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Strange Girl #1-4
Strange Girl Omnibus
Ten years after the Rapture, a beautiful occultist and her pet demon embark on a road trip to the last open gateway to heaven in hopes of befriending God and escaping hell on earth. A bare-knuckle, action-driven series peppered with social commentary and dark humor, Strange Girl is a story about the bewildering nature of religion, what would happen if the dark future predicted by many came true, and what a good person would endure for not having faith in advance of it. Featuring story and art by a handful of today's hottest new talents including Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force, Venom), Eric Nguyen (Halo, Sandman), Jerome Opena (Uncanny X-Force, Punisher) and Nick Stakal (Criminal Macabre).
450 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2010
About the author
Rick Remender
1,347 books1,321 followersRick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 2, 2024
I hated this book. The art was terrible and hard to follow. The story meandered and didn't make a lot of sense. Definitely not what I expected from Rick Remender. His current work is all very solid.
February 7, 2014
I really loved this. It was heavy-handed at times in its philosophy, but the engaging characters more than made up for it. To be honest, I would have given this 5 stars if it weren't for one thing: Really Bad Editing. It pulls me right out of a story to see something like a "role" we play spelled "roll," or just random apostrophes for no reason. I have learned to be more forgiving about such things, but there's no good excuse for it in an omnibus edition. It's petty and picayune, but the more I like something, the more critical I am about the little things.
September 12, 2018
Huge ass book with the complete story of the Strange girl named Bethany. The premise of the story is pretty cool. The God is real, ascension happened and all the faithful Christians went to heaven. And the rest is left on Earth, swarmed by creatures from hell. That's so cool story. I really like that. Too much to do with this world. And Rick Remender decided to create the story around girl Beth, left alone on Earth, serving to powerful devil lord Belial. And breaking free and heading towards impossible adventure which will change all. Because Beth is maybe strange, but surely special girl.
The story has its ups and downs, a few boring parts, few stupid parts, but mostly it is thrilling and fun. Nice number of interesting characters (especially little devil Blotato, her main companion on the road), colourful ones, distinctive ones. And besides few rather boring parts, it is a fun ride. Strange Girl omnibus is written by Rick Remender, but it has few different artists. And there is my first major issue. Eric Nguyen. His art is hell for me. If the story wasn't so promising, I wouldn't endure that long 8 chapters. His art is just so "inferior" to me. With chapter 9 Intermezzo, there is changing guard in art and it gets better (and here comes super sweet (dragon?!?) Lenther). And thanks to gods for Nick Stakal at chapter 10 through 15 (except chapter 13, but it is nice too). Dark, grim, well-drawn witch so better atmosphere (and with almost "mignolish" feel). And the part with the invocation of the Satan is just awesome. Awesome. And even the story gets better. The chapters 9 to 13(14) are just best. The rest of the chapters is done by Peter Bergting. It's not as good as Stakal's, but it is still good. Things escalating quickly and story sometimes get a bit rough, but the finish is nice. Although, The Strange girl is very very nice comics book. If you have a similar taste as I, you will need to overcome the first eight chapters of art, but you'll be rewarded.
The story has its ups and downs, a few boring parts, few stupid parts, but mostly it is thrilling and fun. Nice number of interesting characters (especially little devil Blotato, her main companion on the road), colourful ones, distinctive ones. And besides few rather boring parts, it is a fun ride. Strange Girl omnibus is written by Rick Remender, but it has few different artists. And there is my first major issue. Eric Nguyen. His art is hell for me. If the story wasn't so promising, I wouldn't endure that long 8 chapters. His art is just so "inferior" to me. With chapter 9 Intermezzo, there is changing guard in art and it gets better (and here comes super sweet (dragon?!?) Lenther). And thanks to gods for Nick Stakal at chapter 10 through 15 (except chapter 13, but it is nice too). Dark, grim, well-drawn witch so better atmosphere (and with almost "mignolish" feel). And the part with the invocation of the Satan is just awesome. Awesome. And even the story gets better. The chapters 9 to 13(14) are just best. The rest of the chapters is done by Peter Bergting. It's not as good as Stakal's, but it is still good. Things escalating quickly and story sometimes get a bit rough, but the finish is nice. Although, The Strange girl is very very nice comics book. If you have a similar taste as I, you will need to overcome the first eight chapters of art, but you'll be rewarded.
January 28, 2013
Decent read. Was pretty much the author working out his own feelings on religion through a hot girl and a snarky demon.
December 11, 2015
Among the strident noise of the apocalypse, love. And beneath the rubble of homes left to rot by zealots of a horrible breed, hope. These two facets of humanity are all that bind the characters of STRANGE GIRL, though they don't quite realize it until they're bleeding out on the street and facing certain death.
