What do you think?
Rate this book
Hewlett and Martin's Tank Girl #1
Tank Girl The Collection by Alan C. Martin
From the depths of the outback comes a wildly anarchic, in-your-face heroine for a new age of madness...maverick British creators Alan Martin and Jamie (Gorillaz) Hewlett present Tank Girl!
Join everybody's favourite beer-swilling, chain-smoking, kangaroo-worrying lunatic as she blasts her way through a dazzling array of bizarre adventures, including bounty hunting, delivering colostomy bags to the Australian president, appearing on Dame Edna, a short-lived career in the bloody and vicious world of kangaroo boxing... and many more outrageous and mind-warping thrills!
Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
101 people are currently reading
5308 people want to read
About the author
Alan C. Martin
191 books109 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
October 15, 2023
"Hot shot, sex pot!"
What's Tank Girl about? "In issue one I bagged off with a kangaroo. In issue two I made President Hogan sh*t his pants. In issue three I'm hunted by some of Australia's nastiest bounty hunters!"
How do I describe Tank Girl? Let's free associate. Happy chaos. Anarchy. Anarchy in the UK. Not UK. Australia. Hot. Desert. Barren. Need cold drinks. Beer. So much beer. Pissed. Driving pissed and driving over people. Driving tanks off cliffs. Running from baddies. Bad hangovers. Bad dreams. Dreaming and waking in bed with a kangaroo. Weird animals. Weird friends. Weird comics.
Tank Girl is a free spirit. She loves to drink and party and have fun. She likes to hang out and devise weird half-ass plans and get in trouble and fight with and run from undesirables. More importantly, though, these very short comics operate on the writer's whim, much like free association. The plots are very thin and loose. Things just sort of happen. Lessons aren't always learned. Actually, I don't think lessons are ever learned. It's about the experience, the journey, not the destination. These comics represent the rejection of the system and social standards and even the rules of stories themselves: mostly plotless, but comedic, crass, sexual, riddled with typos, filled with random notes and pictures and creatures and quotes, poems and thoughts and rants, letters and lyrics, even the music listened to while creating the comics is listed, like notebooks of angsty clever teens. And...it's brilliant.
These comics star: Tank Girl. Jet Girl. Sub Girl. Stevie. Booga (the Kangaroo). Camp Koala. Mr. Precocious (the Mouse). Squeeky Toy Rat. Ben Green. And lastly, there's a cactus named Robert De Niro.
Some quotes:
"Curiosity killed the prat bozo!"
"You're a guitar without strings. An angel without wings!"
"Jesus H. Christ Mother of God, Mammary Madness!"
"Now our super star Blane Shacklebottom talks about his new book, 'How to be a Boring Shithead!'"
"Hot shot, sex pot!"
"She is a throwback to the ancient days when women were built like cars."
"She is the bottle feed daughter of the throw away age."
"The toilet gargles on last nights tandoori."
"As Venus rose from the waves all mankind bowed in awe of her beauty..."
"And the quarterback is toast!"
"One thing that has always disturbed me is the fact that people have two sets of clothes-a scruffy set for mucking about in and a smart set for going out in. I mean, do you change into a different person when you go somewhere "special"? No! You're still the same bumhole you were building that tree house this morning. So why dress different? Are we living in the Middle Ages? Are you all suckers for that sophistication crap they pump out on t.v.? Or do you lick the boots of those big men type wankers with lots of cash? If there's one thing I can't stand it's vanity, especially in blokes. I love my clothes."
"Mmmh! Smells good Booga. I'll have eggs, tomatoes, bacon, sausage, corn on the cob, fried bread, baked beans, porridge, soup, egg fritters, toast and jam, ice cream, boiled carrots, potatoes, your mother's ass, and a huge mug of tea... ..pa-leez."
My only concern for this zany homebrew of comic chaos is the black and white, at least in this version. I mean, I'm a ’90s kid, my life has always been in color. And the artwork is so highly detailed, crazy detailed, that ironically the details melt together and become a wash of black and the lettering can be hard to read sometimes. Not always. It depends on the panel and what's happening. That's the trouble with only black. So if there was color to set things apart, embolden the details, shove the lettering into the quiet background, this comic would really sail among the best. This was a slow read for me simply because there is so much meat to stew over. So take it slow.
