Agent Sparx: Defender of Glittera Collector’s Edition Review: Damn Good

On the cover of the comic-book collector’s edition of ‘Agent Sparx: Defender of Glittera,’ two barely clothed women seem to be crashing through a skylight. The serious look on their faces makes you wonder what sort of ride you’re in for. But then there’s a manga-type alternate cover with three women. The one constant appears to be that this comic is woman centered. Lightyears from earth Glittera is a peaceful world where everyone looks alike and there’s no crime. What’s more they seem to have universal healthcare because everyone looks healthily-similar. Still, no society is perfect. It’s why this world has a system in place to defend their way of life and that includes a special ops squad.

Agents Sparx and Leng Xie are partners where their temperament is well balanced. Then there’s the criminals they’re assigned to go after. Hewa is a villain who seems to have a legitimate reason for committing crimes.  Her planet became barren and she decides to rob from Glittera, except the murderous way she’s going about it says a lot about who she’s robbing from. Although Hewa’s claims of Glittera not helping enough to save a place headed towards extinction maybe problematic, it does bring up an important point. Hewa violently stealing specifically from this place makes a stance that Glittera may not be the utopia it shows to other planets. Yes, Hewa is wrong, but the façade of perfection in this world is being held up for critique. Is Glittera hiding something? What’s more Agent Lexie Xie is being unnecessarily aggressive and even growls at her partner. Something is happening to her that doesn’t affect the average Glitterite.

With Hewa being seen as a savior to her people and the Glitterites shown in a different light reveals that the bad guys may not be who you think. Glittera believes that they have helped the refugees of Hewa’s planet by giving them a place to live. However, they are not greeted as citizens or immigrants. Rather, these people are shoved in a hovel to live in poverty that has become a dilapidated part of town where no Glitterite deems to go. When Agent Xie heads there she’s given an ominous warning by an old crone. It rocks Xie’s world. Will she be the center of her planet’s destruction? Is there a defect in Glittera’s perfect genetic makeup?

This collection is engaging. There’s a straightforward story and solid artwork. But Gisela A. Molina’s cover art rendition of the characters in the third issue is the most arresting and realistic. Bold clean lines still makes everyone recognizable, but it causes you to pay attention to the actions in this indie-comic.  And as things are coming to a desperate end everything feel crisp and renewed. It makes this continuation of the story is equally engaging.

Overall Michael Kelley has written and created characters that are simultaneously subtle, in your face and complex. The comic-book poses uncomfortable questions. Yet, there is a sense that the miniseries comes to its appropriate conclusion. All around a good read.