Street Angel: The Princess Of Poverty, Volume 1 [Paperback]

Brian Maruca (Author), Jim Rugg (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

After 13 years on the streets of the grim, impoverished ghetto of Wilkesborough, Jesse Sanchez knows how to take care of herself even if she can't always take a bath. With dazzling martial artistry, peerless skateboarding skills, and questionable study habits, Jesse "Street Angel" Sanchez faces ninja street gangs, evil geologists, Satan worshippers, and anything else that threatens the sanctity of her 'hood. In the tradition of Harry Potter, Bruce Wayne, Annie, and Oliver Twist, make way for fiction's latest orphan superstar, Street Angel. She doesn't have much, but she'll defend it for all she's worth. This collection contains the first five issues of the critically-acclaimed underground series, a previously unpublished story, new squid battles, profiles of some of the most beloved characters, an introduction by Evan Dorkin, and an all-star pinup gallery featuring: Jeffrey Brown, Farel Dalrymple, Jesse Farrell, Richard Hahn, Dean Haspiel, Mike Hawthorne, Paul Hornshemeier, Dave Kiersh, Pat Lewis, Jasen Lex, Andy Macdonald, Jim Mahfood, Ted May, Scott Mills, Scott Morse, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Lark Pien, Ed Piskor, Brian Ralph, Zack Soto, Lauren Weinstein, and Dan Zettwoch.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 10-12. In this irreverent graphic novel full of snarky humor, homeless, street-smart teenager Jesse "Street Angel" Sanchez uses her skill with a skateboard and her martial arts prowess to fight ninja gangs, evil geologists, nepotism, homework, and hunger, with her sidekick, Bald Eagle. The stories aren't for the fainthearted, but the book delivers a hilarious send-up of everything from religion to superheroes. The writing is sharp, witty, and riddled with teenage angst--even as it lampoons the idea. The art is deceptively simple: the high-contrast, black-and-white work appears stark at first glance, but upon closer examination reveals a depth that is startlingly poignant in some stories and fabulously over-the-top in others. Violence and some rough language suggest a mature readership. Tina Coleman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: SLG Publishing (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593620128
• ISBN-13: 978-1593620127
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,076,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Explosively funny, hauntingly sad., June 30, 2005

By 

Nathan Alderman "Full-time underdog" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Street Angel: The Princess Of Poverty, Volume 1 (Paperback)

Jesse Sanchez lives on the streets. She's dirty, hungry, doesn't smell very good, and can rarely afford the luxury of going to school. She's a skinny little 13-year-old in a dire situation -- but if ninjas, time-traveling pirates or Satanic supervillains threaten the safety of the world, she's your last best hope.

Alternately hilarious and poignant, Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg's "Street Angel" lures you in with superlative kung-fu ass-kickery and an absolutely riotous sense of humor. Issue 2, in which Jesse must deal with slightly confused conquistadors, an Irish astronaut who talks like an Australian ("the world's friendliest language") and a pimped-out Aztec god, may be the funniest thing I read in 2004. But the stories can turn startlingly dark on a dime, and underneath the explosions and derring-do, the unvarnished sadness of Jesse's life gnaws at you. It's a strange and compelling mix, making "Street Angel" one of the best and brightest comics debuts in quite some time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combines a satire of comic book cliches and the gut-wrenching all-too-real problems of life on the street, August 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Street Angel: The Princess Of Poverty, Volume 1 (Paperback)

Street Angel TPB is a compendium of the previously published "Street Angel" black-and-white, mature-themed comic book series from SLG Publishing and features the collaborative work of Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca. The principle character is Jessee Sanchez, the greatest homeless skateboarder, martial artist, and 12-year-old crime fighter ever to beat down hoods and beat up ninjas. She goes to school three days a week, when she feels like it, and her closest friend is a triple amputee. She fights for her friends, she fights for justice - and whenever possible, she fights for food. Edgy to the extreme, and highly tongue-in-cheek in its depiction of battles, time travel, megalomaniacal geologists and the infamous conflict between pirates and ninjas, Street Angel combines a satire of comic book cliches and the gut-wrenching all-too-real problems of life on the street.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick changes left me confused, April 27, 2008

By 

Steven Saus (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Street Angel: The Princess Of Poverty, Volume 1 (Paperback)

"Orphaned by the world, raised by the streets, Jesse Sanchez is a dangerous martial artist and the world's greatest homeless skateboarder."

Add in pirates, ninjas (lots of ninjas), a mad geologist named Pangea (yes, that's his real name), and the first Irish astronaut who speaks with an Australian accent, and you'd expect a funny madcap romp.

And Street Angel delivers - sort of. Look back up to the top - to that "homeless" bit. Street Angel treats both its protagonist's homelessness, dumpster diving (and trying to hide both from schoolmates) and aged 70's blaxploitation heros (Afrodisiac, I kid you not) with exactly the same tone, seriousness, and respect.

Which is cool, but it also kept me from engaging with Jesse. The absolute silliness of some elements (ninjas playing basketball) just kept jarring me out of taking her seriously - but the tone kept me from looking at it as farce.

The idea(s) are great, but ultimately I was left thinking this book wasn't quite for me. I know a few people who it *is* for, though, and they'll be getting a copy as a present.