Reviews»Comic Books»Rocket Girl #4
RocketGirl_04-1
Kareem Ali 4.5

Rocket Girl #4

 

  • The good

    Incredible action sequence involving Dayoung and the Hawkcycles. Confirmation regarding the purpose of sending Dayoung back in time. Breathtaking artwork

  • The bad

    Story developments are overshadowed due to being interspersed between time jumps and action sequences

  • The ugly

    • Rocket Girl #4 continues with the 2 Quintum Mechanics Hawkcycles from the future racing around 1986 New York City looking for Dayoung. It’s confusing to the current Quintum Mechanics employees, who have no idea why they would be sent back to destroy them but Dayoung informs them that they’re actually looking for her. She helps the employees hide before flying through the sky to attract the Hawkcycles’ attention, all the while knowing she’s no match for them head on with the arsenal they possess. What she doesn’t know is that they’re trying to not damage her jetpack because the master plan is to get that jetpack in the hands of the current Quintum Mechanics, even if it means her life. This new development isn’t something that Dayoung considered but it’s something that the commissioner of the NYTPD and her partner, O’Patrick, are considering now as they try to make sense out of all the recent events. Now that they’re suspects and wanted for questioning, O’Patrick asks the commissioner what could Dayoung possibly be protecting by being sent in the past. And what could it ultimately mean for them if everything their city is built on is destroyed by her changing the past? However, Dayoung’s immediate concerns aren’t about changing the past but defeating the Hawkcycles before they can do more damage or kill her. But is their mere presence a sign that Dayoung has failed in her mission or is there still an opportunity to change the future?

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    The start of this issue was crucial in acknowledging the truth about Rocket Girl being sent in the past, although the pace, if one isn’t accustomed to it, could make that tidbit be overlooked. And so the juxtaposition of the future and present reinforced the manipulation taking place and the deliberate confusion created to mask the truth about the situation. And I still can’t shake the irony of the Teen Police being built on not trusting people over a certain age yet this entire situation was created due to Dayoung trusting that informant on the board. It makes me wonder if that’s connected to Dayoung being in the past/present and any influence over the future NYTPD. Of course that could just be my imagination thinking of the different possibilities but that’s a credit to the wonderful writing and this story being so engrossing. In terms of what unfolded this issue, the present and future start coming together in more ways than just the Hawkcycles being sent back but story-wise, as the present Quintum Mechanics employees begin to understand their roles in all of this. I’ve mentioned before that the speed in which these things unfold in the story is similar to Rocket Girl’s jetpack without breaks, and although it’s been just right for me, since I’ve had no trouble keeping up with these events, it might be daunting to others as there isn’t time to digest the revelations before more action occurs. And since the world in the future has yet to be explored outside of the NYTPD and Quintum Mechanics, the impact on others in the future is almost nonexistent. And that’s the only thing I have a problem with this issue; significant story developments almost treated as an afterthought, and as a result it could be easy to overlook them.And that’s because the action is incredible once again, and it pulls you in so strongly that you would expect the story developments to hit you just as hard. The Hawkcycles chasing Dayoung, and the detailed movements capturing the intensity of the action at neck-breaking speeds, is just unbelievable. Even after 4 issues in I’m still amazed at the artwork and find myself marveling at the sequence of events. There are many times where blurring is used in artwork to illustrate high-speed chases and movements, which is how we would see things when going extremely fast. However, the high level of detail is still maintained throughout this sequence yet the energy and speed are undeniable. To see this much detail in the characters AND the backgrounds is as close to nirvana to me as it gets. And Rocket Girl is definitely racing towards greatness.

     

    SUMMARY

    Rocket Girl #4 is an intense issue that has thrilling action from start to finish with breathtaking artwork once again. The machinations behind Dayoung being sent from the future are confirmed as the Hawkcycles role in the greater scheme are revealed, opening the door to even more intriguing possibilities. And even though the present and future come together more than any issue with current Quintum Mechanics employees finally understanding their roles, the story developments being interspersed between the amazing action sequences and jumps between time periods results in them being overshadowed. However, I am hooked to the series and enjoy the overall pacing so I can’t wait to see what unfolds next for Dayoung and the future of NYC.

     

    Release Date: 3/19/14

    Writer: Brandon Montclare

    Artist: Amy Reeder

     

  • Rating ( 8.5 )
  • Total score 8.5

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