Remender's current work in comics is phenomenal, and so traipsing through his catalogue shouldn't seem like such a monumental task. A surprise, then, it is to find a fully published story that managed to find its own voice after spending its whole life under the radar (low economic return or not).
STRANGE GIRL tracks the excursions of a demigod, Bethany Black, her blue demon pal, Bloato, and their small crew of heathen idiots and anti-Christs as they forage the remains of urban America after God has forsaken planet Earth. Beth is a self-taught user of dark magic, and it isn't until she happens across some seriously wicked incantations that she decides to skip town (Bloato in tow) and strike out on her own. After all, there's supposedly one last gate to haven that's open somewhere in Italy. Beth is betting, against all odds, she can make it there alive.
Reading this title as an omnibus is to regard STRANGE GIRL as some misbegotten adventure tale totally worth the read, even if it doesn't really know where it's going until it gets there. It's a fun ride, since Beth and Bloato's survival hinges on any number of alliances and betrayals with demons, gamblers, and sentinels of doom. As one giant book, STRANGE GIRL is easy to digest. However, due to its wandering and absent character motive (i.e., Beth wants to get away but doesn't know where/how to), the comic lacks a genuine chapter-to-chapter hook to convince readers to rekindle the narrative, if consumed in parts.
Angst makes the apocalypse an oddly buoyant time to be alive. Bloato's cynicism is very effective (and hilarious), and it's clear his optimism is as adolescent as Beth's, rapture and all. His relationship with the human twentysomething isn't quite clear until the end, and yet their partnership remains so obvious one can't help but wonder throughout: as demons purge the world of human life, awaiting God's subsequent purging of the world of demon life, where in-between lies the balance initially meant for this tiny planet?
Remender's commentary on human fallibility comes and goes. For better or for worse, he toys with laying it on thick and letting the characters actions (or tears) do the talking. Whatever the case, readers who stick with the story will no doubt agree that regardless of how widespread or incongruous the chaos may be, the personal determination envisioned by Beth and Bloato in their quest for redemption lies not in Vatican City, but in each other.
A young woman stumbling through her love of life, through the dark arts, and her demon friend whose affection for her knowingly toes the line of what it means to be an incarnation of evil, mark the thinnest veneer necessary to not only know better than God, but to do better as well.
Remender's current work in comics is phenomenal, and so traipsing through his catalogue shouldn't seem like such a monumental task. A surprise, then, it is to find a fully published story that managed to find its own voice after spending its whole life under the radar (low economic return or not).
STRANGE GIRL tracks the excursions of a demigod, Bethany Black, her blue demon pal, Bloato, and their small crew of heathen idiots and anti-Christs as they forage the remains of urban America after God has forsaken planet Earth. Beth is a self-taught user of dark magic, and it isn't until she happens across some seriously wicked incantations that she decides to skip town (Bloato in tow) and strike out on her own. After all, there's supposedly one last gate to haven that's open somewhere in Italy. Beth is betting, against all odds, she can make it there alive.
Reading this title as an omnibus is to regard STRANGE GIRL as some misbegotten adventure tale totally worth the read, even if it doesn't really know where it's going until it gets there. It's a fun ride, since Beth and Bloato's survival hinges on any number of alliances and betrayals with demons, gamblers, and sentinels of doom. As one giant book, STRANGE GIRL is easy to digest. However, due to its wandering and absent character motive (i.e., Beth wants to get away but doesn't know where/how to), the comic lacks a genuine chapter-to-chapter hook to convince readers to rekindle the narrative, if consumed in parts.
Angst makes the apocalypse an oddly buoyant time to be alive. Bloato's cynicism is very effective (and hilarious), and it's clear his optimism is as adolescent as Beth's, rapture and all. His relationship with the human twentysomething isn't quite clear until the end, and yet their partnership remains so obvious one can't help but wonder throughout: as demons purge the world of human life, awaiting God's subsequent purging of the world of demon life, where in-between lies the balance initially meant for this tiny planet?
Remender's commentary on human fallibility comes and goes. For better or for worse, he toys with laying it on thick and letting the characters actions (or tears) do the talking. Whatever the case, readers who stick with the story will no doubt agree that regardless of how widespread or incongruous the chaos may be, the personal determination envisioned by Beth and Bloato in their quest for redemption lies not in Vatican City, but in each other.
A young woman stumbling through her love of life, through the dark arts, and her demon friend whose affection for her knowingly toes the line of what it means to be an incarnation of evil, mark the thinnest veneer necessary to not only know better than God, but to do better as well.
