heterodyne Books

Met the authors at Kumoricon and got this issue signed by both Foglios which only adds to the pleasure this series gives our family. Love the clanks, the colour, and the peculiar story line.

Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank is the first of the "Girl Genius" books by Phil and Kaja Foglio. It's a "gaslamp" (think steampunk, but more cheerful) fantasy comic series. Volume 1 collects the early black-and-white print comics (issues 1-3), although it removes title pages and suchlike for a continual narrative. There's also a color short at the end of book.

In the first few comics, the Foglios are still finding their feet a little, though some of the problems are due to the black and white art - they work much better in color, as the b&w is rather busy. This isn't that large of a problem, however; the art still mostly works and the characters are given their initial grounding fairly effectively.

The comic itself is entertaining - although they haven't really flexed their muscles for the full fascinating craziness of the setting that shows up later on, there is enough here to be interesting. And there's plenty of foreshadowing - you get a sense that there's a lot behind these characters and this world (and it does start to pay off in later volumes). So while perhaps not the best place to start, despite being the first volume - you can dive into the second without a problem - it's still a comic worth a read.
***1/2

I'm not a huge fan of comics and I certainly don't spend a lot of money buying comics that were originally online. Yet this series is so fantastically awesome that I find the investment in the paperback printings entirely worth it. These volumes are just thick enough to sit comfortably on my bookshelf and thin enough to read while on my back. You should really read these in color to get the full impact of their rich and vivid world.

This is definitly a must-have series for anybody who likes Steampunk. The characters are fun, the bad guys are grandiose, the outfits rock and occasionally stuff gets blown up. What more could you ask for?

If you don't know Phil and Kaja Foglio from -his- work in Dragon Mag's "What's New", from the MythAdventures series (book and/or comic), the Buck Godot stories, their (blush) XXXenophile series, or their work illustrating "Magic, The Gathering" cards (notably Urza's Science Fair Project), shame on you! Go back two spaces and loose a turn. Gas-lamp Fantasy is sort of like what Jules Verne, Mary Shelly and H.G. Wells were writing back in the day. Steam-powered wonders, cobbled-together reanimated monsters, and pneumatic nutcrackers. (who doesn't like nuts?) Add a bit more modern-times feel, fantasmagoric (tm) illustration and color, and more tongue in cheek humor than you can shake a bag of knezels at, and presto! Genius! And the Girl, DON'T forget the girl! Damsels-in-distress, damsels-outta-de-dress, damsels who would shemk me upsidy-like the head with a 3/17 occipital left-leaning heterodyne wrench if I continues! (Yowza!) So stop reading this and BUY it already! Buy the whole series! (Buy two! Gotta keep one set "Mint Condition", dontcha?)

The art is really the best part of the series. All the bits and bobs and mechanically doodads make for a very pretty comic. (And they serve as good plot devices too!)

I zoomed through the first book too quickly and hadn't yet ordered the rest of the series, which I would say is the only bad part about the book.

The drama is top notch and the fantasy setting keeps it moving forward. You'll find that the plot reveals little secrets along the way that you would never expect. The best comic I've seen from the Foglios in a long time.

This is the first volume in Phil Foglio's ongoing series featuring Agatha Heterodyne and a cast of hundreds. The book collects the first few issues of what was originally a comic book series. The publishing schedule, though, seems to have been troubled for a variety of reasons, and "Girl Genius" now appears in webcomic form (with ensuing regular compilations in print form).

Kaja Foglio, wife and co-creator, describes this as "gaslamp fantasy": crypto-Victorian science and pre-pulp adventures in a world filled with mad scientists, giant steam-powered robots, weird technology, mysterious cults, and cackling villains. A great deal of which is played for laughs, simultaneously embracing and sending up the usual tropes of the genre. The humor throughout balances between sly drollery and slapstick.

One of the major attractions is Foglio's art, which many gamers will well know from his years of penning the "Phil & Dixie" feature in "Dragon" magazine. It's drenched in color and is highly detailed, to the point that you wonder how he ever completes a page. There's almost always 18 different things going on in the background, none of which is ever really relevant, but Foglio apparently really enjoys jamming in the sight gags.

I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, and the Foglios have done a great job in creating an internally consistent alterna-Earth with its own physical and magical laws and history and politics, and they've also introduced seemingly dozens of plot strands. This latter is both good and bad. In later issues, there is some loss of cohesiveness, and the story seems to wander off into side treks, and none of the storylines ever seem to get wrapped up. (It's sort of the "Lost" of the comics world.)

