Divya, Kai, Noemi, Saba, and Emma are students at a school for magical girls. Don’t let that fact lead you to think these are innocent Sailor Moon girls; the girls are juvenile delinquents who stumble out of detention and into a conspiracy. After getting detention for a few failures in their magical warfare style class, the girls attend detention. When their teacher doesn’t even bother to show up for their punishment, they cast a portal and bail out to go get snacks. What they come across is the missing teacher in question, selling the magically bound weapon to a magical junkie. In this world, a girl’s powers are tied to her weapon. This particular weapon belongs to a fellow student that has gone missing. Is someone trying to limit and sell the powers of magical girls? Are they really just going to stay in school to learn how to become good wives?
Jade Street Protection Services features a style that is part Manga, part Punk Rock ‘zine aesthetic. The combination is a good time. Readers are going to feel modern and punk rock influences, but also the themes of fighting the patriarchy, the power that women possess, and fighting back to find a place in the world come through every aspect. Not all of the aspects of this are serious, however. There’s a place where one of the girls names a cockroach and it becomes sort of like a helpful pet, complete with a nail decal bow on its head. There’s also my new favorite swear world replacement ever with the line, “What the buttercream frosting?!”
Katy Rex is in charge or story, and artist Fabian Lelay brings the characters to life. Mara Jayne Carpenter keeps the colors of the more pastel and neon variety, while Taylor Esposito’s lettering gives the graphic novels a serious ‘zine vibe.
Jade Street Protection Services is available August 19, 2020 from Black Mask Studios.
