Parker Girls Omnibus

by Terry Moore

When one of Zackary May’s employees embezzles millions from his offshore account, the tech billionaire turns to the Parker Girls for help.   Agent Kelly gets the job done but also uncovers huge sums of money flowing through May’s account from a hostile nation. Parker Girls boss Tambi Baker wants to know why. Then May’s wife Piper is found dead and things get personal―Piper was a Parker Girl.   Tambi calls in the team, including her sister Katchoo, to launch a dangerous plan to expose May’s operation. But he is not intimidated by the legendary Parker Girls reputation for playing rough. May’s counter-offensive begins with a shot heard around the world and the Parker Girls find themselves face to face with an enemy far more powerful than they can imagine.   Follow the Parker Girls in this thrilling new Strangers In Paradise cross-over title!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

Following the examples of independent comic creators such as Dave Sim and Jeff Smith, he decided to publish Strangers in Paradise himself through his own Houston-based "Abstract Studios" imprint, and has frequently mentioned a desire to do a syndicated cartoon strip in the authors notes at the back of the Strangers in Paradise collection books. He has also mentioned his greatest career influence is Peanuts' Charles Schulz.[1] Some of Moore's strip work can additionally be found in his Paradise, Too! publications.

His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".

It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]

On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]

Reviews

[Sapphir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is the author’s latest work (as far as I know), which continues the award-winning Strangers in Paradise series. Or rather one of its darker sides. The story about the ruthless Parker girls who stop at nothing to take vengeance for the death of one of them and to save others has a dark undertone which is much more frequent here than in Terry Moore’s earlier works, and he seems to have refined his fondness for blood and gore.
But these are dark times, after all, and there’s still space for some humor and even love in the story.
And what’s more, TM indicates that there might be a sequel. I’d be pleased!
4.5 stars.

[Wouter Dhondt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading the new book from Terry Moore. Always preferred the parker girls parts from the strangers in paradise series so this did not disappoint.

But honestly, I feel it’s time to give Katchoo and the others some rest. It’s been a while (since motor girl) since we had a new original cast and story.

4.5 stars, putting it at 4

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

It was a pleasure to read another graphic novel by terry moore. I love his characters and Tambi, Katchoo, and others never fail to entertain and make me root for them. Excellent stuff, but not the best entry point (read Strangers in Paradise first).

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3

[Willem Nelissen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misschien ligt het aan de zonneslag maar ik kon ni goe volgen

[Highland G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a prequel, like I wanted but still a fun read.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...this family is for life. Once a Parker girl, always a Parker girl."

Katchoo's renewed philosophy on the piety owed to her extended family was not always stated with such solemnity or reverence, but her perspective has never truly changed. Whether doomed to follow the criminal proclivities of its founding matron or accidentally acquiescing to the tiny romances skewered in the interim, Katchoo's grasp of what happens when one is pulled into the gravity of Darcy Parker was, and is, honest.

PARKER GIRLS stokes the flames once more. When an egotistical tech maven is rumored to have killed his wife while out on his fancy yacht, an unusual group of "private investigators" shows up. These hard-nosed women start asking uncomfortable questions link the notoriously wealthy Zack May to all sorts of dark-money deals.

Katchoo isn't at the center of it all. She's actually doing just fine, hunkered down at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And yet, when Tambi shows up with a quick note about how May killed a fellow Parker girl, funneled foreign money, and monopolized green-energy projects, the gravity of events pulls Mrs. Choovanski back in.

As always, Moore has a knack for articulating small but meaningful stories with characters both broad and subtle. Readers already know quite a bit about how Tambi and Katchoo will approach a situation like this, but how about Cherry (the tall bruiser), Becky (the no-nonsense one), or Kelly (one of Tambi's so-called "Doberman" girls)? The extended cast earns plenty of time on the page, and one cannot be faulted for wanting to see more of them. Even so, PARKER GIRLS weaves a story of petulant, wealthy men, the lengths to which they'll go to rid themselves of useless things or people, and the trail of breadcrumbs they ignore on the presumption of their superiority.