On the other hand, it's got enormous fleets of dirigibles! And scar-faced pseudo-Teutonic bad guys! And talking cats! And endangered heroines in corsets! So, you know, all of the good stuff. Check it out!

Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City is the second collected volume in the Girl Genius series, with material from issues 4-6 of the comic. It's also the first of the series in full color, which is welcome; the color works much better than the B&W art.

In general this volume works better than the last - the art has only occasional hiccups, mostly from the tendency towards wild over-exaggeration of character's expressions - a good fit for the book, but overplayed at times here. More importantly, the Foglio's continue to room to their imagination, and the "mad science" part gets better as the comic develops.

There's great pacing here as well - both the backstory and main story unfold at a good pace, and revelations around the characters are built up. While probably not the best volume of the series, it's an improvement over the first and probably the best place to start. ****

Girl Genius Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne & The Beetleburg Clank (Girl Genius)Girl Genius Volume 2: Agatha Heterodyne & The Airship City (Girl Genius)
I found the first two in this series to be well drawn and have a very good story. I will be sending this very good juvenile fiction to my daughter.

Great fun, as are all of the Heterodyne books - I especially appreciate the "overdrawn poking-fun-at-Gothic" artwork throughout, and the "biographies" of the contributors. On a side note, thanks to these, one of my friends is actually trying to build a dirigible... oh well!

One slight problem with several of the Girl Genius volumes - the binding is very weak, and I've actually had to get Amazon to replace this one, as it fell apart when I opened it. Luckily, Amazon is simple and easy, and this one isn't their fault - the publisher is being scrooge-ish with their glue. Examine carefully when they arrive, and don't hesitate to send them back for replacements. This series is too good, and too compulsively readable to miss! (or to suffer with bad copies... )

Return to the world of adventure, romance, airships, mad scientists and power hungry Nobles. Agatha Clay, now on the giant airship Castle Wulfenbach, wishes she could leave. Pretending to be the lover of a soldier while surrounded by monsters, angry constructs and talking cats is not her idea of fun.
But getting away isn't as easy as it might look when traveling thousands of feet about the ground while hostage to one of the most powerful men in Europe!

Phil and Kaja Foglio are marvelous. Girl Genius has an engaging, complex plot line; intriguing premise; characters full of personality; and great art - detailed, beautiful, very expressive, and always keep an eye out for what's going on in the background. There is lots of humor in the Foglios' work, with the text and art working together perfectly. The only downside is waiting for the next volume to be published!

This edition of Girl Genius is an exquisitely well-crafted book. Includes comics from Monday, March 13, 2006 to Friday, February 23, 2007[..] with Agatha in Sturmhalten. It's bound in a kind of plush hardcover that is sturdy and comfortable to read with beautiful cover art. Colors are crisp and vibrant. Several extra drawings are included as well as "An Agatha Heterodyne 1 Minute Mystery." I would love to get the rest of the Girl Genius hardcover books (1-5) but they seem to sell out and become unavailable rather quickly.

Phil and Kaja have done it again, another incredible Girl Genius adventure! I really can't say enough about this series other than I'd recommend it to everyone I know! Sheer fun! The art is great and the hardback format a nice plus for any library. If you're into wacky science adventures and unique characters, try these books, there are now six in the series.

While the artwork and story are up to Foglio's high quality the printing is not. Several pages were stuck together and ink transfered between several two page spreads. Still, the story remains interesting and the illustrations, as always, are wonderful.

Girl Genius 6: Agatha Heterodyne and The Golden Trilobite is a wonderful book for children of all ages, or at least ten to *harumph* years old. In This Volume, Agatha resolves several of the dangling threads of the previous five and unleashes her bent but funny genius.

The production values are high, the binding excellent, and the print clear and readable, and the inking and coloring crisp and well balanced, letting the distinctive Foglio style shine. The writing is funny and not, I think, too reliant on knowing a lot about previous stories, although a working knowledge of #5 would help as it is a direct continuation of the plot.

Buy it and show it to your friends! Show Them ALL!

I think that this is the best comic series running today. They just keep getting better and better. Very funny, very original, and very suspenseful. Fundamentally a steampunk fantasy, clearly anime/manga influenced, but very American in its sly sense of humor. Never predictable, the plot is involved and surprisingly sophisticated. And the art is lovely, if unapologetically cartoonish. I can't wait for the books; I'm reading each page as it comes out on the Girl Genius web site--but I still have a pre-order in for the next volume.

Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine is the third volume in Girl Genius series, here taking from volumes 7-10 of the original comic books. After the last volume picked up with color, this one picks up the story - the titular character finally finds out who she is and starts to learn what this means.

The pacing on the title has always been fine, but the more frantic it is, the better the title as a whole works, and the fast stretches here are great with the necessary setup of Agatha now out of the way. The art strains somewhat, though - the characters are occasionally look like dolls rather than people, particularly in the awkward early fight scenes, or Klaus in his lab. The ones later in the book look much better, however, possibly by playing to the artist's strengths rather than weaknesses.

The Foglios know what they're doing with the plot as well, as becomes increasingly clear here - the events fit naturally into the timeline of the world and the obviously extensive backstory. After the first third or so of this volume, the series has begun to hit it's stride - a creative, entertaining comic read. ****1/2

In the third volume of Girl Genius, Agatha and everyone else aboard the city airship Castle Wulfenbach fight for their lives against an infestation of Slaver Wasps, revenant spies, a vicious pirate, and the world's most vicious and fearsome nanny. The loony pseudo-Victorian world of Sparks (mad scientists) and monsters takes a terrifying turn. Agatha's life is again turned upside down as her fascinating newfound world turns hostile.

There's less romance and more adventure in this volume. In the last few pages, it even turns brutal (but not beyond PG-13). It's still every bit as great as the first two volumes, and even deeper with the new conflicts, characters, and complications.

I've read every type of comics around for fifty years, and this is now my favorite of all times. Volume four comes out late in 2005, and I can barely wait. Of course, you can find some of what's going on by reading some of the comic on the Girl Genius Online Web site, along with a portal to the other works of the brilliant Foglios.

Agatha Heterodyne's adventures continue, as she tries to escape the flying Zeppelin/castle of Baron Wulfenbach.

Along the way, she meets Crosp, the Napoleon of Cats; Young Lord Wulfenbach, the Baron's handsome & lovestruck son; & Othar Tryggvassen, a "hero" whose plan to save the day involves killing everyone, including himself. Not to mention the Baron's Nanny, whose bionic additions make her a cross between Mary Poppins & a chainsaw-wielding psychopath.

And since Castle Wulfenbach is a giant Zeppelin, there's only one way for our plucky heroine to go--straight down!

Ordered to provide a performance to the local tyrant/mad scientist, & wanting to avoid a long stay near the tyrant, our Heroine (Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius) & the troupe of actors & circus performers she is traveling with puts on "The Socket Wench (NOT a typo) of Prague", a play so naughty they are certain to get bounced out of town ASAP. (Tee-Hee!) {No actual vulgar material is portrayed in this quite teen-safe book. Lots of Hee, not so much Tee.}

The tyrant likes it.(uh-oh.)

And wants Agatha, who was the female lead in this spicy play, to come to dinner at his castle (OH DEAR!).

There, Agatha is taken prisoner by the Tyrant & his daughter, a clockwork Cyborg. (HORRORS!)

What plot do they have in mind? (Gasp!)

What nefarious scheme is in motion gainst our poor heroine? (Gasp-Gasp!)

Who are the mysterious "Geister Daemon"? (GAAAASSSSP!)

And, can I stop laughing before I do meself an injury? Probably not, this is too darn funny!

The drama is heating up, the humor is outrageous & the art is better than ever! The use of lighting to suggest mood is very well-done, & as always, character design is outstanding.

Way to go, Phil & Kaja! This series is the best thing you have ever put in print!

The Foglio's beautiful Heterodyne series continues with what must be the biggest cliffhanger yet.
Agatha's secret becomes known to more and more people, Lucretia is revealed as the Other, and then takes over Agatha's body.
It's impossible to imagine how Agatha can get out of this one, but we know she does. After all there is a 6th volume.
A peek at the GeniusGirl website is also recommended.

'Genius' describes this comic. It is some of the best writing I have seen in comic books in a while. The humor is fast, smart, and compelling. There is not a single cut-out or flat character to be seen. There is mystery, drama, science, action, explosions and more. A MUST read!

These books just keep getting better and better. If anything, this book is more interesting, with more action, than the previous four. Can't wait for the sixth book.

This is a great series, especially if you're sharp-eyed.

Is Baron Wolfenbach a hero or a villian? Well, yes. What about Othar T.? Well, about the same, only ... not. There's a lot for the reader to sort out, which means a lot of possibilities in the storyline, and the Foglio's seem to have gotten the hang of it.

