Lost in the stacks. (The Adventures of a Comic-Con Girl)

I love comic books. I've been collecting for roughly the last decade. However, I'm not drawn toward traditional titles. Somehow, I gravitate toward limited-run titles. These comics, more often than not, fall through the cracks and are forgotten, lost to time. This column aims to shine a light on these titles and, hopefully, make them some new fans...or draw out the old ones.

Is there anything more exhilarating to a pop culture junkie, comic book lover or social outcast than a comic convention? Spending a few days on another world somehow ensconsed in another city, meeting all manner of people of like minds, looking for a good time...or maybe, that oh-so-elusive back issue to complete your collection. However, one must Con responsibly; just because you're in another world doesn't mean you should act a fool. If one does not heed this warning...well, read on.

Meet Dana. Cute, quick-witted...and a poster child for impulse control problems. Whether searching for an autograph from Billy Green Lee or her specially-signed issue of "Werewolves vs. Ninjas vs. Zombies", she is a one-woman wrecking crew, unconcerned with who she manipulates or what she destroys on her way to her goals. Her two friends, Tatiana and MFK, are constantly shown to be at their wits end with her, leading one to wonder if this is but the latest in a string of incidents.

Okay, cards on the table: how much you like this title will live and die on how much you identify with (or even tolerate) Dana. Within the first two pages, she's dropped a deuce on the floor of her hotel room...and she doesn't feel remorseful about it. She doesn't get much more likable from there.

The formulaic nature of the first two issues could also be a problem: Dana wants something; someone reminds her of a past indiscretion, Hangover-style; Tatiana and MFK bitch her out for her irresponsibility; someone gets hurt or into trouble because of her, but remorse is for chumps, so on she goes; she has flirty banter with the cute nameless guy.

Now, it may sound like I'm coming down hard on "The Adventures of a ComicCon Girl", but I did enjoy the title. The artwork is good, it's packed with neat gags (my favorite: Dana's encounter with the "Klingons") and there is the feel of being at a convention. (I'm delighted that this was one of two titles from last year to center around the frenzy of the Con; you may have heard of the other: "Fanboys vs. Zombies").

Issue three (of three parts) turns the aforementioned formula on its head. Dana's big gesture to mend her ways (somewhat) is an impressive moment that does a fair job of redeeming her rather selfish character. (Incidentally, the co-writer of this series is named Dana Braziel-Solovy. Allowing for the fact that 'Dana' is gender-neutral, I can only wonder if the book was a kind of demon-exorcising or just a fluke.)

Overall, I really liked "The Adventures of a ComicCon Girl". If you stay with it, you might like it, too.

Grade: B

Availability: Released by Antarctic Press, it should still be available.