This comic is part detective story, part revenge story, and part kind-hearted query as to what happens when a family destined for the shadows finds its own source of light. For example, it's easy to root for Tambi, constantly juggling different responsibilities to different people, but it's important acknowledge that she's not intuitively mischievous and so might miss a few key details along the way. Similarly, it's easy to hope Cherry and Becky, two butches who get stuff done, will outmaneuver every roadblock to figuring out the circumstances of Piper's death, but it's important to acknowledge that people in this line of work tend to keep going until, quite frankly, they can't.

PARKER GIRLS is a solid, entertaining read. As much as one would love for Katchoo and Francie to live quietly with their family, there are always a few horrible people out there seeking to make their lives just a little bit more harried than necessary. Interestingly, every anchor of the Parker girls family — the enforcers, the detectives, the information brokers — everyone is devoted to the family, and yet everyone is constantly on edge, constantly hyperaware of the fact that it could all come crashing down at any minute.

[Aron Biro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably it deserves more stars, but I was not familiar with the background of the main characters so I had to do some guesswork (this is a spin-off of Strangers in Paradise, which I did not read). I also had no prior experience with the work of Terry Moore - he seems to specialize in strong female characters, but sometimes they are so strong (and violent) it borders on parody. But there's a straight face kept throughout the whole story, perhaps a bit tailored for "modern audiences": toxic masculinity, tech billionaire corruption, subversion and revenge.

I can see why Moore is something like a superstar of indie comics - black and white but expressive art, witty dialogue, a nice flow to the story. I can imagine an entertaining and sexy movie coming out of this, with an Elon Musk-like villain. Definitely made me want to read more by Moore - hopefully even the Strangers of Paradise, to clarify some of the background necessary to fully enjoy this story.

[Nevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

A story supposedly about the best team of secret-agents-for-hire in the business... except that I never once believed they were competent. Their main power seemed to be the ability to snark and see through the stupid people around them, but they say lots of stupid things themselves. If they hadn't had the author looking out for them, they would have failed utterly. They also killed and threatened a lot of people, so it's lucky for them that the author made sure they were all bad, even the times the characters didn't know it yet.
The funniest part was "oh my god, it turns out the person we thought was a murderer is actually a murderer! That means our agent who's trying to talk to him isn't safe!"

[Dan Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was only halfway through the book that I twigged to the fact that this is a Strangers in Paradise spin-off (having only read the first few issues many, many, many years ago). I had been enjoying the way this book had seemingly thrown me in the deep end in explaining what was going on in the story.

There’s enough detail in this that let me keep up with what is a really tidy thriller. The Parker Girls agency concept is great fun (a vicious, far more calculating Charlie’s Angels), the characters were all sexy as hell, and the plot was a James Bond thriller by way of Robert & Michelle King. Great stuff.

More Parker Girls please, Terry Moore.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Parker Girls from Strangers in Paradise are hired when an employee steals 10 million from a tech billionaire. Meanwhile his wife shows up drowned on the beach. So they start looking into things and uncover so much more going on. This one gets pretty wild. This billionaire is basically a Bond villain. There is a healthy dose of Katchoo and Tambi in the book along with a number of the Parker Girls. I dug it. Terry Moore's art continues to be just as gorgeous as it has for the last 30 years.

[Chris Everson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a massive Terry Moore fan, and any new material from him is a cause for rejoicing.

However...

I found this story a bit 'by the numbers'. I loved The Parker Girls in Strangers in Paradise, but here I feel they didn't quite have the mystique. The big baddie, Elon Musk parody Zackary May never inspired any fear. He was just a spoiled brat. The plot was mundane and predictable, and the many blonde characters merged into one after a while... and I'm familiar with them.

