BRIDGET JONES IN KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD
Jersey Gods succeeds at an unlikely mashup of chick lit and cosmic superheroics.
originally published on the Multiply page of Sputnik Fantastic, January 2010
Did you ever think Bridget Jones’ Diary would be more interesting if DC’s jetpack-wearing science hero Adam Strange had been the love interest? Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to read a comic that mashes up The Devil Wears Prada with Marvel’s galactic crossover War of Kings. If so, then Jersey Gods is perfect for you.
The basic premise is relatively simple: Zoe is a willful, free-spirited gal from the suburban Garden State. Barock is a stoic, dutiful war hero, who’s caught up in the midst of a power struggle between god-like alien civilizations. By some contrived twist of fate, their paths cross, when a rogue deity opens a dimensional portal in a crowded shopping mall. But what are the odds of this star-crossed pair falling in love, let alone having a functional relationship?
Jersey Gods necessarily caters to readers with broader pop sensibilities, due to its mix of disparate influences. It obviously borrows heavily from Jack Kirby’s cosmic adventures, like the Fourth World titles, and the original 70s version of The Eternals. Indeed, artist Dan McDaid’s panel layouts and character designs feel like a ‘reimagining’ of vintage Kirby, in the same way that, say, Darwyn Cooke updates pulp adventure illustration for modern audiences.
To that end, he’s supported by colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, whose vivid, dynamic palette breathes life into the otherworldly conflict between the heroic Walkers and the nefarious Orbiters. It’s not easy to create a realm as fanciful as Neboron, with its celestial architecture and crackling space weaponry, and still be able to keep the reader involved with the plot. Thankfully, writer Glen Brunswick manages to pull it off by establishing well-defined personalities for the off-world characters, before thrusting them headlong into a potentially deadly infiltration mission.
Yet for all its sci-fi bravura, Jersey Gods is also very much a romantic comedy, with tropes that are deftly cribbed from Jane Austen and textbook “chick lit” alike. Zoe is refreshingly well-rounded, interrogating the “Jewish-American Princess” archetype (the East Coast US version of a kikay, materialistic career girl), even as we learn about the circumstances that have shaped her personality along those lines. Fittingly, her earthbound supporting cast wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Ugly Betty, from her harried suitor in the first chapter, to her neurotic parents, and a surprisingly nuanced boss figure. It’s Zoe’s side of the plot that gives Jersey Gods a much needed human dimension, as a counterpoint to the awesome space battles and planetary espionage. Her life may be tied to a specific region, but if you strip away the dairy farms and industrial parks, the New Jersey she inhabits isn’t all too different from the social world of a typical upwardly mobile young professional in Manila.
Ultimately, Jersey Gods is a story about finding middle ground: between the ordinary and the fantastic; between lofty ideals and harsh reality; between living up to social expectations and pursuing one’s individual dreams. It obviously won’t be easy for Zoe and Barock to keep up this delicate balancing act. Nevertheless, I'm intrigued enough to find out how this unlikely couple gives it a shot.