Flavor Girls: Return to the Mothership #3 – BOOM! Studios

Action packed finale in Flavor Girls: Return to the Mothership #3 by Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky & Angel De Santiago from BOOM! Studios

Chapter Six Recap

In the conclusion of chapter six, The Flavor Girls fought their way out of a water grave. In the beginning of chapter six, they believed there were Agarthian ruins hidden in the bottom of the ocean. So, they decided to go explore them. And explore they did. The Flavor Girls confirmed those were Agarthian ruins. While at the same time putting in question everything they knew about the previous invasion by the Agarthians. So, it was true the Agarthians did invade planet Earth. However, the Flavor Girls also confirmed the presence of Agarthians. Prior to the recent invasion. Regardless of the Agarthian ruins discovery, this chapter was about closure. Specifically, the closure of Naoko’s tragic story.

Naoko’s Story

Naoko and her mother had been strangers because of the tragic passing of her friend Rumiko. Previously, Naoko and Rumiko put themselves in danger during the Agarthian invasion. Although Naoko’s mother never addressed it, Rumiko’s family blamed Naoko for her passing. That cold silence from Naoko’s mother had kept them at arm’s lentgh. However, this mother and daughter were forced to address the issue. During the course of the exploration, they found themselves separated from the group. It almost seemed hopeless. Just when Naoko was ready to accept responsibility for Rumiko’s death, her mother slapped those thoughts out of her.

Much Needed Closure

Even though it took a near death experience to get there, Naoko and her mother found closure. Their strained relationship was no more. All the pain that had been bottled up for years was now gone. They found it within themselves to forgive each other and let go of the past. Rumiko’s death was untimely and tragic. Naoko had been carrying survivor’s guilt with her. Because she was the one who survived. All Naoko needed was to hear her own mother lift that guilt from her. Not only she told Naoko that Rumiko’s death wasn’t her fault. She also expressed how proud she’s always been of Naoko. Words that healed. Sometime that’s all it takes.

Chapter Seven

After fighting the ruin’s sole survivor, the Flavor Girls split in 3 separate ways. Naoko returned to The Temple and Master Himiko. To make sense of what they discovered in the underwater ruins. Then, Camille was missing her family. So, she set out to visit visit them. Unfortunately, Camille did not made it home safe. An Agarthian soldier attacked Camille. Whatever the outcome was, it did not look great for Camille.

Going Home

Finally, Sarah returned home to her mother and brought V along for the trip. Just in time for Sarah’s hometown winter festival. A much needed down time for the Flavor Girls after the intense adventure they just went through. This was a big change of pace. When V met Sarah’s mother she got to know more about Sarah too. Turned out, Sarah and her mother were big fans of the Flavor Girls. Before Sarah joined the team, she and her mother used to collect action figures and Flavor Girls memorabilia. So, you can imagine how proud Sarah’s mother was of her daughter.

Getting to know each other

Sarah and V got to bond with each other. Although, showing off her Flavor Girl collection might’ve been embarrassing for Sarah. However, this was the time for V to get to know her teammate. Since Sarah was the latest addition to the Flavor Girls. Despite the fact they had been in a few missions already, the had no time to debrief. After all, Sarah did join in the middle of a fight with Agarthians. Sarah hit the ground running, so to speak.

A Day at the Museum

Sarah used to paint at home before joining the Flavor Girls. When V saw Sarah’s old paintings, Sarah was a bit embarrased. Finally, Sarah ended up taking V to the local museum. So they could appreciate the art together. That was Sarah’s moment to shine. She gave V the whole tour of the art collection in the museum. In the end, V noticed the love Sarah had for art and recommended her to start painting again. So far, it had been all about Sarah. V, just like her fruit powers, had a wall sorrounding her. In a few flashbacks, we got a glimpse of V’s past.

*Spoilers for Issue 3*

The Winter Festival

After spending the night at the museum the girls went back to Sarah’s home for a sleepover. In the morning they helped Sarah’s mother to set up her vending stand for the festival. People came through to buy the cookies and take pictures with V and Sarah. Of course, Sarah was more than happy to take pictures and sign autographs for her fellow villagers. On the other hand, V was visually akward with all the attention.

Short lived festivities

Later that night, the city was attacked by a large battleship. It was a show of strenght by the Mighty Epidoros. The greatest ship of the Agarthian Fleet. After the first bombings, the ship addressed the people of the city. The agarthians knew there were 2 Sacred Guardians in the city. If the guardians didn’t surrender that night, the battleship was going to destroy the entire city. Without any other options, Sarah and V surrendered themselves to Epidoros to avoid further damage to the city. That’s the most I can spoil for this issue.

How about the Art?

The pencils by Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky and the colors by Angel De Santiago have showcased a wide range of skill and mastery of the comic book medium. The tone of each panel is evenly matched with the correct color palette. Whether is a happy heartfelt moment with soft colors in the background. Or a high tension action packed scene with vibrant and energetic colors. There’s a lot of creative panel structures. With beautiful sceneries of places you’d love to visit. Ultimately, the action and the individual powers of the Flavor Girls are the selling point for this comic.

Overall Grade: 10/10

The Flavor Girls: Return to the Mothership proved to be a perfect sequel for it’s predecessor. My only problem with the Flavor Girls is that there’s not enough people talking about them. A comic book this amazing deserves more credit. I highly encourage everyone to pick this series up. I guarantee you will enjoy it thoroughly.