April 6, 2021
(Zero spoiler review) 3.5/5
Good lord, that was quite a rollercoaster. I've never had my impression of a comic book change so intermittently and repeatedly throughout a read as it did with Strange Girl. From general interest, to apathy, to tenuous fascination, to indifference, and boredom to passive acceptance and then enjoyment. This book, as well as my interest in it was just like a monkeys shit... all over the place. For starters, for a relatively short run overall (18 issues) this book had some 7 or 8 artists. This certainly did the consistency and telling of the story no favours indeed. Original main artist Eric Nyugen's style was overly cartoonish and wasn't really for me. Guest artists came and went, with styles I preferred and disliked further, though it wasn't until the final three issues when Peter Bertinger's art provided what should have bene the constant artist all along. Really helped to stick the landing and leave with a stronger impression than one of the lesser artists would have left. The continually changing character models was very jarring, and as soon as you got used to the look of the characters, they up and changed. Bethany was an oddball sort of beauty, and it really bothered me when artists changed, and she went from visually engaging to plain and unappealing. The final issue was an absolute highlight of the run, which always helps. No one likes a book to shit its trousers at the finish line, although Strange Girl did so frequently throughout the race. A more consistent effort on the part of the very talented Mr. Remender would have seen this book remembered as fondly as some of his other beloved series. Instead, Strange Girl will likely forever occupy a strange place in his back catalogue. When the man slows down and does some good old fashioned storytelling I.E strong dialogue, good character development, the story shines. When he resorts to banal superhero antics and boring fights, my interest levels dropped too. There was a smaller character study of a story here that I wish he focused on, over the big, titanic good vs. evil story he went with. I really like Bethany as a character, and most of the supporting cast were pretty good too. Just the overall arc wasn't so much to my liking, at least for big chunks of the story anyway.
So, Strange Girl is definitely worth a look. Don't go expecting classic Remender, but rather a flawed though interesting story, with some engaging, if slightly underused characters and I think you'll have a decent time. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
Good lord, that was quite a rollercoaster. I've never had my impression of a comic book change so intermittently and repeatedly throughout a read as it did with Strange Girl. From general interest, to apathy, to tenuous fascination, to indifference, and boredom to passive acceptance and then enjoyment. This book, as well as my interest in it was just like a monkeys shit... all over the place. For starters, for a relatively short run overall (18 issues) this book had some 7 or 8 artists. This certainly did the consistency and telling of the story no favours indeed. Original main artist Eric Nyugen's style was overly cartoonish and wasn't really for me. Guest artists came and went, with styles I preferred and disliked further, though it wasn't until the final three issues when Peter Bertinger's art provided what should have bene the constant artist all along. Really helped to stick the landing and leave with a stronger impression than one of the lesser artists would have left. The continually changing character models was very jarring, and as soon as you got used to the look of the characters, they up and changed. Bethany was an oddball sort of beauty, and it really bothered me when artists changed, and she went from visually engaging to plain and unappealing. The final issue was an absolute highlight of the run, which always helps. No one likes a book to shit its trousers at the finish line, although Strange Girl did so frequently throughout the race. A more consistent effort on the part of the very talented Mr. Remender would have seen this book remembered as fondly as some of his other beloved series. Instead, Strange Girl will likely forever occupy a strange place in his back catalogue. When the man slows down and does some good old fashioned storytelling I.E strong dialogue, good character development, the story shines. When he resorts to banal superhero antics and boring fights, my interest levels dropped too. There was a smaller character study of a story here that I wish he focused on, over the big, titanic good vs. evil story he went with. I really like Bethany as a character, and most of the supporting cast were pretty good too. Just the overall arc wasn't so much to my liking, at least for big chunks of the story anyway.
So, Strange Girl is definitely worth a look. Don't go expecting classic Remender, but rather a flawed though interesting story, with some engaging, if slightly underused characters and I think you'll have a decent time. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
March 21, 2016
Rick Remender's work is just as personal as Craig Thompson's Blankets The two authors produced great art with different aproaches, comming from the same place. They had a religious upbringing and somewhow comics became a way to express their inner conflicts. They wrote about different things and at some point it became about religion.
What Rick Remender did was unexpected. He created a dystopian religious extravaganza, starting from a quite legitimate premise, in sci-fi terms: "so what if the rapture did come true?".
The rapture, its appeal, comes from the fact that it is a menace (for the believers, a promise) in the future. Like profecies, its appeal comes from a trick: it's not that they "will" come true, but that they "haven't" came true yet. And when something with the magnitude of the end of the world is put upon humanity it's the biggest gimmick of all. Set in a near future (allways about to happen, some have predicted it over and over again, failling over and over again) it creates momentum, and dares people to have faith.
So... Rick set out to test people faith in another way. A lot more exciting. And with a lot more intelectual honesty than religious charlatans, that play with human emotions, fears and expectations. Sci-fi mode: by allowing people to use their imagination and put themselves elsewhere, creating some distance so that, once there, they can look back at reality.
He created the world described by those that want others to believe in the Rapture. And because those say that the wretched will pay and suffer, the anti-heoine is a non-believer, that stays on a demon ruled earth, separated by God from her fundamentalist parents.
