Another great new heroine....
Many comics fans are aware of writer and artist Karl Kesel (along with his ex-wife, writer Barbara Kesel) who is responsible for many great comics since the 1980s. (Superman, Superboy, Harley Quinn, Spider-man, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Four, Captain America)
One of my favorite series is their run on Hawk and Dove (after Dove became the female version, Dawn Granger).
Starting in 2019, Kesel began pushing his own original creations on Kickstarter - an original heroine called Impossible Jones, who has powers somewhat similar to Plastic Man and Kamala Khan. The premise behind Impossible Jones is that she is a thief who gets those incredible powers (she is also bulletproof) and, since she is mistaken for a superheroine, she just decides to go with it to get good publicity from the media. I would say that ultimately she is a likeable anti-heroine for the way she balances superheroic deeds with a certain amount of self-gratification (that is, if she can get away with criminal activity, she'll do it). In other words, she has "situational" ethics.
Also in the comics is a whole universe of kooky and interesting superhero and supervillain characters which Karl Kesel created for this world, such as Holly Daze (his take on Harley Quinn, but she always commits Christmas-themed crimes), The Polecat, and Even Steven. This comic has a bit of the feel of The Tick, or the classic Batman animated adventures, or some of the works of Conner/Palmiotti (Harley Quinn, Power Girl etc).
Is Impossible Jones sexy? Well, she could be. Her face can be drawn cute, her bodysuit is tight, and her thigh-high boots are hot. The shapeliness is tamped down in most of the artwork, but in the back of the graphic novel that I received from Kesel's crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter ("Grin and Gritty Vol. 1"), there are variants drawn by some art giants of the comic industry (Gian Carlo Bernal, Aaron Lopresti, even Terry Dodson of Strangers in Paradise) which show that Impy's appearance *can* be represented with some definite sex appeal. Impossible Jones' design is right at the nexus of what is currently going through the industry: the need to never be seen as "incorrect" on a social issue, balancing delicately against what actually sells comics (which as Ya Boi Zack says, "...is a visual medium"). And I'm sure that Kesel wanted to sell Impossible Jones on the basis of the character's entire appeal, not just one aspect. It may have the potential to become a cartoon.
Impossible Jones originally came out self-published as a TPB on Kesel's Panic Button Press, but it's now being converted back to single issue floppies by rising indie Scout Comics...so you can definitely find Impossible Jones #1 right now in your better comic book shops. The comic is suitable for all ages, and the best thing is that if you get the single issues, you don't have to endure the useless preface by Gail Simone which was in the trade!
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