August 4, 2012
The funny thing about Tank Girl -- well, there's lots of funny things, but one odd thing about reading it in a collected format -- is that the creators themselves say in the forward to the first book that they feel that the entire series is at its peak right here. I'd tend to agree with them. These early strips are the definition of lightning in a bottle -- so jam-packed with insanity, humor and violence that the panels literally spill over with dialogue, scribbled tangents and ridiculous ideas. The creators describe staying up for two days straight, passing pages back and forth to meet their deadlines until they didn't know what they were writing about and couldn't keep the details straight. And that, friends, is how you write Tank Girl.
But the great thing is that you can pick up just this volume and get schooled on a major part of indie comics history, without committing to a huge series or wading through a newbie creator's early development on the way to the "good stuff." THIS is the good stuff, and while the amazing Jamie Hewlett's art commands center stage in later volumes, those later books are also a little too self-concious of their own wild antics, and lose some of what gives the book its magic.
Basically, if you've heard of Tank Girl or seen the movie or just have an image in your mind of what a hero named Tank Girl would be like, and you think that someone else's vision couldn't possibly live up to the hilarity in your head -- this is one case where you're wrong. This book is more fun than anything you could possibly think it might be.
But for God's sake, do the grunt work of tracking down the full-color edition. The black-and-white "remastered" reprints are newer and probably easier to find, but I cannot think of any reason on earth why you'd want them. Tank Girl is a nuclear explosion in sequential narrative form, and you deserve to see it right.
But the great thing is that you can pick up just this volume and get schooled on a major part of indie comics history, without committing to a huge series or wading through a newbie creator's early development on the way to the "good stuff." THIS is the good stuff, and while the amazing Jamie Hewlett's art commands center stage in later volumes, those later books are also a little too self-concious of their own wild antics, and lose some of what gives the book its magic.
Basically, if you've heard of Tank Girl or seen the movie or just have an image in your mind of what a hero named Tank Girl would be like, and you think that someone else's vision couldn't possibly live up to the hilarity in your head -- this is one case where you're wrong. This book is more fun than anything you could possibly think it might be.
But for God's sake, do the grunt work of tracking down the full-color edition. The black-and-white "remastered" reprints are newer and probably easier to find, but I cannot think of any reason on earth why you'd want them. Tank Girl is a nuclear explosion in sequential narrative form, and you deserve to see it right.
January 31, 2021
Diversi anni fa vidi il film Tank Girl, mi piacque molto, irriverente, anarchico, sfrontato e critico verso il conformismo e conservatorismo dilagante, così come il maschilismo più becero!
Così mi segnai il fumetto. Qui sono raccolte varie storie dell'eroina punk pelata Tank Girl. Alcune storie meritano altre meno, alcune sono evitabili, però il messaggio è bello pestato giù, insomma cara la mia società bigotta e "tradizionale", la ragazza ribelle che qui fa da protagonista alle disavventure non ve ne farà passare mezza, non ne uscirai che con lividi e bozzi da tutte le parti.
Diciamo che mi sono piaciute queste storielle anarchiche qui esposte, anche se troppo annegate in ettolitri di birra e immerse in vagonate di pacchetti di sigarette, ma insomma non si può mica avere tutto dalla vita!
La vita della gente di tutto il mondo è una bugia. Le loro esistenze girano intorno a un sistema che è un cazzata!
\m/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eKL8...
Così mi segnai il fumetto. Qui sono raccolte varie storie dell'eroina punk pelata Tank Girl. Alcune storie meritano altre meno, alcune sono evitabili, però il messaggio è bello pestato giù, insomma cara la mia società bigotta e "tradizionale", la ragazza ribelle che qui fa da protagonista alle disavventure non ve ne farà passare mezza, non ne uscirai che con lividi e bozzi da tutte le parti.
Diciamo che mi sono piaciute queste storielle anarchiche qui esposte, anche se troppo annegate in ettolitri di birra e immerse in vagonate di pacchetti di sigarette, ma insomma non si può mica avere tutto dalla vita!
La vita della gente di tutto il mondo è una bugia. Le loro esistenze girano intorno a un sistema che è un cazzata!
\m/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eKL8...
