- Space Captain Steve’s Dirty Justice, book #1
- Gee Whiz Entertainment
- Created, written, & illustrated by
Justice Kreel is working on an undercover exchange with a “businessman” when an interloper tries to steal her deal out from under her. Justice isn’t about to take that lying down and the chase in on. Little does she know it’s going to lead her right to her past.
Straight from the world of Blade Kitten comes, Dirty Justice, the misadventures of Justice Kreel. Read the story behind the bitchiest bounty hunter in the galaxy.
Spinning off from Captain Steve’s other manga-inspired sci-fi series, Dirty Justice serves up a solid dose of high-speed action. As far as lucky accidents go, I’m pretty happy that I stumbled across this one on the Indy Planet website. Keeping in mind that I haven’t taken a look at Blade Kitten yet, I can report in all confidence that this first-time reader got all of the backstory he needed to dive in and have a good time.
Justice Kreel is a freelance operative, in this case going undercover as a courier hired to deliver… huh, not sure what the MacGuffin actually is but maybe later issues will come back to it. In this issue, misfortune strikes, obstacles are thrown in Justice’s path, and spirited banter abounds along the way. Creator/writer/artist Space Captain Steve Stamatiadis is the hero of the hour as he handles his chosen hats well. Dirty Justice is very much action-driven, but the dialogue holds together and keeps pace with the story. The only thing that I could offer by way of quibbles would be that another round of editing & proofreading could clean up some minor typos and lay down a final coat of polish.
For all that I like some good repartee’, Dirty Justice really shines in the art department. Captain Steve’s style leans hard into its manga roots, layered with some very cool science fiction elements. Steve does a great job of presenting a universe in which “apes” (aka humans) aren’t first and foremost among the galaxy’s populace. There are also some great design elements in the tech, from starships to AI drones (“Bosun” is a great character in his own right), to the locales our major players find themselves chasing each other through.
As mentioned, the action is what drives this title & Steve has that under wraps. Justice Kreel’s world is one of danger and mayhem, things with which she is ready & wholly able to deal. Throughout the issue’s main chase, the set piece around which the rest of the comic is built, Justice and her competition Sun Dae are a study in perpetual motion in the race to profit from their pricey MacGuffin. Anything or anyone unlucky enough to get in their way is destined to partake of whatever emergency medical services Steve Stamatiadis might be making available in their world.
Dirty Justice has four issues to explore so far, as well as the broader universe in tie ins Blade Kitten & Dirty Angels, but commitment-phobes shouldn’t be scared. Fans of action stories featuring strong women in the lead can plug in and go. Fans of comics in the Michael Bay school of entertainment should be able to switch off the higher brain functions and feel right at home.
Final Score: 10/13