A strange girl indeed.
This is a work of genius. Of talent and wit. Of courage and intelect. Of hummour. And a deep personal voyage into humanism and teology. That allows us all to question ourselves better, taking from the experiences of the author. Instead of making, like Craig Thompson, a biographical journey, Rick Remender did this. A dystopian rapture anti-hero narrative. Something that no one has ever did.
.
What Rick Remender did was unexpected. He created a dystopian religious extravaganza, starting from a quite legitimate premise, in sci-fi terms: "so what if the rapture did come true?".
The rapture, its appeal, comes from the fact that it is a menace (for the believers, a promise) in the future. Like profecies, its appeal comes from a trick: it's not that they "will" come true, but that they "haven't" came true yet. And when something with the magnitude of the end of the world is put upon humanity it's the biggest gimmick of all. Set in a near future (allways about to happen, some have predicted it over and over again, failling over and over again) it creates momentum, and dares people to have faith.
So... Rick set out to test people faith in another way. A lot more exciting. And with a lot more intelectual honesty than religious charlatans, that play with human emotions, fears and expectations. Sci-fi mode: by allowing people to use their imagination and put themselves elsewhere, creating some distance so that, once there, they can look back at reality.
He created the world described by those that want others to believe in the Rapture. And because those say that the wretched will pay and suffer, the anti-heoine is a non-believer, that stays on a demon ruled earth, separated by God from her fundamentalist parents.
A strange girl indeed.
This is a work of genius. Of talent and wit. Of courage and intelect. Of hummour. And a deep personal voyage into humanism and teology. That allows us all to question ourselves better, taking from the experiences of the author. Instead of making, like Craig Thompson, a biographical journey, Rick Remender did this. A dystopian rapture anti-hero narrative. Something that no one has ever did.
.
November 15, 2015
I enjoyed most of this, until it got toward the end. Then I lost interest. some will like this or love it. I'm not one of them.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
December 29, 2015
This comic is such a fascinating idea. Coupled with interesting characters, great art, and an intriguing story. The rapture, Angels and Demons, Lucifer.
Bethany is the best protagonist I’ve read in a long time. But Bloato? Bloato is amazing.
Not only is it a great fantasy comic, but there’s a great underlining (and sometimes overt) discussion of God’s motivations.
So it’s fantastic as a fantasy, but also as a discussion of theology. The introduction is interesting, talking about Rick Remender’s struggles and what went into this book.
…Life without struggle is joyless and without reward.
Powerful stuff. Especially because of who says it. But I won’t spoil it for you.
I was a bit daunted by the length of this tome, but once I got into (in the very first chapter) it really started to fly by.
And the art is amazing. Even though it changed from time to time. The depictions of the denizens of hell is always interesting when done well.
Several times I laughed. I might have felt a little guilty but I laughed. This was probably Bloato 99% of the time.
And that mind-blowing ending?? Insane!
It’s been a rough decade.
Same, Beth. Same.
Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
Bethany is the best protagonist I’ve read in a long time. But Bloato? Bloato is amazing.
Not only is it a great fantasy comic, but there’s a great underlining (and sometimes overt) discussion of God’s motivations.
So it’s fantastic as a fantasy, but also as a discussion of theology. The introduction is interesting, talking about Rick Remender’s struggles and what went into this book.
…Life without struggle is joyless and without reward.
Powerful stuff. Especially because of who says it. But I won’t spoil it for you.
I was a bit daunted by the length of this tome, but once I got into (in the very first chapter) it really started to fly by.
And the art is amazing. Even though it changed from time to time. The depictions of the denizens of hell is always interesting when done well.
Several times I laughed. I might have felt a little guilty but I laughed. This was probably Bloato 99% of the time.
And that mind-blowing ending?? Insane!
It’s been a rough decade.
Same, Beth. Same.
Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
January 1, 2017
Read this over the last few days, the complete collection of Strange Girl which is about how Demons rule earth after the rapture.
I found this to be kind of tame and could have done a lot more with the idea. The art work is kind of hit and miss and it just ends up being a mediocre graphic novel.
I found this to be kind of tame and could have done a lot more with the idea. The art work is kind of hit and miss and it just ends up being a mediocre graphic novel.
January 29, 2022
This was far more interesting and entertaining than I had thought. It starts with the "Rapture", which takes all the believers to heaven, leaving Hell in charge of Earth. So, I suspend belief in order to enjoy the story (The artwork is wonderful). The people left on Earth alternately question themselves, the existence of God, and change their beliefs from time to time. When Jesus returns to Earth, and the Angels spout scripture and platitudes and carry swords, urging all to forget their questioning and doubts and give themselves over entirely to belief in God and to repent for their past lives or go to hell, all does not go well. Since everything already went to hell, things can't get worse, can they? But then God makes an appearance that solves nothing and admits he might have made some mistakes. He allows himself to be questioned and explains his motives. Intriguing. And then something unexpected happens.
