Girl Genius Volume 4: Agatha Heterodyne & The Circus Of Dreams (Girl Genius (Paperback)) 
asked by reader99 on November 5, 2006 9:42 AM
The Adventure, Romance & Mad Science continues as Agatha Heterodyne's damaged aircraft comes roughly to rest in the Wastelands. She encounters a traveling circus and proves her mettle by destroying a massive spider-clank as it attacks. Back at the airship city, a frustrated Baron Wulfenbach dispatches his son Gilgamesh and deposed pirate queen Bangaldesh DuPree to capture Agatha, whose very existence threatens the peace - but the cunning circus folk succeed in hiding Agatha, who quickly discovers she is only one of their many secrets. She begins warrior training with the circus's expert swordswoman Zeetha, meets a strange new breed of Jagermonster, and attracts unexpected attention in saving them from the grimmest of fates.
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Note that this (excellent) book is shown with the wrong cover. See Kaja Foglio's livejournal for the correction.
reviewed by vern on November 10, 2006 7:12 AM
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When last we saw her, Agatha had just managed to escape from Castle Wulfenbach with the failed King of Cats Krosp. But no sooner does their escape begin than they crash into the wastelands. There they meet a lost boy and join up with a traveling Heterodyne show. But in typical Girl Genius fashion, things just keep happening to complicate things.
Destructive devices, a visit from the Baron, the return of Othar, demonic beasts, and mysterious travelers all manage to complicate matters. Amongst the jokes and action we also get a little more history about the Herterodynes and their impact on the world. We also learn a little more about what it takes to be a spark.
This volume collects the last four issues of the Girl Genius comic (issues 10-13) as well as the continuing story from the Girl Genius online comic. Like in earlier volumes this collection also contains a stand-alone adventure at the end. All in all 127 pages of comic and comedic genius.
Destructive devices, a visit from the Baron, the return of Othar, demonic beasts, and mysterious travelers all manage to complicate matters. Amongst the jokes and action we also get a little more history about the Herterodynes and their impact on the world. We also learn a little more about what it takes to be a spark.
This volume collects the last four issues of the Girl Genius comic (issues 10-13) as well as the continuing story from the Girl Genius online comic. Like in earlier volumes this collection also contains a stand-alone adventure at the end. All in all 127 pages of comic and comedic genius.
reviewed by perfectjen on November 13, 2006 8:27 AM
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Girl Genius is more fun than any mad scientist fan should be allowed to have. This quirky, deep, hilarious, adventurous romp became my favorite comic a bit over a year ago, and it just keeps on getting better.
Set in a Europe that has endured centuries of chaos caused by battles between Sparks (mad scientists who can twist the laws of probability and science into the most fantastic and deadly forms), peace has finally been enforced by Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, the strongest spark of them all. Agatha is the daughter of one of the long-lost Heterodyne boys, raised in ignorance of her heritage by two people constructed by her uncle and dedicated to keeping the Spark in her supressed. The earlier Heterodynes were horrors, feared by all until her father and uncle redeemed the name before their mysterious disappearance. Though she doesn't know that she has the Spark until the device that suppressed her talents was stolen from her, she's a potential danger to the peace, the world, and herself. Even though she's a really nice, gorgeous, buxom supergenius gal who just wants to get along. And build things.
The history and backstory implied in the comic are huge. The characters are over the top, complex, and often very, very unexpected. Even the lead villain has good motives most of the time, and Agatha is not without her own dark side.
Most of the story of Agatha is available online at girlgeniusonline.com in two parts: GG101, the early story, and GG Advanced, which starts about 2/3 of the way through this volume. 101 is only about 1/2 of the way from the beginning of the story to the beginning of Advanced, so there's plenty to see in the previous three volumes. If you like what you see online, please pay Phil and Kaja Foglio, the brilliant authors, the ultimate compliment: buy the books. Cash is a great compliment.
Another volume is due in July, and hopefully this one will be on time. Even though I've seen the story online, I just can't wait to get it into my hot little hands. It's the most fun I've ever had reading an adventure comic.
Set in a Europe that has endured centuries of chaos caused by battles between Sparks (mad scientists who can twist the laws of probability and science into the most fantastic and deadly forms), peace has finally been enforced by Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, the strongest spark of them all. Agatha is the daughter of one of the long-lost Heterodyne boys, raised in ignorance of her heritage by two people constructed by her uncle and dedicated to keeping the Spark in her supressed. The earlier Heterodynes were horrors, feared by all until her father and uncle redeemed the name before their mysterious disappearance. Though she doesn't know that she has the Spark until the device that suppressed her talents was stolen from her, she's a potential danger to the peace, the world, and herself. Even though she's a really nice, gorgeous, buxom supergenius gal who just wants to get along. And build things.
The history and backstory implied in the comic are huge. The characters are over the top, complex, and often very, very unexpected. Even the lead villain has good motives most of the time, and Agatha is not without her own dark side.
Most of the story of Agatha is available online at girlgeniusonline.com in two parts: GG101, the early story, and GG Advanced, which starts about 2/3 of the way through this volume. 101 is only about 1/2 of the way from the beginning of the story to the beginning of Advanced, so there's plenty to see in the previous three volumes. If you like what you see online, please pay Phil and Kaja Foglio, the brilliant authors, the ultimate compliment: buy the books. Cash is a great compliment.
Another volume is due in July, and hopefully this one will be on time. Even though I've seen the story online, I just can't wait to get it into my hot little hands. It's the most fun I've ever had reading an adventure comic.
reviewed by lauren on November 23, 2006 3:18 PM