REVIEW: Powerpuff Girls #5

Even though I never considered myself a “girly girl”“, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Powerpuff Girls when I was a wee Kitten. The bright animation, the voice acting, the inappropriate adult jokes that were thrown so casually into children“s cartoons of the 90“s. Have you guys seen the pencil sharpener scene from this show? Talk about suggestive.

I figured Powerpuff Girls would translate well to comics, and I was proven right. Though there was none of the trademark sounds and voices from the TV show, I still read the characters“ dialogue bubbles in their voices. After all these years, I still recall Mojo Jojo“s voice perfectly. Can“t remember geometry that well, but obviously my head decides what is most important to keep in my squishy brain meat.

This story revolves around the Townsville Soapbox Derby with Bubbles serving as driver, and Blossom and Buttercup as her pit crew. Not everything goes to plan as Mojo Jojo swoops in to try to thwart his adorable enemies once and for all. The plot is basic but filled with quirky humor and little details that were genuinely cute and funny, and Haley Mancici and Jake Goldman did a powerful (get it, because Powerpuff?) job at pulling this off with perfect balance. It is reminiscent of the show that I and many others remember fondly, but that newer fans of the extravagant trio can enjoy. You don“t have to be an old school lover of PPG to read this story, and I feel that“s what I lot of continuations of old media miss.

The art is simply flawless, incorporating the style of the Townsville charm with every sharp point and twinkle in the eyes of our heroines. Nicolette Baldari does a spot on job of hitting us right in the nostalgia bits, and the coloring is simply perfection. Bubbles“ signature blue is the optimal shade, Buttercup“s green reminds us how she is the tomboy with flair, and Blossom“s pink stands lovely against her determination as a pseudo leader of the three protagonists. It“s fun and fabulous on every single panel, a distinctively neat style with an eye-catching edge.

There are a few variants for this issue, my personal favorite being the more illustrative retailer incentive by Grace Kraft. I“m getting very light old Alice in Wonderland from it, though the others take on a more traditional PPG style. All three are fantastically illustrated, but Grace“s definitely stands apart from the rest.

Powerpuff Girls has always been a somewhat light-hearted show, save for a few villains that just made us go Wtf. Remember “Him”“? I still legit get nightmares about that thing, so meowin“ creepy. But in this story, it is nothing but complete balance and cuteness that is everything Powerpuff. 4.6/5

Story: 4 Stars
Artwork: 5 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars
Cover: 5 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by: Haley Mancini and Jake Goldman
Art By: Nicoletta Baldari