October 3, 2018
Ich bin hin und her gerissen ... Strange Girl gehört zu Remenders Frühwerk und das merkt man. Ich gehe sogar soweit zu behaupten, dass man eine Entwicklung innerhalb der einzelnen Teile (die 2005 bis 2008 entstanden sind) nachvollziehen kann. Mit Fortschreiten der Geschichte wird auch die Geschichte selbst "runder", das Tempo wird ausgewogener, die Charaktere gewinnen an Tiefe. Das Setting selbst bedient sich leider vieler Klischees und die pubertären Witze mochte ich auch nicht.
Für die grafische Umsetzung sind verschiedene Künstler verantwortlich. Ausgerechnet der maßgeblich beteiligte Eric Nguyen sagt mir gar nicht zu, da sein Stil mir zu hingeworfen und skizzenhaft ist. Der Stil von Jerome Opeña hingegen, der auch am aktuellen "Seven to Eternity" beteiligt ist, funktioniert für mich auch bei "Strange Girl" sehr gut.
Für die grafische Umsetzung sind verschiedene Künstler verantwortlich. Ausgerechnet der maßgeblich beteiligte Eric Nguyen sagt mir gar nicht zu, da sein Stil mir zu hingeworfen und skizzenhaft ist. Der Stil von Jerome Opeña hingegen, der auch am aktuellen "Seven to Eternity" beteiligt ist, funktioniert für mich auch bei "Strange Girl" sehr gut.
February 19, 2016
The most interesting book I’ve read this year is Strange Girl. It’s not a perfect book. Author Rick Remender admits as much in his prologue when he describes some of the things he wished he’d done differently. It’s flawed, but in interesting ways. It’s thought provoking. It’s personally revealing and engaging. It’s funny. It’s occasionally poignant. It’s about the journey more than the destination, though the destination itself is fairly interesting. It’s Strange Girl by Rick Remender and it’s unlike any book I’ve ever read.
Strange Girl has a bumpy beginning. The series follows Bethany Black, a free-spirited adolescent in conflict with her parent’s strict suburban fundamentalist way of life. The first strange twist is that her parents are right. The Rapture occurs in the middle of the opening chapter and Bethany is left alone in a new world overrun by demons. The second chapter jumps forward ten years as Bethany has learned to make a life for herself in this new Hell-on-Earth. She serves a demon overlord named Belial as a slave bartender. However, Bethany isn’t content to be a slave and, in a second big twist in as many issues, she attempts to escape. The escape is a fast-paced action affair that also sets up a new status quo: Bethany and her companion, a raunchy blue demon named Bloato, are on the lam across a demon-ruled America.
At this point, Strange Girl finally hits its stride. The first two chapters were fairly formulaic. It’s not until the third chapter that Strange Girl develops its own personality. We get a better sense of Bethany’s independence, skepticism, sarcasm and perseverance. Plus, Bloato is endearing as a supporting character- witty, vulgar, and selfish, yet surprisingly devoted to Bethany. Rick Remender is the first to admit that Strange Girl took some time to gel. In his introduction, he confesses that he wasn’t happy with the series until the third issue. Perhaps Strange Girl would have worked better if he had started the story in media res and then filled in the story with flashbacks. In later chapters, Remender puts flashbacks to good use, depicting Bethany’s life before the Rapture as well as her early years learning to cope while slyly learning magic on the side.
From here on out, Strange Girl is a fascinating ride. Bethany and Bloato’s trip across America allows Remender to examine old friends, new cults and warring factions. He introduces more supporting characters: a childhood friend named Tim who’s been warped by this new world, a hulking soldier with a heart of gold named Mouse, and Bloato’s shifty daughters Hanta and Sil.
Yet Strange Girl is more than an adventure story in a dark and dangerous world. It is also an examination of faith, doubt, fate and destiny. From the beginning, Bethany Black has rejected her parents’ restrictive views on religion. Yet now, she’s confronted with a world in which her parents were potentially right. Bethany wrestles with the repercussions of the Rapture, arguing with other characters about the callous and capricious nature of God. Remender does a great job of depicting various degrees of faith. Mouse is a firm believer though his journey eventually leads him to a crisis of faith. Bloato acknowledges the existence of God but doesn’t seem to be particularly perturbed by the whole thing (demons know who God is, even if they aren’t about to bow down). Some of the religious leaders are manipulative and evil, yet other believers are sincere and hopeful.
It is this depiction of faith, in addition to the depth of characterization, that is the real strength of Strange Girl. Rick Remender confesses in the introduction that Bethany’s spiritual struggles mirror his own. Strange Girl is therefore a very personal story. As a young man, Rick had difficulties with his mother’s extensive and strict Mormon family, and those difficulties are reflected in Strange Girl. Yet Remender remains incredibly even-handed about people of faith, showing a range of religious attitudes that reflect the reality of life.
