Reviews

Street Angel: The Princess of Poverty by Brian Maruca, Jim Rugg

dngoldman's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

3.5

 

Street Angel: Princes of Poverty is a witty and sharp critique of the tropes and clichés of urban adventure stories and the realities of economic inequality. The book showcases the brilliant art of Brian Marcuca, who creates dynamic, expressive, and diverse scenes that capture the mood and humor of the story. Perhaps the joke wears a little thin for a full volume.  For a clever and original take on the genre, this book is a great choice.

arkham's review

lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Minor: Fatphobia and Animal cruelty

shea_proulx's review

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

medievaloracle's review

3.0

This book is so delightfully weird, you won't be prepared for when the feels hit.

plaidbrarian's review

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.

heypretty52's review

3.0

The art is so friggin perfect, but the serial nature of the stories was very difficult for me to get into. I believe this is better read as a webcomic or in installations.

paxson's review

3.0

While meant to be a satire on traditional superhuman comics, much of the humor and comic juxtaposition relies on the belittling of disabled characters or on the misfortune and misogyny of the main character. This collection doesn't explore who Jesse Sanchez but relies on the reader being okay with out background information. There was one poignant issue in this volume that spoke to the troubles with being homeless, which was great. But for all the other reasons, it gets only 3 stars.

destdest's review

1.0

Yeah, I wasn't charmed by this and even had ninjas. I like ninjas! I hope the sequel's better.

seawarrior's review

3.0

I really wanted to enjoy this comic, but feel I would have more if adults weren't clearly the intended audience. Jesse is easily an interesting character and I felt her world did not need to be supplemented by writing with an edge so sharp that it included slurs you cannot say in public without being justifiably slapped.

However, I did enjoy the art style and the energy it carried. Typically I find fight scenes tedious and repetitive to read in comics, but couldn't get enough of these and do plan on reading the recent sequels.

argent's review

4.0

Street Angel is a teenaged skater who fights evil geologists and their ninja henchmen.
She is ALSO a homeless girl who looks for food among dumpsters, goes to sleep hungry and tries to avoid being seen sleeping outside by people from her school. The tonal shift between stories is jarring, but it does underscore the beauty of this comic; if you´re expecting the zany action, well - it´s there, but it is other things as well. Highly recommended.