[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Script: Magdalene Visaggio
Pencils & Inks: Sonny Liew
Colors: Chris Chuckry
Summary
Caroline Sharp has been a lot of things, including both a superhero and a super-spy. But now, with those days behind her and her powers proving unreliable, Caroline finds herself stuck in a life weighed down by her depression and an inability to change. You see, Caroline is going to live forever, and there is no escape to be had. The very act of living reminds her that, to the rest of existence, she is an anomaly.
Positives
The opening sequence of this issue puts the reader on unsteady footing as Caroline recounts her attempts at suicide. It’s only when it’s explained by Madame Atom that Caroline is in fact already dead that it comes into the proper perspective. Caroline’s state of existence should remind readers of Watchmen‘s Dr. Manhattan. Both have become intrinsic field’s and hold themselves together by will and both have a blueish tint. The biggest difference is in their portrayal. Dr. Manhattan has always been shown as powerful, nearly omnipotent, and Caroline’s situation shows her as nearly powerless over her situation. It’s an interesting take on a similar power set.
Sonny Liew’s visuals are right on target with the Young Animal look. Seeing his work here makes one wonder if his Dr. Fate book with Paul Levitz should’ve been in the Young Animal line. (Yes, I know it pre-dated the first Young Animal title.)
Negatives
The only negative is that the issue had to end (irony.)
Verdict
As with all Young Animal titles, Eternity Girl approaches things differently and attempts to tell a different kind of story in order to reveal something about our shared existence through a unique lens. There’s a lot of room to expand the scope of the story telling with Caroline’s powers and way of experiencing the world. The potential for this book is limitless.
