20 Fists – Frankee White (W), Kat Baumann (A), and DC Hopkins (L)
Kickstarter blurb – 20 FISTS is a queer Romeo & Juliet during a break-up meets The Warriors. It’s a tale as old as time. Two women, who met on the battleground, find themselves sorting through the rubble of their relationship in the illegal and unlicensed fight league that runs rampant throughout their city. Issue #1 features two chapters: Round One is the first part of the fight between The No Names & The Big Jackets. Following Round One is a flashback that sets up the growing friction between Chel, Billie, and their crews. This is ultimately a story about doing what you love and not allowing yourself to be controlled by the people in your life. It’s something I think we can all relate to and strive for even if you’ve never been in an underground city-wide fight league
20 Fists is nothing short of a complete blast!
I went into the comic knowing pretty much nothing about the story except the incredible and explosive splashpage-esque cover. The book impressed me in the first few pages and continued to keep me intrigued until the end. While purposefully tongue-in-cheek campy in parts, the story is actually very sincere and well thought out. On the surface there is the plot revolving around the underground fight league, which gang will dominate and all of the adrenaline that comes with that, which by itself is entertaining enough. But woven very masterfully within the fight narrative is the interpersonal story of these women and their roles, both inside and in between the gangs. The characters have a bit of archetype to them, but that is true of every good story. The reader, while staying aware of the melodrama of the overall fight league story structure, will absolutely believe and understand these characters and the choices they make. Frankie White wrote us a tale that is both highly entertaining and very thoughtful.
Once again, based on the cover I thought this book would be all montage action scenes and adjective bubbles. Well, I was dead wrong. I was very impressed with the art and layout of the entire book. The amount of intimate detail and the linework given to each frame shows the effort that Kat Baumann put into this project. She is visually able to bring the reader into both the moments of emotion and drama between characters and the flowing action of the fight league
You could have ordered this issue on kickstarter back in the Fall of ‘19 but can get it here now. And I believe the kickstarter for issues #2 and 3 are coming soon – we will keep you updated.
Overall a phenomenal story and an amazing ride. Eric’s Score 11/13
