Girl Genius: Omnibus Edition #1

An omnibus of the first three volumes of Girl Genius. I'm rating the content rather than the book itself; the binding broke the cover off the book on the first reading, and you're better off getting the individual graphic novel volumes.

"Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank" introduces our heroine and the steampunk world she inhabits. The steampunk "science" is admittedly magical, and this story is best enjoyed as a fairy tale of wizards who operate through the mode of machines, more of a lighthearted romp in the fantastic territory of Perdido Street Station rather than something remotely plausible like The Difference Engine. The heroine is clever and brave, and the narrative around her keeps a good balance of drama and show more humor.

"Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City" shows us some of the politics of this alternate-history Europe and why our heroine is significant. It's nice to read a story where the lead character is naive enough to provide exposition, but smart enough not to fall for the obvious traps.

"Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine" throws our heroine into some serious danger and shows that she can perform under pressure.

Throughout the Girl Genius books, always take the time to examine the minute details of a page; even the labels in the most cluttered laboratory scenes are good for a chuckle. The Foglios mix humor and drama as well as Peter David. show less

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This graphic novel is a mix of machines, mad scientists, and mayhem.

Opening Sentence: Now, this isn’t a Heterodyne story like your Mama tells you when she tucks you into bed at night…well, not exactly.

The Review:

I don’t typically read comics. I have been known to read graphic novels now and again, but usually not straight up comics. They don’t last long enough for me to truly enjoy them. I certainly do not follow webcomics. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for them in the first place. That being said, I might start to after reading the Girl Genius Omnibus by Phil and Kaja Foglio. All I can say is…wow. Why am I just now hearing about these fabulous stories? Have I show more truly been living under a rock with my books and a flashlight this whole time?

These stories follow the (mis)adventures of one Miss Agatha Clay, the last heir to the Heterodyne Dynasty. A student of Transylvania Polygnostic University, she longs to become a scientist, even though nothing she makes ever works. If only she wasn’t plagued with poor concentration and lack of focus. When her locket, a family heirloom, is stolen, she begins to “grow” into her destiny, as a genius with the “spark”. The spark is what one is born with that allows the creator to take leaps and bounds around the accepted laws of the universe. Those with the spark tend to create things that are either monstrous or glorious, and most of the time, a spectacular combination of the two. Now that her talent has been uncovered, she is placed within the midst of other great minds; including royalty, both human and feline, and the handsome and dashing Baron’s son, Gilgimesh. Will her talents opening up a new world for her be for the better or worse? Can she hold her own among others equally as brilliant? Will Gilgimesh get the girl, or will his awkwardness around the opposite sex be his downfall? What will Krosp I, Emperor of All Cats, do next?

The whole setup is awesomely over-the-top. The dialog is witty and playful. The characters are lovable and mischievous. The villains could fit in any of the old Dudley Do Right episodes. The weirdness of all the gadgets built and the uniqueness of the non-humans, like the jagermonsters are fantastic. And you want to laugh at all the antics created by each and every one of them.

The artwork is amazing. The colors match the clarity of Agatha’s mind: Monochromic when she is still befuddled by the locket, and vibrant and colorful when her mind is cleared and the Spark begins to manifest. I really enjoyed this added bonus. It gives a whole new dimension to Agatha’s point of view. It is very similar to the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and its shift in cinematic color from black-and-white Kansas to color OZ. Overall, this omnibus contains a beautiful blend of technical and fantastical drawings that are worthy of even the most diehard fans of steampunk.

Even those who are not on board with the steampunk movement can enjoy the style and comedy of Phil and Kaja. I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone!

The Girl Genius Series:

1. Girl Genius Omnibus volume 1: Agatha Awakens

FTC Advisory: Tor Books provided me with a copy of the Girl Genius Omnibus. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment I receive are hugs and kisses from my little boys. show less

Summary: Agatha is a student at the university, but when the Baron comes for a surprise inspection, everything starts going haywire. The lab explodes, a machine she was tinkering with in the shed suddenly comes to life, and her parents disappear -- and she's about to discover secrets about herself and her family that she never suspected.

