well paced, and shows more promise for the future than any issue one that I’ve read for a long time. I personally cannot wait to see what Igle has in store with our pint size heroine. I have to give the book the first JustUs Geeks five out of five.