Review: Girl Genius by Kaja & Phil Foglio (2001-present)

Girl Genius is an ongoing online comic set in an industrial Europe where "sparks" are fanatic mad scientists whose prowess can break the boundaries of possibility. The plot follows the adventures of Agatha Heterodyne, a young university student who discovers that she has been hidden as the most powerful spark in Europe. As her skill quickly begins to blossom, Agatha is forced to choose which side of her lost family to emulate: her father, descended from a line of conquerors but himself the greatest hero in memory; or her mother, a shadowy manipulator whose inventions have toppled empires. Among the countless colorful characters Agatha meets are Gilgamesh "Gil" Wulfenbach, energetic heir to the Empire of Europe; Tarvek Sturmvoraus, a deceptive prince with access to Agatha's family secrets; and Emperor Krosp, Agatha's talking cat.

This comic is unique in a wide variety of ways. First of all, you're not going to find another webcomic of this quality that churns out three comics a week. Their staff is religious about deadlines; they always update at midnight, even on the occasion when the colorist had a heart attack. And the finished product looks fantastic. The brightness of the art, including the style that seamlessly fuses wacky cartoons with breathtaking landscapes, makes Girl Genius fantastic even from a purely visual perspective.


One of my favorite aspects of the comic is the way science and magic are fused. There's not a huge amount of technical description, both because the science is unworkable and because they probably want to keep it exciting. This makes almost anything possible. There's a huge amount of monsters, most of which are explained as genetic constructs, and many of the wizard-like characters are actually scientists who have adopted a magical style. Many people have called the comic "steampunk," which is frequently ambiguous anyway, but the creators have gently objected to this label, noting that nearly every imaginable power source, not just steam, powers the crazy machines. My favorite is a giant robot squid whose gas valve is labeled "unleaded."

The story is also amazingly intricate, especially for a project that has been going on for so many years. Against its credit, this can make it hard to keep track of the plot points. Many of the events currently happening are explanations for things alluded to years ago, which a reader would forget without going back and reading it again. For this reason, I'd recommend reading Girl Genius all at once, or at least volume by volume, to avoid being bored or confused. But do read it! It's at your fingertips, and it's unlike anything else I've seen.