Written by Xavier Morell
Artwork by: Sergi San Julian
I’m getting better about reading comics. I have read through most of The Walking Dead comics, and now I’ve started Blankets by Craig Thompson. When CultureSmash.tv was sent Lunita to review, I jumped on the assignment. Any time I can delve into a story with what seems to be a strong heroine, I’m there. And to top it all off, the book is in color. Yes, Judge Judys- Color! Color makes graphic books easier to read. I don’t care if that makes me more of a child… that’s how I feel. And so let’s see how Amigo Comics’ Lunita measures up.
The Story
We start at the residence of the United States Ambassador to Spain. The police are there, and there’s a stiff in the room. You guessed it, the ambassador. He is on the floor, leaning against his bed with a Joker-like grin on his dead face… with a little bile coming out of the side of his mouth. Yum. Also in the room are two detectives. They deduce that it’s probably drugs, but we see that one of the detectives is REALLY unhappy about this death. Cut to the REALLY unhappy detective’s loft/office. He’s on the phone with some drug supplier, and he’s chewing him/her out for a bad product. Well, it’s not a bad product, so much as an unexpectedly lethal drug. The supplier hangs up on the detective, and the detective lounges back in a chair with an eye dropper poised and ready. Could it be? The dealer is also the user?
We then cut to the happiest place on Earth… the security check point at the airport, in Barcelona, Spain. We meet Summer Fillion, a redheaded, lesbian DEA agent. Was it really that important for me to mention her sexuality? In this universe, apparently so! Miss Fillion is like the Tony Stark of lesbian, redheaded DEA agents because she literally hits on ANYTHING with female parts. This is probably a ploy for the “Adult Fantasy” niche of this comic.
Soon, we find that Summer is being followed by some bad guys. These bad guys are also after someone else in the agency, Fedrico. We cut to Fedrico getting on a subway. He is quickly serenaded by a strange, old music man who seems to be playing some sort of old Asian instrument. A hot, young brunette in a school girls uniform comes on the subway, straddles Fedrico, and starts to play tonsil hockey in Fedrico’s mouth. Do we finally, we have some real supernatural stuff happening? Did the old man summon her? I guess only time will tell.
Now, we introduce more characters, all of whom I’m guessing we will meet later on, but not in this issue. Honestly, this just creates more confusion for me. Then, we get to a large factory. There are some menacing dudes in yellow hazmat suits. Clearly, these are the drug manufacturers. Maybe Walter White and Jessie Pinkman will show up! Sadly no. They then go to a large tank where they are holding a mermaid. Yes folks, they are holding a mermaid hostage, complete with big ol’ naked mermaid boobs. They show her terrible images of the oil spills in the ocean. NOW we know what the drug is… it’s mermaid tears! Neat… I guess.
Finally, we meet our supernatural heroine, Lunita. She is indeed a hot piece with her silver hair, WWE Diva body, and “I won’t take crap from anyone” attitude. This dude is trying to make a deal with her, but I’m really not sure what it is. Maybe this scene is just to show how much of a bad ass she really is, as she flat out refuses said deal. The next scene, she meets Summer. They’re eating and discussing Summer’s latest case on the “Blue Tear” drug that made the US ambassador overdose.
After their meal, the two walk through the park. They soon find that they are being followed. Lunita makes the two duck and cover behind a bush, and of course Summer, like a drunken frat boy, takes it as an open invitation to grab ass… in so many words. And while the sniper hides in the bushes, we end this issue.
I am a really, REALLY physical person who loves to read, watch, and talk about physicality. Sadly, this just seems like pervish fiction penned by some horny men wishing to fantasize about ridiculously hot, semi-powerful women fondling each other. I know that this is going to sound super feministic of me, but why in the world are straight men so intrigued by two girls making out? I LOVE men, and yet I don’t get a little excited when watching two men making out. Don’t get me wrong- it’s interesting, but not like listening to Taye Diggs shirtless and speaking with a Jamaican accent interesting. And the sad thing is, is that I could totally deal with and even be slightly turned on by some gratuitous lesbian action if the story and the characters were actually well written. Maybe I need to see Lunita more fleshed out (no pun intended) in order to be invested in this story. But I will say that I would like to read Issue #2 to see if Lunita saves the day… and this series.
3.5/10
The Art
The Art is what truly saves this book. The artwork is slightly grotesque and beautiful. The cover art alone is some of the best pop art I’ve seen in a while. The detail on Lunita’s hair is stunning, and Sergi’s detail to the emotions on the characters faces is really great. From the overdosed grin on the Spanish American ambassador’s face to the look of sheer horror and abysmal sadness on the mermaid’s face after exposed to the oil spill images, he captures what the characters are really feeling. He also makes a definite separation between men, women, and supernatural beings. His lines do a great job of making the feminine look soft and alluring, the men harsh and strong, and the supernatural… well, strange and not of this world, and in so creates a strange yet beautiful world in these pages.
8.5/10
I was so incredibly excited for this series that I read it immediately when I got the assignment. Then when I didn’t like it, I thought, “Well, clearly I need to read it another time.” And then by the third and fourth time I realized that I should have trusted my gut. The story stinks, the heroine has the beginnings of something special, and the artwork is super cool. I’m intrigued and will be interested in seeing the second issue in this series, but I wouldn’t suggest starting with this one. Hopefully there will be a quick recap before Issue #2.
Overall (Not an Average) 5/10