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Tank Girl Wasn't a Svelte Amazonian Babe - She Didn't Exude the Same Sex Appeal

Tue, 08/31/2010 - 18:16
Submitted by Christina Cicchelli

Underwire announced the "return" one of my childhood icons, Tank Girl.  In November, she returns in a new series called Bad Wind Rising. The trailer prepares us for what looks like a traditionally awesome adventure.

But, in stores right now is Tank Girl: Skidmarks, a miniseries that compiles issues from Britain's Judge Dredd Magazine. The original Tank Girl series was created by Alan Martin (also illustrator for Skidmarks) and Jamie Hewlett, who went on to become the famous artist behind the Gorillaz.

Okay, I wouldn't call myself a total comic book nerd. I wasn't devoted to following a story; but the illustrations were always an attraction. And the tale that issue told was always one that seemed to have no beginning or ending, so it's always suspenseful for me. When I was younger, there was only one comic book store in Bridgeport. It was right next to Supercuts in a strip mall that was just on the edge of the Bridgeport/Fairfield border. I would check out the store while my mom got her hair cut. And it was there that I found beautiful aquatic aliens submersed in territorial wars, Vampirella in her skin tight futuristic Amazonian garb, and Tank Girl.

 

Tank Girl was not a svelte Amazonian babe, nor did she exude the same sex or feminine appeal than the beautiful fish-people and the soap opera stories they led. Nope. She was a skinny punk stuck in a post-apocalyptic waterless world. She hung out with kangeroo people and owned a massive, massive tank. Of course, having a kick ass girl with a horrible haircut on the front cover was not the only eye catcher for me. The story itself was reminiscent of Mad Max, only the leather-daddy machismo from that sand-filled future is replaced with tongue-in-cheek humor, a bratty and obnoxious pint-sized chick, and a very absurd aftermath of our scientific efforts.

And, if you need a clearer picture of what Tank Girl's aftermath would really look like when translated from its pages, why not check out the movie:

But read the comic book, obviously.

I haven't purchased it yet but I'm on my way to the Strand and Forbidden Planet is on the way. So, I know either way I'm done for.

Professional Pervert
www.afantasticnightmare.com

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I LOVE TANK GIRL!!!

Wed, 09/01/2010 - 04:59
corvusmachina

I was a fan of Jaime Hewlett's artwork first, having discovered him at age 11 when the first Gorillaz album came out. I would take pictures to school and try to replicate his style as an exercise, and eventually it turned into a full-blown competition with one of my classmates to see who could do it better.

A few years later, I watched Tank Girl the movie on TV with a friend who was staying over for the weekend. She'd seen it many times and loved it, but I hadn't and I was won over quickly. I still love that movie and watch it at every opportunity.

Eventually I decided to check out the comic and couldn't find any until recently, at a store I used to live near called Dr. No's that my brother and I used to frequent. I bought Tank Girl: Odyssey, which is a re-interpretation of, you guessed it- Homer's Odyssey. It's awesome.

Always glad to find more fans! I agree about her not having as much sex appeal, but she had an undeniable cool factor that most (read: 99%) other comic book characters lack. She's a totally grungy, foul-mouthed, beer-swilling, don't-give-a-fuck badass. And the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA thought her cool enough to feature her on one of their T-shirts, a picture of her wearing a 40-Watt Club shirt! I've never been there, having only recently turned 21, but I want one of those damn T-shirts.

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