OneMetal.com book REVIEW:
Tank Girl: Skidmarks

Conceived from the British minds of Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, the punk rock female powerhouse known to indie comics readers as Tank Girl struck infamous gold for its brash dialogue and dramatic, almost psychedelic visuals (Hewlett would later animate the band Gorillaz). The title even inspired a film that bombed the box office despite rocketing ambition. Previously, Titan Books introduced audiences to a compilation book called The Cream of Tank Girl. Now Skidmarks ranks as the publisher’s latest, first appearing as a twelve-part series in Judge Dredd Magazine.

With her reckless friend Barney needing expensive medical care, Tank Girl enters the no-rules Watermelon Race at a chance at snatching the first place, multi-billion dollar cup prize. Rufus Dayglo, whose talent has decorated Tank Girl comic pages before with The Gifting and Visions of Balooga, illustrates Rebecca and her pals as they squash rival cars and speed toward the finish line, her beloved Balooga co-manning the tank. Of course, their hopeful clean victory hits a few bumps along the road, including a technical snag, a dangerous shortcut, and a lead-footed new competitor.

Tank Girl familiars will appreciate the attention paid to moments in the characters’ back stories: We learn how Barney dented her head skateboarding, revisit Rebecca and Barney’s prep school days that cemented their friendship, and even reminisce about the old west. Dayglo does a superb job at visually distinguishing the latter two digressions, but for some reason skimps on giving the first the extra thought. Most of the artwork, though, bombards the page with bright colors (by Christian Krank), packing each scene with often entertaining details—for all its cussing and teeth-pounding glory. Mechanical elves that transform, a trio of Charlie’s Angels type television starlets, and the brains (ahem) behind the entire death race certainly find a home within the bizarre post-apocalyptic Australian world.

Alan Martin’s script follows suit, and the otherwise predictable “race of a lifetime” idea surprises with an unexpected twist or two. Some of them work, but some of them flop, and the ending will probably cause most readers to groan uncomfortably in their seats.

As far as bonus material goes, the trade’s best contains two amusing black-and-white shorts. One cuts the ribbon at the dazzling Tank Girl Land while the other journeys into space (and deals with troublesome space toilets).

Bottom Line

Skidmarks arms each panel with fun quirks, but substance falls short to graphical style.