Comic Review: Flavor Girls #3

BOOM! Studios Story & Art: Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky Colorist: Eros de Santiago

Flavor Girls is on the verge of becoming too much fun. In Flavor Girls #3, Locatelli-Kournwsky shifts focus from Flavor Girls lore to the Agarthan invaders themselves, finally showing the inner workings of the Agartha armada.

But first, the issue takes readers through Naoko’s early days as the “first born” Flavor Girl. These silent pages are suffused with action and style, while at the same time showing the story’s softer sides: Naoko at her most vulnerable, mourning the loss of her childhood friend Rumiko. The sequence also boasts some fantastic creature imagery, both grotesque and mythic.

In the present, Naoko leads the Flavor Girls against the Agarthans in a desperate battle. While she and her fruit-powered warriors put on a visually spectacular display in attempts to recover a valuable artifact, it is newcomer Sara and her emerging pineapple powers who turns the tide–in both directions, unfortunately. Locatelli-Kournwsky is wild and fluid with his art even in simple conversation scenes. Unsurprisingly, his manga-inspired battles ooze kinetic energy, humor, and flourishes of color.

Sara continues to steal the show in more ways than one. Her emotive expressions are always good for a laugh, but in Flavor GIrls #3 her pineapple powers really dazzle. It all culminates in a brand new special move she couldn’t help naming after herself, the Back Kick of Little Sara!

With upwards of 50 pages of story each issue, Locatelli-Kournwsky has been able to take the time to explore the dynamics and back stories of each character. The sci-fi elements remain a bit well-trodden, but the Agarthan ships and bosses are a pleasing, uncanny blend of French comics and Super Sentai anime. Furthermore, cosmonaut-turned-villainess Irina Kirilenko remains relatively unexplored as an antagonist. And issue three suggests she has special designs on the Flavor Girls, having struck a deal with the invaders to spare their lives in exchange for information on artifacts.

More troubling than sci-fi tropes is the fact that many outlets have described Flavor Girls as a three-issue story. This issue doesn’t end on a cliffhanger so much as a completely random moment in an overarching narrative. So, here’s hoping we receive some clarity on what’s next for our fruity heroes.