July 6, 2016
Eh. I bought this for my dude, who was a big fan of the Tank Girl movie, and picked it up last night. Not my cup of tea. I found the artwork confusing and most of the in-jokes tired (although they were probably fresh when they were written.) So, wev. I probably won't read any more. But can I just digress here a minute to say that I don't get it when people go on about how Tank Girl is so feminist? Evidently violent and not prissy makes one feminist. You know, I get it. It's really enjoyable to see a character that's lewd, crude, and rude instead of a girly-girl, especially if girly-girls are all you see. But, and this is the same problem with that dumb movie Sucker Punch, women kicking ass is not default feminism. I mean, both this and Sucker Punch and a whole bunch of other crap I could name are basically male fantasies. Enjoy them if you want, but please don't tell me how feminist they are. You want a rude, crude, violent feminist? Try Hothead Paisan.
Want to read
July 10, 2015I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A COMIC BOOK!!!! GAH!!! I JUST DIED.
Lori Petty is my queen.
Lori Petty is my queen.
April 25, 2023
Після анонсу коміксу «Танкістка» Алана Мартіна та Джеймі Г’юлета пройшло вже досить багато часу, що багато поціновувачів мальописів уже не мали надії побачити класику британської коміксової культури українською мовою. Тому, коли проект почав показувати признаки життя, це стало надзвичайно хорошою новиною. А тепер уже навіть тримаю це велико-форматне видання від видавництва Other Comix (імпринт UA Comix якщо що) в руках.
Але, що це за видання і чим воно відрізняється від оригінальних коміксів? Ці короткі історії, які мали п’ять і більше сторінок, почали виходити в далекому 1988 році, ще в британському журналі «Deadline», і були чорно-білими. Далі, після того, як ці комікси набули популярності, то були перевидані окремими томами, кожен із яких містив у собі кілька цих коротких історій про екстравагантну Танкістку. І вже через багато років потому, видавництво Titan Comics вирішило ще раз перевидати ці старі комікси, але вже в кольорі, фарбуванням яких займалася колористка Трейсі Бейлі. Так би мовити, «осучаснити» малюнок для нових читачів. І саме таке кольорове видання вийшло друком і в нас українською мовою. Це не є якась нова практика й таку долю спіткало, для прикладу, серії коміксів «Усаґі Йоджімбо» Стена Сакая чи «Ходячі мерці» Роберта Кіркмана.
Описати сюжет цих коміксів чи цього тому складно, оскільки в ньому відсутня послідовна сюжетна лінія. Однак головною героїнею завжди є Танкістка, або Ребекка Бак, яка мешкає в постапокаліптичній Австралії, що стала пустелею після природної чи ядерної катастрофи. Світ наповнений кенгуру-мутантами, а вода перебуває в приватній власності. Незважаючи на суворі умови життя, Танкістка не втрачає почуття гумору й не підкоряється владі. У перших кількох випусках першого тому на неї чекають різні пригоди: романтична зустріч із кенгуру, переляк президента через відсутність калоприймача, переслідування небезпечних мисливців за головами, викрадання улюбленого пива, знайомство з дівчиною-реактивницею чи дівчиною-підводницею і заохочення свого кенгуру-бойфренда до боксу. Незважаючи на складнощі, Танкістка виконує різні ролі в цих коміксах: військової, найманки, кур’єрки чи агентки-провокаторки. Вона погоджується на будь-яку роботу, яка добре оплачується, щоб збільшити свій добробут.
Основна сутність Танкістки характеризується зухвалістю, неввічливістю та грайливим почуттям гумору. Вона гучна, палить цигарки й дуже імпульсивна. Вона насолоджується випадковими актами насильства й сексу. Вона нічого не продумує, а це означає, що ви ніколи не знаєте, що станеться далі. Єдине, що тут можна назвати стабільним — це те, що вона нікого не слухає. У 1990-х роках це був новаторський комікс із нецензурною, грубою, незалежною та бажаною дівчиною, яка любила друзів і коханого кенгуру. Незважаючи на свої недоліки, Танкістка, безсумнівно, була унікальною у власний спосіб від самого початку. Що і подобалося читачам, адже вони хотіли бути на її місці. Стиль оповіді Алана Мартіна досліджує, як сатиричний гумор, так і скатологічний гумор, тоді як малюнок Джеймі Г’юлетта із часом еволюціонує від густих, хаотичних мазків до більш прямих й кутастих ліній, які точно впізнають шанувальники його пізніших проектів.