I shared some of Rick’s struggles growing up but I ended up in a different place. As a Protestant pastor, I appreciated Rick’s honest and nuanced depiction of faith. I thought his depiction of God was particularly well done and I especially appreciated that Rick’s version of God discussed the ways in which doubt and faith work together. Rick may not be a believer but he shows a deeper understanding of faith that many religious people I’ve encountered.
As I mentioned at the outset, Strange Girl is an interesting book, but not a perfect one. As much as I appreciate Strange Girl’s take on faith, some of the early conversations are long-winded and slow down the story too much. As the series progresses, Remender finds a better balance between deep conversations and riveting action. I was also disconcerted when Bloato was killed a third of the way into the volume. I knew that the story wouldn’t be as entertaining without him and felt that Remender had erred. However, Remender quickly rectified the mistake (and showed that it wasn’t a mistake after all) by having Bethany and her growing cast invade Hell to rescue Bloato.
Strange Girl is a fascinating, complicated, funny, poignant, thought-provoking, personal story. I sometimes wondered how much better the book could have been if Remender had waited to write it until he was a more developed author. But then I realize that this was part of his development as a writer, and that the mistakes he makes along the way are as much a part of this book as his struggles with religion and his sense of humor. Strange Girl is flawed, but in interesting ways and it is well worth reading.
Strange Girl has a bumpy beginning. The series follows Bethany Black, a free-spirited adolescent in conflict with her parent’s strict suburban fundamentalist way of life. The first strange twist is that her parents are right. The Rapture occurs in the middle of the opening chapter and Bethany is left alone in a new world overrun by demons. The second chapter jumps forward ten years as Bethany has learned to make a life for herself in this new Hell-on-Earth. She serves a demon overlord named Belial as a slave bartender. However, Bethany isn’t content to be a slave and, in a second big twist in as many issues, she attempts to escape. The escape is a fast-paced action affair that also sets up a new status quo: Bethany and her companion, a raunchy blue demon named Bloato, are on the lam across a demon-ruled America.
At this point, Strange Girl finally hits its stride. The first two chapters were fairly formulaic. It’s not until the third chapter that Strange Girl develops its own personality. We get a better sense of Bethany’s independence, skepticism, sarcasm and perseverance. Plus, Bloato is endearing as a supporting character- witty, vulgar, and selfish, yet surprisingly devoted to Bethany. Rick Remender is the first to admit that Strange Girl took some time to gel. In his introduction, he confesses that he wasn’t happy with the series until the third issue. Perhaps Strange Girl would have worked better if he had started the story in media res and then filled in the story with flashbacks. In later chapters, Remender puts flashbacks to good use, depicting Bethany’s life before the Rapture as well as her early years learning to cope while slyly learning magic on the side.
From here on out, Strange Girl is a fascinating ride. Bethany and Bloato’s trip across America allows Remender to examine old friends, new cults and warring factions. He introduces more supporting characters: a childhood friend named Tim who’s been warped by this new world, a hulking soldier with a heart of gold named Mouse, and Bloato’s shifty daughters Hanta and Sil.
Yet Strange Girl is more than an adventure story in a dark and dangerous world. It is also an examination of faith, doubt, fate and destiny. From the beginning, Bethany Black has rejected her parents’ restrictive views on religion. Yet now, she’s confronted with a world in which her parents were potentially right. Bethany wrestles with the repercussions of the Rapture, arguing with other characters about the callous and capricious nature of God. Remender does a great job of depicting various degrees of faith. Mouse is a firm believer though his journey eventually leads him to a crisis of faith. Bloato acknowledges the existence of God but doesn’t seem to be particularly perturbed by the whole thing (demons know who God is, even if they aren’t about to bow down). Some of the religious leaders are manipulative and evil, yet other believers are sincere and hopeful.
It is this depiction of faith, in addition to the depth of characterization, that is the real strength of Strange Girl. Rick Remender confesses in the introduction that Bethany’s spiritual struggles mirror his own. Strange Girl is therefore a very personal story. As a young man, Rick had difficulties with his mother’s extensive and strict Mormon family, and those difficulties are reflected in Strange Girl. Yet Remender remains incredibly even-handed about people of faith, showing a range of religious attitudes that reflect the reality of life.
I shared some of Rick’s struggles growing up but I ended up in a different place. As a Protestant pastor, I appreciated Rick’s honest and nuanced depiction of faith. I thought his depiction of God was particularly well done and I especially appreciated that Rick’s version of God discussed the ways in which doubt and faith work together. Rick may not be a believer but he shows a deeper understanding of faith that many religious people I’ve encountered.
