by Andy Bartsch, Reporter
Apparently here at Comics Online, I have been assigned the position of Official Insect Related Superhero Comic Book Reviewer (see my review of The Crimson Fly here). So far, I have nothing to complain about.
John E. Crowther’s Rochelle: The Teenage Cockroach is the story of a high school student Rochelle, who at night fights crime as an armored superhero. Our story begins with Rochelle beating up some thieves who have just broken into an electronics store. After scaring them with her acrobatic fighting moves, they flee, only to be blasted by Rochelle’s green energy blast in a splash page.
We are then given an explanation for Rochelle’s powers. Before she was born, Rochelle’s mother was a single woman living on her own who only wanted a child. Unfortunately for her, she chooses the seediest of fertility clinics, run by a very creepy Dr. Byrne. The clinic itself is disgusting, with insects crawling along the floors, walls, and (you guessed it) specimens. As a result, Rochelle has herself some superpowers. In this issue, Rochelle battles a digital (unnamed) super villain, who kidnaps children through a hot new mobile game, Mind Crash.
While not much of the comic is spent explaining and fleshing out Rochelle’s abilities, costume, and backstory, the comic is very reminiscent of Golden and Silver Age comics, where a brief summary of the hero is given and the hero defeats a super-powered villain by the final page. While the story isn’t a very strong or detailed one, there isn’t a dull moment and the characters are quite likable.
What shines for me personally is the artwork by Dell Barras, who I’m pretty sure has drawn (GET IT????) inspiration from longtime Spider-man artist Mark Bagley. While his drawing style isn’t overly dynamic, Barras is a very skilled visual storyteller. The illustrations are very clear, polished, and almost don’t require dialog balloons.
Overall, Rochelle: The Teenage Cockroach is a fun book that has a decent foundation to a much bigger story and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Rochelle in the future. You can find copies of Rochelle: The Teenage Cockroach at the publisher’s website.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Rochelle: The Teenage Cockroach 3 1/2 nuclear-holocaust-surviving insects out of 5.
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