Художник Джеймі Г’юлетт надихався британським панк-гуртом The Undertones, і якщо ви не знайомі з ними, можете поцікавитися їхньою творчістю. А вже пізніше став частиною проекту The Gorillaz, британського віртуального музичного гурту, візуальний стиль до кліпів якого багато хто пам’ятає. Малюнок Г’юлетта — дикий, сміливий і дуже деталізований — черпає натхнення, як із панк-культури, так і з Looney Tunes (анімаційний серіал від Warner Bros.). Його власне мистецьке бачення привело його до великої популярності, як і в мальописній царині, так і в музичній.
Ось це кольорове видання зображує культурну значущість у британській історії, якої Танкістка досягла із часом. Розпочавшись, як самвидавничий концепт двох студентів коледжу, ця героїня менш, ніж за десять років стала предметом численних антологій. І поміж підлітків Британії здобула великої популярності. Але виникає багато питань чи надалі вона є актуальною для сучасного читача. Тут можна сперечатися довго, але думаю більше ні, аніж так. Та залишається мальованою історією, яку цікаво досліджувати, як і будь-яку класику в мальописах чи інших видах мистецтва, і має мати своє місце на полиці. Це не є збірка, яку візьмеш і прочитаєш за один раз, поринувши в сюжет із головою. Краще виділити кілька днів, де кожного дня прочитаєш дві чи три історії, щоб не перевантажувати себе тим усім безладом, що там відбувається. Одним словом, купуйте та пробуйте. І ще добре, що видавництво вирішило надрукувати цей комікс у великому формату, це дуже допомагає під час читання через велику кількість тексту та дрібних деталей.
Але, що це за видання і чим воно відрізняється від оригінальних коміксів? Ці короткі історії, які мали п’ять і більше сторінок, почали виходити в далекому 1988 році, ще в британському журналі «Deadline», і були чорно-білими. Далі, після того, як ці комікси набули популярності, то були перевидані окремими томами, кожен із яких містив у собі кілька цих коротких історій про екстравагантну Танкістку. І вже через багато років потому, видавництво Titan Comics вирішило ще раз перевидати ці старі комікси, але вже в кольорі, фарбуванням яких займалася колористка Трейсі Бейлі. Так би мовити, «осучаснити» малюнок для нових читачів. І саме таке кольорове видання вийшло друком і в нас українською мовою. Це не є якась нова практика й таку долю спіткало, для прикладу, серії коміксів «Усаґі Йоджімбо» Стена Сакая чи «Ходячі мерці» Роберта Кіркмана.
Описати сюжет цих коміксів чи цього тому складно, оскільки в ньому відсутня послідовна сюжетна лінія. Однак головною героїнею завжди є Танкістка, або Ребекка Бак, яка мешкає в постапокаліптичній Австралії, що стала пустелею після природної чи ядерної катастрофи. Світ наповнений кенгуру-мутантами, а вода перебуває в приватній власності. Незважаючи на суворі умови життя, Танкістка не втрачає почуття гумору й не підкоряється владі. У перших кількох випусках першого тому на неї чекають різні пригоди: романтична зустріч із кенгуру, переляк президента через відсутність калоприймача, переслідування небезпечних мисливців за головами, викрадання улюбленого пива, знайомство з дівчиною-реактивницею чи дівчиною-підводницею і заохочення свого кенгуру-бойфренда до боксу. Незважаючи на складнощі, Танкістка виконує різні ролі в цих коміксах: військової, найманки, кур’єрки чи агентки-провокаторки. Вона погоджується на будь-яку роботу, яка добре оплачується, щоб збільшити свій добробут.
Основна сутність Танкістки характеризується зухвалістю, неввічливістю та грайливим почуттям гумору. Вона гучна, палить цигарки й дуже імпульсивна. Вона насолоджується випадковими актами насильства й сексу. Вона нічого не продумує, а це означає, що ви ніколи не знаєте, що станеться далі. Єдине, що тут можна назвати стабільним — це те, що вона нікого не слухає. У 1990-х роках це був новаторський комікс із нецензурною, грубою, незалежною та бажаною дівчиною, яка любила друзів і коханого кенгуру. Незважаючи на свої недоліки, Танкістка, безсумнівно, була унікальною у власний спосіб від самого початку. Що і подобалося читачам, адже вони хотіли бути на її місці. Стиль оповіді Алана Мартіна досліджує, як сатиричний гумор, так і скатологічний гумор, тоді як малюнок Джеймі Г’юлетта із часом еволюціонує від густих, хаотичних мазків до більш прямих й кутастих ліній, які точно впізнають шанувальники його пізніших проектів.