As I mentioned at the outset, Strange Girl is an interesting book, but not a perfect one. As much as I appreciate Strange Girl’s take on faith, some of the early conversations are long-winded and slow down the story too much. As the series progresses, Remender finds a better balance between deep conversations and riveting action. I was also disconcerted when Bloato was killed a third of the way into the volume. I knew that the story wouldn’t be as entertaining without him and felt that Remender had erred. However, Remender quickly rectified the mistake (and showed that it wasn’t a mistake after all) by having Bethany and her growing cast invade Hell to rescue Bloato.
Strange Girl is a fascinating, complicated, funny, poignant, thought-provoking, personal story. I sometimes wondered how much better the book could have been if Remender had waited to write it until he was a more developed author. But then I realize that this was part of his development as a writer, and that the mistakes he makes along the way are as much a part of this book as his struggles with religion and his sense of humor. Strange Girl is flawed, but in interesting ways and it is well worth reading.
October 14, 2023
So I actually only made it through about half of this, but it's pretty rough. I can see the seeds of Remender's later work, using storytelling to explore some pretty serious themes (see Uncanny X-Force or Low, for example), but, as an exploration of religion, this is pretty juvenile. I will conjecture, based on no research at all, that it was written by a young man escaping his religious background and trying to deal with some heavy philosophical and religious angst. But I already did that, and now it all seems sort of silly and immature, even if sincere.
May 17, 2017
I enjoyed the characters and the relationships between them. It was the most authentic aspect of the story. I'm not entirely sure where the theology or eschatology are grounded beyond a passing reading of an English translation of a Christian bible through a U.S. "Reason and evidence for everything" perspective. It was an interesting story, and I wondered how it would end until it ended, which is good.
July 16, 2018
I just shed some real tears at this ending. Wow. Amazing story. Maybe don't read this series if you get offended when people question the concept of God, though, because that is 100% the content of this book. It's directed at Christians, specifically. The intro had Remender being like "this was basically just a way for me to work out my issues with religion and Christianity" soooooo. Heads up, I guess?
Bloato is a pal. What a friend 😭😭😭
Bloato is a pal. What a friend 😭😭😭
October 19, 2020
2.5-Stars, for serious Rick Remender fans only.
Both the art and story are inconsistent throughout the 18 issue series. What starts out overwritten and underdrawn becomes entertaining for an issue or two before falling back into mediocrity and then relying on your attachment to the characters for an ending that fails to hit it's mark.
Skip this and go read Deadly Class, Black Science, Tokyo Ghost, or Uncanny X-Force.
Both the art and story are inconsistent throughout the 18 issue series. What starts out overwritten and underdrawn becomes entertaining for an issue or two before falling back into mediocrity and then relying on your attachment to the characters for an ending that fails to hit it's mark.
Skip this and go read Deadly Class, Black Science, Tokyo Ghost, or Uncanny X-Force.
December 30, 2019
It takes few issues to get into the setting of the story..
And once we are in.. it goes well..
Lot of action and magic..
Yet , towards the end it gets into a chaos...
It's as if the author couldn't come up with definite conclusion... So he'd put in as much as possible to make it read like a definite one... but fails...
And once we are in.. it goes well..
Lot of action and magic..
Yet , towards the end it gets into a chaos...
It's as if the author couldn't come up with definite conclusion... So he'd put in as much as possible to make it read like a definite one... but fails...
December 15, 2021
I had a hard time trying to figure out why I hated this book so much but here is my best effort. The illustrations changed constantly and made it hard to follow. The main character was totally unlikable. The story had soooo much potential but it was confusing, drawn out, and pretty bland. There was so much that could've made this book fantastic but it just continuously was underwhelming.
October 18, 2017
I keep stumbling on his works without realizing I'll just never like him lol. Art is pretty although could have been storyboarded more smoother as some panels are hard to tell what's happening in passages of time between them.
September 20, 2023
Achingly sincere, plenty of questionable moments and some real groan worthy pop culture references, but it’s heart is too beautiful for any of that to matter, in some ways it’s part of the charm.
Really spectacular art from start to finish as well
Really spectacular art from start to finish as well
January 22, 2018
Overall good art and story. If I were to recommend a book about the struggles of heaven and hell it would be Lucifer. Strange Girl lacks it's depth and ambiance, but it has some neat ideas in it.
Read
August 6, 2019Dnf 80%
July 21, 2021
Not sure if I would have continued with the series if I didn't read it as an omnibus but very glad I did. Asked some very interesting questions of religion and philosophy.
December 11, 2022
longwinding and boring, not what I expected from Rick Remender. Having so many different artists (not all of them good) also did not help
November 24, 2015
'Strange Girl Omnibus' collects all 18 issues of the series created by Rick Remender. At over 450 pages, it's definitely quite a collection, but it's also a labor of love by the author.
