Published recently, Reignbow & Dee-Va collects the three-issue mini-series by Brian Andersen and Celina Hernandez (So Super Duper), where two secret agents fight against vampires with fists and fabulousness (what else would we expect from Andersen?).
Fight!
We meet agents Reignbow and Dee-Va one fine evening as they’re trying to locate a party hidden in an improbable spot…or are they? The colorfully dressed heroes find themselves facing vampires and rescuing Treasure, the cutely-named boyfriend of Reignbow. The second and third issue follow on that, with our three characters realizing they might have bitten more than they could chew.
In the second issue, a beach outing turns into an opportunity for the artist to show her monster designs, with a Kraken which reminded me of something out of Monsters Inc.
The last issue brings a confrontation with the big bad of the story, the Queen of the vampires, as well as a resolution that’s definitely not in the “And They Lived Happily Ever After” mold.
You can never have enough smooching
What sets Reignbow & Dee-Va apart from other heroes-battling-vampires is the personality of the characters: Reignbow is a queer-flag-at-full-mast guy who can more than stand his ground, Dee-Va is a sassy girl with a fast mouth and an even faster back flip, and Treasure a more classical tough guy who happens to be gay and has a tendency to get tied uo by bad guys. Reignbow and Dee-Va spend most of their time trading barbs and pop culture references, which I must admit I found a bit exhausting, as the characters are always amped-up. I guess the mainstream equivalent would be (straight) superheroes always fighting and gritting teeth and being generally angsty (though far less fabulous), which I also find a bit exhausting. Another difference, and a fun one, is the fact that the characters are changing uniforms at least once every issue. That’s something that never happens in mainstream comics, since there’s too much money at stake in merchandising. Though I don’t see why Wonder Woman couldn’t have as many clothes as Barbie. But I digress.
From the short story
I must also say I Celina Hernandez’s art didn’t really convince me in the first issue, but she made a lot of progress with next two issues. Her characters were a bit stiff at first, but that changed, and the art seemed to me to become more dynamic. The all-new 8-page short story at the end of the collection shows the direction her art is taking, and I think it’s an even bigger improvement.
Reignbow & Dee-Va might not have the emotional and plot complexity of So Super Duper, but it’s still a fun romp that you’ll appreciate more or less depending on your love for very BFF talk and the kind.
You can see a preview of the first issue, and buy the comics as well as the collection, on the official website.
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