The characters are extravagant but well within the bounds of high adventure. Countess Marie wields a mean frying pan. The Jagermonsters are the biggest, baddest boys on the block since Moe, Larry, and Curly--and they have a sense of humor, just like the authors.

The "steampunk" is delightful: airship castles complete with emergency escape paragliders, mechanical orchestras, pocket-sized robots and the true Napoleon of cats.

The artwork is first-rate, not only in the execution of the images, but in the way the images and the dialog reveal the story together. There are Easter Eggs: a character loses his composure--and his bag of candied fish. Agatha dismantles a clank (robot) and removes a giant 3-pronged plug marked with the letters "UL" and the red slash-over-circle (think NO LEFT TURN). The name and dates of The Greatest Spark of All Time should remind you of a -very- famous person from real history (don't think of toothpaste).

And best of all, there's a real plot. A backstory complete with The Villian's Beautiful Daughter. Also Mimmoths. (Gotta have Mimmoths.) A worked-out milieu (doctors wear forked beards. Why? We don't know yet.) A plotted plot, as bits of the story we've forgotten about take their places in the jigsaw puzzle. And that means that sometime, somewhen in the future, all the threads will resolve in a massive, ten-fingered chord with thunder from the pedals. At least they will if people keep buying the books, which I heartily recommend. (Did I mention that Agatha plays the Silverodeon?)

"Circus of Dreams" is the fourth "Girl Genius" collection (10-13 of the comic series, and the start of the web version), starting after Agatha and the talking cat Krosp have escaped into the (highly dangerous) wilderness. It lacks some of the great frantic feel of the latter part of "Monster Engine" but still has some excellent passages.

The art is slowly improving - the exaggerated expressions still don't work sometimes (mostly on distant characters where there's not enough room) but there's less of a problem with characters looking like posed dolls. Most of the action revolves around Agatha and the traveling circus she runs into; like a the comic in general, the circus is a creative bit of fun, and the Foglios use it well.

The setting change requires only a slight break in stride - this is the most consistent of the Girl Genius volumes so far, and the most entertaining. ****1/2

Agatha Heterodyne is all alone in the world. She's on the run from the ruling power of Europe, his airship fleet, his mechanical soldiers and military monsters, his homicidal maniac lieutenant (on furlough from her job as a pirate queen) and his handsome and intelligent son. Agatha is travelling incognito in the wastelands with her only talking cat. But not for long, for she has a knack for making friends.

It all makes sense, really it does.

You just have to be there, which is where Phil and Kaja Foglio come in. This is a rip-snorting tale with a well-developed universe, humor, danger, romantic overtones, clever references to our versions of the history books, terrific artwork, and lots of clues to future mysteries. Who are the geisterdamen? Who was the High Priestess? Who won the Race to the West Pole? What happens when a real mad scientist plays one on the stage?

And what is kolee-dok-zumil?

On the lam from Mad Baron Wulfenbach, Agatha's mini-zeppelin crashes in the remote wilderness. On foot & hungry, she & her companion, the genetically-engineered cat Krosp, locate a traveling circus, under attack by a robot war machine.

I bet you never thought you'd ever read the previous sentence. :)

Will Agatha improvise a ray-cannon out of wrecked machinery, that can take out the robot war machine?

Will Agatha escape the Baron's assault troopers?

Will the Baron's lovestruck son find her first?

And will the talking cat Krosp keep trying to stuff mice down Agatha's throat as field rations/bon-bons?

If you can stop laughing long enough, you'll find out. The humor/storyline here is well worth the effort.

I came late to the Foglio's wbcomic "Girl Genius," and it took me awhile to get into the spirit of things, but I am hooked now, and following the adventures of Agatha and her friends are a great joy. Yes, she is drawn plump, and, yes, everything looks like it was invented by Jules Verne, but there is a happy quality to the whole thing. Gilgamesh, Agatha's lover (in the old-fashioned sense: he loves her, but has not made love to her) is quite likable, and even minor characters like Dupree Bangaladesh, the homicidal pirate queen are quite fun. I'm even beginning to like Baron Wulfenbach, the nominal villain. All in all, great fun. Recommended.

Phil and Kaja Foglio's characters are brilliant, exciting and generally a lot of fun to follow. The Girl Genius bug bit me in December and I'm now a very strong fan. Agatha labours to find her heritage as the sole heir to the family Hetrodyne, those with the greatest Spark for genius. She's clever and often displays a streak of mischief in creating her inventions, with an affinity for dingbots and a really good death ray. The characters who surround her range in personality, but all are capable of moments of light humour or devilish delight.