Jenny Sparks #1 was a surprise to me when it was first announced. First, there was the fact that DC was giving a Wildstorm character their own miniseries – though between Birds of Prey and Outsiders, the Wildstorm universe is well represented. Second, Jenny Sparks was supposed to be dead; her electric powers were part of her being a “Century Baby”, which also meant that at the beginning of the new millennium, her lifespan would run out.
So how is she alive? And what brings her to the DC Universe? Tom King & Jeff Spokes don’t seem too keen on answering the first question, but the second becomes clear within a few pages: Nathaniel Adams, better known as Captain Atom, has gone insane and taken five random people hostage. Luckily for the hostages, Jenny specializes in battling rogue superhumans – she even says so to the police officer: “I’m not a superhero. I’m the ***** who keeps them in line.”
That’s definitely in line with the chain-smoking, hard-edged living lightning storm that Jenny was in The Authority, so King definitely has a handle on her character. But Jenny Sparks #1 is lacking the compelling mystery that was at the heart of Strange Adventures, or the literally-out-of-this-world vibes of my favorite King-penned project Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. I also feel that Captain Atom isn’t a compelling enough threat; yes he’s had the power of a nuclear reactor, but he’s also been trounced multiple times by other superheroes and supervillains. That’s not even factoring in the threats that Jenny put down with the rest of the Authority.
Credit: DC Comics
Regardless of the rough start to the narrative, King has secured himself another immensely talented collaborator in Stokes. Stokes updates Jenny’s clothing to look more comfortable, yet still ready for action; he even keeps the British flag emblem of her T-shirt and shows her chain-smoking. Stokes also knows how to display a character’s power, especially when Captain Atom and Jenny first meet. As Jenny stares down the nuclear menace, lightning dances all around her – charging into her fist and letting her deliver the mother of all sucker punches. She doesn’t stop there, snapping her fingers and calling down a teal bolt of lightning that fills the page. Keeping in line with King’s theme of repeating motifs, Stokes repeats certain images like Captain Atom shifting from human to his silver form, and Jenny constantly snapping her fingers.
Jenny Sparks #1 is a bit of a rough start, relying on its dynamic art to carry a rocky story. In the beginning of the story, Jenny repeats her dying words from The Authority: “Be better. Or I’ll come back and kick your heads in.” I do hope the rest of the series follows that edict.
Jenny Sparks #1 is available wherever comics are sold.
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