Goldie Vance #1

Written by: Hope Larson
Illustrated by: Brittney Williams
Colors by: Sarah Stern
Letters by: Jim Campbell

The elevator pitch for Goldie Vance must have been incredibly fun to write. It's about a young girl who lives in a massive luxury hotel. Her father manages the hotel and she works as a valet, but in her spare time she's an assistant for a detective agency that operates and works for the hotel itself. It's a ridiculous premise that allows the book to immediately invest in off-the-wall antics, spry humor, and plain fun.

Writer Hope Larson, who was recently announced as the new writer for Batgirl, doesn't waste any time fleshing out how this book operates or who characters are and how they relate to each other. By the end of the first issue, the reader should understand the very basic characterizations of Goldie Vance's cast. Goldie's dialogue is peppered with silly jokes that immediately endear her. Although, at times the dialogue between characters can be a little clunky and unnatural, I would forget it by the next panel when I found myself smirking at Goldie's antics.

While the writing lays a solid foundation for the comic to bust forth in future issues, the art is what makes me want to stay in Goldie's world. Brittany Wiliams art paired with Sarah Stern's colors have created a beautiful and bright world for Larson's characters to inhabit. Williams lines are so clean at times they seem slick. Her poses and facial gestures do as much talking for the character's as the dialogue. During the climax, the art does seem rushed. The linework isn't as clean as earlier in the book. Stern uses a lot of soft and bright colors to draw in the reader's eye to the page. The colors are not only fitting for the setting, but also the tone of the book. Williams and Stern's work is art in motion and multiple times while reading I could visualize this comic making an easy jump to an animated format.

The plot so far is fairly standard for a detective comic and does a good job of setting the stage for what is to come. I do think that Goldie's jump to a conclusion that leads to the climax of the issue was not entirely natural and didn't feel earned, but that is a negative that comes with only having so many pages to work with in a monthly format. While being slightly irksome, it won't dampen anyone's enjoyment of this lovely comic.

Despite minor quibbles with some dialogue and plot advancement, Goldie Vance is a wonderful book for young readers who want to begin to delve into the absurd and have some fun.