Flavor Girls: Return to the Mothership #1 – Ancient History

The Flavor Girls are back with a new mystery! Flavor Girls: Return to the Mothership #1 by writer/artist Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky and colors by Angel De Santiago from BOOM! Studios.

Who are the Flavor Girls?

If you’ve never heard of the Flavor Girls, allow me to introduce them to you very briefly. Naoko, Camille, and V are a team of magical girls who are the Sacred Fruit Guardians of Earth! Their powers come from the Mother Three. The Magical Staffs contain the energy from the Mother Three. Recently the Flavor Girls added Sara to the team.

Fruit Power

Naoko invokes the powers of the Dragon Fruit. This allows Naoko to summon a vine-like Dragon with many branches. These vines a strong yet flexible and they can twist and turn in an out the ground. Camille can invoke the powers of the Pomegranate.

This power takes form in the shape of seeds. It can be explosive in scattered ways or concentrated. V can invoke the powers of the Artichoke. This power has the capabilities for offense and defense. V can create strong wall for protection and sharp blades for slashing.

Flavor in Training

Now there’s Sara, the newest member. Since Sara has limited experience, she is still in training. She possesses the Magical Staff of the Pineapple fruit. Sara has the ability to use two oversize limbs that can extend at her will for punching, catching or even launching objects. Although it’s not exactly explained how these powers work.

*Major Spoilers for issue #1*

Chapter Six

Naoko discovered some ancient ruins through research. These ruins had symbols that resembled Agarthian technology. Previously, the Flavor Girls battled against the agarthians for the sake of planet Earth. Thus if Naoko’s theory was correct, these aliens had been to planet Earth before.

Now the Flavor Girls needed to explore the depths of the ocean to find the ruins. For this, they needed the help of a Marine Archeologist. Hence the girls resorted to seek the help of Naoko’s mother. The best Marine Archaeologist in the world.

A Great Discovery

First, there was an issue Naoko’s mother. She had volunteered herself to be the pilot for the exploration. Naoko was reluctant to have her own mother tag along for the mission. But her mother did not give her a choice.

The Flavor Girl went exploring the mysterious depths of the ocean looking for the ruins. It seemed their trip was not going to yield any results after they spent many hours searching. Eventually they spotted a beam of light coming form the far side of a trench. After following the light they discovered exactly what they were looking for. Unfortunately, to everyone’s surprise Naoko’s research was right.

Oceans Apart

This issue explored the relationship between Naoko and her mother. From the moment they met, it was pretty clear they have a distant and cold relationship. Also, there are some flashback panels that illustrated how Naoko could not live up to her mother expectations.

Maybe the expectations were too high. Or maybe Naoko’s mother demanded too much. Who’s to say? However during their time in the ruins, there was an exchange of words between mother and daughter that revealed why they were standoffish with each other.

Something to Prove

Naoko used to have a friend who passed away. Naoko’s mother did not say it out right, but she holds Naoko somewhat responsible for the death of her friend. Despite the harsh words, Naoko did not let her mother’s lack of confidence bring her down. While inside the ruins the situation got hairy.

The Flavor Girls had to take up arms and invoke their Fruit Powers. The group got split inside the ruins. While Sara, V, and Camille were trapped with the enemy, Naoko and her mother waited on the other side of the door. Mrs. N’s worries surfaced while Naoko’s patiently waited for her opening to jump in the action and help her friends.

How about the Art?

Do not let the simplicity of the art fool you. This is the textbook example that less is more. The Flavor Girls’ aesthetic can be summed up in one word: Pleasant. Every page is easy to read and easy to follow. The facial features or expression are indeed minimal, but they carry the emotional themes of the story. Furthermore, the action sequences are full of energy and beautifully colored along with bold outlines.

I give this issue a 8.5 out of 10

To summarize, I had no clue what this was about. But as a new reader I admit I was pleasantly surprised. The gimmick of the fruit powers sounded silly enough. Until I saw the Flavor Girls invoke their individual powers and put them to use. Actually, it’s very cool and they are quite the battle-hardened bunch. Finally, plenty of personal drama spilled under the main plot. Which is exactly the kind of mess that draws readers to return.