Художник Джеймі Г’юлетт надихався британським панк-гуртом The Undertones, і якщо ви не знайомі з ними, можете поцікавитися їхньою творчістю. А вже пізніше став частиною проекту The Gorillaz, британського віртуального музичного гурту, візуальний стиль до кліпів якого багато хто пам’ятає. Малюнок Г’юлетта — дикий, сміливий і дуже деталізований — черпає натхнення, як із панк-культури, так і з Looney Tunes (анімаційний серіал від Warner Bros.). Його власне мистецьке бачення привело його до великої популярності, як і в мальописній царині, так і в музичній.
Ось це кольорове видання зображує культурну значущість у британській історії, якої Танкістка досягла із часом. Розпочавшись, як самвидавничий концепт двох студентів коледжу, ця героїня менш, ніж за десять років стала предметом численних антологій. І поміж підлітків Британії здобула великої популярності. Але виникає багато питань чи надалі вона є актуальною для сучасного читача. Тут можна сперечатися довго, але думаю більше ні, аніж так. Та залишається мальованою історією, яку цікаво досліджувати, як і будь-яку класику в мальописах чи інших видах мистецтва, і має мати своє місце на полиці. Це не є збірка, яку візьмеш і прочитаєш за один раз, поринувши в сюжет із головою. Краще виділити кілька днів, де кожного дня прочитаєш дві чи три історії, щоб не перевантажувати себе тим усім безладом, що там відбувається. Одним словом, купуйте та пробуйте. І ще добре, що видавництво вирішило надрукувати цей комікс у великому формату, це дуже допомагає під час читання через велику кількість тексту та дрібних деталей.
May 18, 2013
3 1/2 stars
This "remastered" version presents the Tank Girl series in its original black and white and in chronological order of when they first appeared.
Tank Girl is the mutated child of Madonna and GI Joe, living in an apocalyptic Aussie outback with a few teenage mutant punk rock kangaroos thrown in. While the author and artist claim to have created this comic in rebellion against the pathos of MTV, the truth is Tank Girl could only have come out of that generation (late 80s, early 90s). It's short episodic pieces, laced with pop culture and zany antics would have been right at home with the other animated shows appearing on that channel an others during that time period. It's all about spectacle and objectification an wackadoodle encounters. Many of the stories only barely make sense, if they even bother with sense at all, and there is little to no character development. Event flashes to event like a series of quick paced music videos (though there seems to be a tiny bit more cohesion toward the end of the book and you can see how the creators gained skill). The art is frantic and detailed, sometimes with so much going on its hard to know where to look, but it's fun to look at.
Tank Girl is a representation of Girl Power as much as Spice Girls was (though more punk rock than pop rock), half sexist exploitation even as she presents power. Nameless, Tank Girl is only Tank Girl. She, like all the characters within the comic, is entirely one dimensional. Never growing or changing (except in appearance and clothing), she is exactly as advertised, a tank driving, chain smoking, kangaroo kissing crazy woman wearing little more than a black bra and a devil-may-care smile. Absolutely fearless and with no ambition, she faces each bizarre challenge with a grin on her face. Half the time she's so busy doing here own thing, she's oblivious to the threats around her and gets out of sticky situations as much by luck as by any apparent skill (which other than her fearlessness and recklessness, I'm not sure she has).
In a sense, I love Tank Girl, because she allows me to live vicariously. I always wanted to be that person, with crazy dyed and wacky cut hair, adorned with chains and safety pins and vibrant colors, and sporting an I-don't-give-a-flying-f*ck-what-you think attitude. But I never had the courage and I still don't.
She's fun and free of cares, which unfortunately means she leaves a slew of damage and death in her wake. There are never any consequences for this; Tank Girl lives in blissful chaos.
That and the sexism are only minor concerns compared to how the black and aboriginal characters are handled. They are presented as caricatures, all with dreadlocks and big lips and often with tribal paint; one such character is a voodoo priest (even though that's not part of Australian Aboriginal culture as far as I'm aware), who actually says, "Ooga, ooga, ooga," while in the act of performing "magic." And it's just so racist. It doesn't happen often, but every time one of these caricatures appeared I cringed.
*sigh*
I like the idea of Tank Girl (and I even like the ridiculous movie adaptation), but I have a hell of a lot of reservations about aspects of it.
This "remastered" version presents the Tank Girl series in its original black and white and in chronological order of when they first appeared.
