I hesitate to lump BUG GIRL with the glut of Goth comics with names like LI'L SPOOKYPANTS or whatever that feature a precocious young darkling in a black corset with magic powers and a talking cat named Vlad. It's far better than most of those things. Visually, however, it still lurks on the outer fringes of dark fantasy, though it seems a bit more like ALICE IN WONDERLAND or THE WIZARD OF OZ than THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. And, like those stories, it feels like a children's fairy tale aimed squarely at adults.
Selma Mae loves bugs, so much so that she adopts one (he talks, of course), names him Jack, clothes him, et al. When she takes him to school, her malicious teacher (think the wife from the painting American Gothic) flattens poor Jack with a ruler in the middle of a performance for the other students. When Selma Mae can't find another bug that will perform as Jack did, she imprisons them in jars. Naturally, the bug community doesn't care for this.
BUG GIRL succeeds by creeping close enough to familiar territory (the aforementioned Goth comics) without falling to cliché or rehashing Jhonen Vasquez for the umpteenth time. The entire story begins innocently enough, but takes a dark turn after the teacher kills Selma Mae's one true friend. Dondero's narrative rings with fairy tale innocence, even as his protagonist descends into sadism and obsession. The story seems simple enough, but upon closer examination, one sees the story of a little girl gone quite mad.
Ruben DeLuna's black and white art looks sharp, adorable, and thankfully, professional. Some self-published books simply haven't been discovered. Others just aren't ready for prime time. I'm happy to say that BUG GIRL is one of those hidden gems of the small press world. Pick this one up. BUG GIRL can be ordered at the Moronik Comiks web site.
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