Something’s not quite right about Rocket Girl this issue and it took me a while to figure it out. Montclare’s starting a new arc, but he hasn’t given Dayoung anything to do as Rocket Girl. She’s got flashbacks to adventure, but in the present, the problem is that she’s not the teenager her new caretakers…

Rocket Girl ends its first arc with an explosion, not a bang. Meaning, there's an explosion in the issue, but Montclare doesn't do anything too outlandish with the story. He wraps up the cliffhanger from the previous issue, with DaYoung discovering the populace is willing the help her. Reeder does a great eighties shopping scene…

I had been a little worried about Rocket Girl but everything is back on track this issue. There’s the 1986 scientists realizing they’re Cyberdyne, there’s the future detectives realizing they don’t know what’s going to happen, there’s Rocket Girl on the run from guys from the future. Those bad guys from the future turn out…

Uh oh. The thrill is gone. Not entirely. But definitely partially. Not just in the writing either…. Montclaire does some funny cop interrogation stuff, but then goes into a lengthy flashback. In it, he reveals corruption in the future and plans within plans. It’s a lot of exposition and it takes a while before Montclaire…

It’s too fast a read. Once Montclare gets to the flashback, which is set in the future–it might take up almost half the issue–he rushes. Flashbacks lend themselves to expository summary and Montclare takes that bait. Filling in the reader about the evil corporation isn’t just not as interesting as Rocket Girl’s adventures in eighties…