Tank Girl is the mutated child of Madonna and GI Joe, living in an apocalyptic Aussie outback with a few teenage mutant punk rock kangaroos thrown in. While the author and artist claim to have created this comic in rebellion against the pathos of MTV, the truth is Tank Girl could only have come out of that generation (late 80s, early 90s). It's short episodic pieces, laced with pop culture and zany antics would have been right at home with the other animated shows appearing on that channel an others during that time period. It's all about spectacle and objectification an wackadoodle encounters. Many of the stories only barely make sense, if they even bother with sense at all, and there is little to no character development. Event flashes to event like a series of quick paced music videos (though there seems to be a tiny bit more cohesion toward the end of the book and you can see how the creators gained skill). The art is frantic and detailed, sometimes with so much going on its hard to know where to look, but it's fun to look at.
Tank Girl is a representation of Girl Power as much as Spice Girls was (though more punk rock than pop rock), half sexist exploitation even as she presents power. Nameless, Tank Girl is only Tank Girl. She, like all the characters within the comic, is entirely one dimensional. Never growing or changing (except in appearance and clothing), she is exactly as advertised, a tank driving, chain smoking, kangaroo kissing crazy woman wearing little more than a black bra and a devil-may-care smile. Absolutely fearless and with no ambition, she faces each bizarre challenge with a grin on her face. Half the time she's so busy doing here own thing, she's oblivious to the threats around her and gets out of sticky situations as much by luck as by any apparent skill (which other than her fearlessness and recklessness, I'm not sure she has).
In a sense, I love Tank Girl, because she allows me to live vicariously. I always wanted to be that person, with crazy dyed and wacky cut hair, adorned with chains and safety pins and vibrant colors, and sporting an I-don't-give-a-flying-f*ck-what-you think attitude. But I never had the courage and I still don't.
She's fun and free of cares, which unfortunately means she leaves a slew of damage and death in her wake. There are never any consequences for this; Tank Girl lives in blissful chaos.
That and the sexism are only minor concerns compared to how the black and aboriginal characters are handled. They are presented as caricatures, all with dreadlocks and big lips and often with tribal paint; one such character is a voodoo priest (even though that's not part of Australian Aboriginal culture as far as I'm aware), who actually says, "Ooga, ooga, ooga," while in the act of performing "magic." And it's just so racist. It doesn't happen often, but every time one of these caricatures appeared I cringed.
*sigh*
I like the idea of Tank Girl (and I even like the ridiculous movie adaptation), but I have a hell of a lot of reservations about aspects of it.
Read
August 10, 2022gotta be the biggest dyke created by a bunch of straight men
September 10, 2009
nybody who tells you a girl can't drive a tank should be run over and then drowned in cheap beer.
Tank Girl kicks butt and doesn't take whiny prisoners. She and
her other grrlfriends, Jet Girl and Subgirl, have one thing in
mind: To have fun wreaking havoc across the desert.
In the beginning....Tank Girl has a long, sorded history beginning with her two dads, Jaime Hewlett and Alan Martin.After plenty of cheap beer and not much else, they came up with our beloved doll of destruction, Tank Girl. And she debuted in the U.K. comic/music/fashion rag known as Deadline.
As we all know, Tanky and friends had great success in the comic book world. Images of Tank Girl could be seen on shirts, skateboards and, of course, a true hipster would tattoo himself with a grinning Tank Girl.
But like all great things, Hollywood came into the picture to mess things up royally.They forced poor Jamie and Alan to take
truck-loads of money so directors who NEVER read the comic could turn it into an action flick. The REAL Tank Girl would have never given in...well...maybe she would if she could have some fun screwing everything up and making those Hollywood types mad.
But as we both know, the movie just wasn't that great. The REAL Tanky wouldn't be into the Good VS. Evil fight. She just wants a decent can of beer, a good snog with her kangaroo boyfriend and a full tank of gas.
Tank Girl kicks butt and doesn't take whiny prisoners. She and
her other grrlfriends, Jet Girl and Subgirl, have one thing in
mind: To have fun wreaking havoc across the desert.
In the beginning....Tank Girl has a long, sorded history beginning with her two dads, Jaime Hewlett and Alan Martin.After plenty of cheap beer and not much else, they came up with our beloved doll of destruction, Tank Girl. And she debuted in the U.K. comic/music/fashion rag known as Deadline.
