STARGATE: Vala + Nudity + Gun

[campylobacter]

Ye gods, I'm in fangrrl heaven. My Stargate Vala Mal Doran #1 graphic novel arrived today from Dynamite Entertainment, and I'm more than pleased with the space porn.

It's hitting all my kinks:
Vala in bed (check)
Vala unclothed (check)
Vala with a gun (check)
Vala with the upper hand (check)

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

I'm OK with the price I paid for shipping & handling: Plastic envelope & white cardboard, plus 2 stiff kraft mailers + Media Mail = $5.16 S&H + $3.99 book

Worth $9.15 because of SIX panels of Vala the seductress, unclothed, in bed, with a gun:

Click to see larger image

Oh, and the story? Quite entertaining; it's the introduction to an infiltration caper.

The cast of characters is EXACTLY LIKE FARSCAPE!!!!

Plyko the "technopathic" Flier (Pilot), Tonjiir Tigerman (Ka D'Argo), Dorria Chak (Chiana), Blixa the spacemonkey (a DRD/Rygel type of foil), Brana't the shapeshifter (Zhaan), Klikr the robot (a semi-sentient Moya)...

The bad guys are pretty stock: Arvold Rooker & his chimp-like sidekick lackey Sprock.

The paper is thin and glossy with high opacity, and the ink smells... inky. The colors are rich and saturated, the gradients are smooth because the DPI is also high, and the lettering's regular and legible. Layout is Western and easy to follow. Some of the written sound effects ("CHOOM" "SKRAKOW" "SHRAKSHRAKSHRAK") are unnecessary and dorky, but that's my only nitpick; they're wisely printed in light ink outlines to be as unobtrusive as possible. Other written sounds ("BEEP" and "NOK NOK") are quite appropriate.

I'm so glad there's a bunch of artists who love depicting Vala as a sexy, ass-kicking, sneaky, wheeling-and-dealing con artist during her pre-SG-1 years. Now I'm on tenter hooks waiting for the next issue!