Review: A friend and fellow comics fan recommended this to me, and we usually have pretty similar tastes, but this one was an exception. I really didn't care for this one at all. I'm pretty sure this is the first volume (it is called "Agatha Awakens", after all), but it felt like it dropped me right in the middle of an unfamiliar universe with a LOT going on, and didn't even bother with introducing the show more characters other than Agatha (and maybe the Baron's son, but certainly not any of the numerous other secondary or peripheral characters) or doing any worldbuilding or anything. I've seen the "in media res" style of worldbuilding done effectively, but this was not it. (At least not for me.) I don't think the artwork helped much - it was bright and colorful but there was a lot going on, and something about the style of figure drawing made it really difficult for me to keep the dozens of characters straight. Story and writing-wise, it was interesting enough, and there were some funny parts and some germs of good ideas, but I had such a hard time figuring out what the heck was going on at any one point that a few good jokes weren't enough to salvage it. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Clearly there are people out there that love it, but it didn't work for me, so if you're looking for steampunk-y graphic novels, I'd recommend something like Daisy Kutter: The Last Train instead. show less

I had been wanting to read the Girl Genius graphic novels for a long time. When I ran into this Ominbus at Half Price Books I was super excited. This was a highly amusing and entertaining read. It has a complex story, wonderful characters, a fantastic world, and is a hilarious read.

Agatha Clay lives in a world where inventors are king and help to keep the peace. The best inventors possess the Spark which enables them to create powerful and creative inventions. However, Agatha’s inventions always fail. Then her locket gets stolen by a soldier on the street and Agatha start developing some interesting abilities. It ends up Agatha might have the Spark after all and this makes her interesting to Baron Klaus Wulfenbach and his son Gil. show more Baron Wulfenbach is trying to maintain order in the city.

This book was so much fun to read. I love the characters, the world, and the story. I wasn't a huge fan of the illustration style (it’s a bit cartoony for me), but it does fit this quirky and manic story very well. The colors are bright and fun. All of the characters are also illustrated in a way that makes them all look kind of manly, this bothered me a bit but I prefer it over strangely proportioned female bodies, so I guess it’s okay.

The world is complex and just spectacular, I really enjoyed the blend of steampunk and magic. The characters are hilarious, complex, and fun to read about. There is a lot going on in this story and so many things I am curious to learn more about. How will Agatha use her Spark? Will Gil figure out how to actually talk to women? Will the lost Heterodyne family ever be found? Is Baron Wulfenbach evil or is he just trying to keep his city safe?

Overall I really really enjoyed this graphic novel. I laughed so many times reading this and enjoyed the characters so much. I can't wait to read the next installment in this series. Highly recommended for fans who are looking for an over-the-top, laugh-out-lot steampunk graphic novels series. It was a lot of fun to read. show less

Great dialogue, beautiful art (if sometimes a little small and muddy in this edition), a well designed world, enjoyable characters and an intriguing plot. Just a wonderful story in every respect.

Originally read this online (and really should get back into reading) I've enjoyed the adventures, though I'm regularly stumped by the world building and what's going on with everything. This is the start of Agatha's adventures. She's a student in a university, not doing well because everything she works with fails to work properly and her headaches are not helping. Things change when her locket is stolen and the Baron who rules this part of the world comes to visit.

I could complain more about the women and the way they're portrayed, they seem to be wearing spraypaint vaguely pretending to be clothes rather than functional garments and with improbable boobs but it's all exagerated for all the characters. Irksome rather than truly show more annoying.

Love the series, tempted to collect it in solid form. show less

I have been reading this web comic for over a decade. I would own every hard cover version if postage was not prohibitive. It has plenty to recommend it; Genius girls, Machiavellian baddies, voluptuous goddesses, beautiful art work, steam punk, cities with personalities, sea monsters, dragons, trains, libraries, robots, parasites, deadly challenges, and Jaegers.
I cannot get enough of the crazy, loyal, Jaeger's.
When I want to spend some pure 'me time' indulgence, this is my choice.