Lots wrong with this, but even a sub-sub-sub-par Moore is better than a lot of dross out there.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay, kind of an over-the-top charlies angels story but with more violence. The art was very good though I have to say that a number of the blonde characters looked similar enough that I had trouble telling them apart without context from the scene. Personally, I think Terry Moore does better with smaller stories about people and relationships and not so much globe-spanning spy stories about hunting down evil corporates who are going to destroy world or something. YMMV

[Greg L Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun spin-off from Strangers in Paradise. Moore is a legend of Indie comics, and deservedly so.

Personally, I think this series --- and most of his efforts --- would benefit creatively and commercially from color, but he's had a mega-successful career NOT doing that, so more power to him.

[Nick Belhomme · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual nicely drawn. Found the plot too rushed, the book should have been double in length or even Triple. Now it was rushed and therefore a bit simplistic.

(It should have been the length of the Rachel omnibus or 1 book of the SIP omnibus bundle.)

Did enjoy it tough.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Terry Moore graphic novel, featuring characters from Strangers in Paradise and elsewhere. It's not really the place to start, but it's a must read if you've read any of his other work.

[Gerard de Bruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with those readers who think that maybe we should give the Strangers in Paradise crew a vacation. But mr Moore does know how to tell a mean story.

[The Lost Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's ok, but I'm afraid this is only for Terry Moore's unconditional readers. However, going back to the world from Strangers In Paradise from time to time is fun.

[Mik Cope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cool, a kind of extremely violent Charlie's Angels. The artwork reminded me a little of Gilbert Hernandez at times. A simple enough espionage thriller, in the end, but fun with it.

[Ilias · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice. It felt like Charlie's angels, but different at the same time. It had core violence, espionage and fast action. It was a nice read. I recommend it.

[Howell Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story. Charming art.

[S. Spanbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para todos los amantes de Terry Moore. No es la mejor, pero no decepciona. Los diálogos son maravillosos.

[Bus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al nivel de este tipo. Una historia que mezcla crimen y espionaje con un punto extra de calidad y complejidad que me ha encantado. Muy recomendable

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un crimen que apunta a un poderoso empresario es la excusa para reunir a las Chicas Parker, sacando a alguna de su retiro.

Una miniserie que, sin añadir mucho al personal universo creado por Terry Moore, funciona como obsequio para sus leales. Y en ese sentido, no defrauda.

[Superisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con Parker Girls me pasa lo de siempre con Terry Moore: veo algo suyo y sé que lo voy a leer. Sin pensármelo.

Ya me pasó con Strangers in Paradise y aquí me ha vuelto a pasar. Tiene algo muy suyo, una forma de contar que parece sencilla, pero luego te das cuenta de que no lo es tanto.

Este cómic se lee en nada. De verdad, es de los que empiezas y no puedes parar. Tiene ese punto de historia de detectives, de venganza… pero tampoco se queda solo en eso. Va saltando entre historias, entre personajes, y al final todos tienen algo. Incluso los secundarios. Y eso a mí me encanta, porque te quedas con ganas de más, de saber más de todos.

Pero si hay algo que me ha gustado especialmente es que las protagonistas sean mujeres. Mujeres fuertes, de acción, bastante duras… pero también con su parte más humana. Y ese rollo de equipo que tienen entre ellas, de ayudarse, protegerse… se nota mucho. Hay como una especie de hermandad que funciona muy bien.

A mí este tipo de historias me encantan . Noir, detectives, personajes un poco al límite… y encima con protagonistas femeninas que funcionan así de bien. No sé, en algunos momentos me ha recordado un poco a unas Ángeles de Charlie, en el presente, sin ese punto superficial.

Me la he leído del tirón y me he quedado con ganas de más.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Moore hits another homerun out of the stadium with this book. Great story and the dialogue between the characters flows naturally. As with the other books I read from him "Rachel Rising," Strangers in Paradise," and "Serial" this book is a page turner keeping my interest from start to finish.

The art is very well done. Terry Moore is very talented expressing facial emotions with just a few lines.