The story takes place on an Earth where the Rapture has happened. Little Bethany lives with her family until that day, but when they are taken and she is left behind. Ten years later, the world has been taken over by demons and Bethany finds herself enslaved by one. Along the way, she's found out she can read the spell book the demon owns and she decides to escape and take a page with her. Along the way she is aided by a cast of characters both good and evil, including her best friend A blue crass-mouthed demon named Bloato, a pious soldier named Mouse, her ex-neighbor Tim and others.
The in your face humor reminds me a bit of Hellboy and Tank Girl. The character takes a real journey along the way, and while I don't agree with the author's conclusion, I can appreciate his arguments. The book begins with an introduction by the author that possibly explains why he chose to tell this story. Over 18 issues, there are a variety of artists and artistic styles. I liked them all. As flawed and fallible as the characters were, I really liked them and felt an emotional attachment.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The story takes place on an Earth where the Rapture has happened. Little Bethany lives with her family until that day, but when they are taken and she is left behind. Ten years later, the world has been taken over by demons and Bethany finds herself enslaved by one. Along the way, she's found out she can read the spell book the demon owns and she decides to escape and take a page with her. Along the way she is aided by a cast of characters both good and evil, including her best friend A blue crass-mouthed demon named Bloato, a pious soldier named Mouse, her ex-neighbor Tim and others.
The in your face humor reminds me a bit of Hellboy and Tank Girl. The character takes a real journey along the way, and while I don't agree with the author's conclusion, I can appreciate his arguments. The book begins with an introduction by the author that possibly explains why he chose to tell this story. Over 18 issues, there are a variety of artists and artistic styles. I liked them all. As flawed and fallible as the characters were, I really liked them and felt an emotional attachment.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
March 3, 2023
I'm giving this four stars, admittedly more out of nostalgia than anything. I love Beth. She is straight up my favorite character from an American comic and she means so much to me - I didn't realize the full effect she had on me growing up until I recently reread Strange Girl front to back. However, just like when I first read it years ago as a kid I found myself lukewarm to the series after chapter nine. I actually didn't hate the ending like some readers did - sure, it was more muted than I personally would have liked and the implications regarding Bloato are, uh, interesting, but it was also kind of cute and I enjoyed how it tied back to the very beginning of the series. Chapter 9 - 17 could have been so much better though. I crave a reboot of the series, I remain unsatisfied but still hungry for more!
April 23, 2013
While I technically read all of the issues on the weekend, this is the easiest way for me to keep track of that.
Strange Girl is definitely one of my favourite comics that I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed how Remender used these interested and sometimes conflicted characters to discuss questions of religious dogma, God, the afterlife, the apocalypse, atheism, ethics and love. He tackled questions that I have pondered in a fun and engaging storyline, with just enough intrigue and horror action to keep things moving.
I've already passed this collection on to a friend who's new to comics and recommended it to others. The series is one that I was tempted to hold on to for a long time.
Strange Girl is definitely one of my favourite comics that I've read in a long time. I really enjoyed how Remender used these interested and sometimes conflicted characters to discuss questions of religious dogma, God, the afterlife, the apocalypse, atheism, ethics and love. He tackled questions that I have pondered in a fun and engaging storyline, with just enough intrigue and horror action to keep things moving.
I've already passed this collection on to a friend who's new to comics and recommended it to others. The series is one that I was tempted to hold on to for a long time.
November 13, 2015
Hell on earth after the Rapture
This omnibus comic collection deals with Beth whose family were taken by God during the Rapture and who is left on Earth as Lucifer takes over. A power struggle between demons then ensues. She escapes with her “guardian demon”: many adventures ensue as she tries to escape from Belial’s attention. She meets many characters along the way who either help her or betray her. Many adventures ensue as demons battle against one another and then against the forces of God. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of talk about religion since this deals with the Christian ethic.
The artwork is cartoonish and unfortunately not always clear. The storyline is quite “fun” and reasonably entertaining.
This omnibus comic collection deals with Beth whose family were taken by God during the Rapture and who is left on Earth as Lucifer takes over. A power struggle between demons then ensues. She escapes with her “guardian demon”: many adventures ensue as she tries to escape from Belial’s attention. She meets many characters along the way who either help her or betray her. Many adventures ensue as demons battle against one another and then against the forces of God. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of talk about religion since this deals with the Christian ethic.
The artwork is cartoonish and unfortunately not always clear. The storyline is quite “fun” and reasonably entertaining.
May 11, 2021
This book is very shallow when it cames to its take on religion. Its obviously its the writer expressing his views on the idea of God, heaven, hell, and faith. But it reads like any argument you probably heard between an atheist and someone of faith. I still really enjoyed the overall book. Fun characters and snappy dialogue. The book was really rushed in the beginning but slowed its past towards the end.
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