Hi-Fi Fight Club #2 Review

Hi-Fi Fight Club #2

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Carly Usdin
Penciller & Cover Artist: Nina Vakueva
Inker: Irene Flores
Colorist: Rebecca Nalty
Letterer:  Jim Campbell

Review by Anelise Farris

Hi-Fi Fight Club #2   picks up right where issue #1 left off. Chris has discovered that her co-workers do not actually have a secret band. They do, however, have an all-girl vigilante fight club. While Chris is thrilled that she has been trusted with this revelation, she is not sure the fight club is for her. Nonetheless, Chris is certain of two things. One, she is willing to do just about anything to please her crush Maggie. Two, she will happily join the efforts to locate her missing music idol Rosie Riot.

High-Fi Fight Club #2 focuses heavily on Chris’s response to the big reveal. Her range of facial expressions are communicated across multiple panels. They invite you to both feel her anguish and relish in the humorous faces she makes. Not only is Chris freaking out about the fact that her co-workers can pack quite the punch, but also the entirely-relatable Chris is feeling self-conscious about her freak out. The humor in this issue is spot on! So much is communicated in a short phrase or a simple gesture, and this is a testament to the entire creative team behind this comic. Plus, any comic that has “A few power chords later” as a phrase to mark the passing of time definitely gets my vote.

As I said in my review of issue #1, the westernized-manga art marries so well with the story. High-Fi Fight Club is youthful, fun, and full of heart, so choosing a style that reflects this makes perfect sense. The refreshing, lighthearted humor is balanced by the complexities of Chris’s coming-of-age narrative. She is trying to figure out who she is, if Maggie is romantically interested in her, and just how she might feel being part of a fight club. Regardless, Chris is a wonderful reminder than being strange is awesome!

Verdict: Buy it! There are some comics that you get super excited about when you realize that a new issue is out, and High-Fi Fight Club is definitely one of those series for me. Even if you don’t like 90s culture or aren’t a music-enthusiast (tsk tsk), it is impossible not to find Chris totally endearing. This feel-good comic is all about girl power and self-discovery, and it’s a whole lot of fun!