Molly Danger--Book One: Mighty HC
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Inc.
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Price: $19.95
Creator: Jamal Igle (writer/artist)
Format: 48 pgs., Full-Color, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-9393-5240-8
Age Range: 6 and up
ICv2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
 
Molly Danger, the world's most powerful ten-year old girl, is universally loved and admired for protecting the city of Coopersville from the monstrous Supermechs, in spite of the inevitable collateral damage.  But along with being the last of her kind she's kept in almost constant isolation by her support team D.A.R.T. (The Danger Action Response Team), which also makes her the loneliest ten-year old in the world.  In spite of her incredible powers and adventures all Molly really wants is a family and a chance to have a friend her own age, and thanks to D.A.R.T. new hire Austin Briggs, she might have a chance of getting both.
 
On the surface Molly Danger seems like just a solid all-ages superhero story; and it is, an expertly crafted one, as pretty as it is smart, and one that should be equally appealing to both grown-ups and kids.  It's tough enough for even the most talented of creators to make the creaky genre tropes appear fresh; one look at most of the new releases from the major publishers shows you that.  And "just" a good superhero story would be fine, but what Jamal Igle has given us is a lot more than that.
 
What makes Molly Danger so special is that it's grounded in something as real and relatable as a little girl who wants a friend.  There's a great deal of genuine heart here as well as a keen appreciation for the human condition when so many current superhero comics have nothing but contempt for the merely human.  It definitely helps that Igle makes the "unremarkables" surrounding Molly every bit as interesting as she is; visually and otherwise.  Without question this is a strong contender for best comic of the year.
 
--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant.