I watched a lot of Disney Afternoon as a kid, and my “holy trinity” of favorite shows wound up being Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles and Tale Spin. (Actually, most of TDA was pretty fun, except for Shnookums and Meat which -trust me- we do not want to talk about.) And so here we have Jackie Rose, a pulp style adventure set in the 1940’s, which eerily reminds me of Tale Spin with its sky pirates, dogfights and massive airships- except there’s not as much Art Deco in the visuals, and no one’s an animal. There’s a strong essence of Kit Cloudkicker in the title character, though.
Prior to going on a sky cruise (aboard a plane that looks strikingly like the Spruce Goose) with her classmate and aspiring pilot Eddie Johnson, our freckle faced hero learns her father isn’t earning enough to keep up with their mortgage, which means they could lose their house and thus her bedroom with a mural that reminds Jackie of her missing mother. Over the radio she learns about the theft of the famous Julieta Crown by a band of swashbucklers, led by famed burglar Elizabeth Read.
Jackie reluctantly tries to enjoy her summer vacation while still worrying about her house, and befriends a girl named Dian who also feels out of place among the other, wealthier passengers. When Read and her crew set their sights on robbing Jackie’s cruise ship, the plucky redhead decides to fight back and take the stolen crown for herself, hoping to pay off the mortgage with the reward money. This kicks off a throwback style caper where the true villain is eventually revealed, and Jackie, Eddie and Read all discover various secrets that upend their worlds.
While it’s hardly a one-girl show, Jackie herself is a big driving factor that makes her comic so entertaining. She’s clever, suitably aggressive and brave when the situation calls for it, yet she’s still empathetic, kind and inexperienced enough to where she doesn’t feel like a Mary Sue. Another quick Disney comparison: Eddie is sort of like the Ron Stoppable to her Kim Possible, hardly a generic love interest but not quite as bold as his friend.
For their part, Read and the rest of the pirates have reasonable motivations, but thankfully not so understandable to where it takes away from Jackie’s sympathetic position, and the evolution of their characters is very well planned.
Ulrich’s art uses some fairly cartoonish designs, and his sense of action and expressions are pretty strong, especially during the flying sequences. Aside from the progressive manner in which it treats its female leads, Jackie Rose really does feel like a story that could have come from the 1940’s. The dialogue isn’t exactly rife with slang from the period but it isn’t so contemporary that I was taken out of the experience.
It’s a “two-fisted tale” that’s generally to the point, and it doesn’t exactly try to reinvent the wheel. But it’s also exciting, intelligent, well designed and surprisingly touching towards the climax of the first arc. I happily recommend Jackie’s adventures (which you can find here) to anyone in the mood for an ass kicking ginger.