As we all know, Tanky and friends had great success in the comic book world. Images of Tank Girl could be seen on shirts, skateboards and, of course, a true hipster would tattoo himself with a grinning Tank Girl.
But like all great things, Hollywood came into the picture to mess things up royally.They forced poor Jamie and Alan to take
truck-loads of money so directors who NEVER read the comic could turn it into an action flick. The REAL Tank Girl would have never given in...well...maybe she would if she could have some fun screwing everything up and making those Hollywood types mad.
But as we both know, the movie just wasn't that great. The REAL Tanky wouldn't be into the Good VS. Evil fight. She just wants a decent can of beer, a good snog with her kangaroo boyfriend and a full tank of gas.
February 20, 2025
Більше відгуків у моєму книжковому Telegram та YouTube-каналі.
Культовий комікс про дівчину, яка живе у танку, не цурається насилля, любить психотропні речовини та має за хлопця кенгу-мутанта Бугу. Якщо цього замало, то дія відбувається у постапокаліптичній Австралії (привіт ядерному апокаліпсису!), а пригоди Танкістки не просто шалені, а відбиті на всю голову.
У коміксі відчувається сильний вплив панк-візуального мистецтва, а оповідь часто неорганізована, анархічна, абсурдистська та психоделічна. І разом з тим неймовірна гарна! Особливо у новій яскравій колористиці.
Хоча мені й не сподобались сюжети історій про Танкістку, що є в українському виданні (бо все таки я не у панк у душі), та я просто у захваті від візуалу. Безліч деталей, експресії, харизми! Так, герої геть божевільні, але у цьому є шарм!
Думаю, що любителі коміксів обов'язково мають зазирнути у "Танкістку". Це цікавий досвід😉
Культовий комікс про дівчину, яка живе у танку, не цурається насилля, любить психотропні речовини та має за хлопця кенгу-мутанта Бугу. Якщо цього замало, то дія відбувається у постапокаліптичній Австралії (привіт ядерному апокаліпсису!), а пригоди Танкістки не просто шалені, а відбиті на всю голову.
У коміксі відчувається сильний вплив панк-візуального мистецтва, а оповідь часто неорганізована, анархічна, абсурдистська та психоделічна. І разом з тим неймовірна гарна! Особливо у новій яскравій колористиці.
Хоча мені й не сподобались сюжети історій про Танкістку, що є в українському виданні (бо все таки я не у панк у душі), та я просто у захваті від візуалу. Безліч деталей, експресії, харизми! Так, герої геть божевільні, але у цьому є шарм!
Думаю, що любителі коміксів обов'язково мають зазирнути у "Танкістку". Це цікавий досвід😉
January 17, 2021
Tank Girl is a series of subtle, intellectual parries at the patriarchy, ruling class and aristocracy, illustrated with razor-fine exactitude.
No.
Tank Girl, from 1988-1990, when she appeared in Deadline Magazine in the UK, birthed into existence by a bunch of reprobates who would eventually help to create things like Preacher and Gorillaz, was a series of ass and boob jokes that poked fun at sex and violence and took back-alley stabs at the patriarchy, ruling class, aristocracy, and the general unease of 80s and 90s teenagers with those in authority. It is rude, drunken, chaotic and gloriously good fun. Funny, too. As with anything, not all of it has aged well, but if you go around deciding to care about stuff like that, there may be no help for you. This collection has been colorized, but in a good way, not that bullshit shiny stuff they do.
Get it. Read it. Enjoy. Maybe don't tell anyone.
No.
Tank Girl, from 1988-1990, when she appeared in Deadline Magazine in the UK, birthed into existence by a bunch of reprobates who would eventually help to create things like Preacher and Gorillaz, was a series of ass and boob jokes that poked fun at sex and violence and took back-alley stabs at the patriarchy, ruling class, aristocracy, and the general unease of 80s and 90s teenagers with those in authority. It is rude, drunken, chaotic and gloriously good fun. Funny, too. As with anything, not all of it has aged well, but if you go around deciding to care about stuff like that, there may be no help for you. This collection has been colorized, but in a good way, not that bullshit shiny stuff they do.
Get it. Read it. Enjoy. Maybe don't tell anyone.
May 23, 2024
2.5
Kind of a weak start, but it gets a lot better at the end while keeping the tone. The first few stories are kind of a slog to get through despite being very fast-paced. The art is very chaotic, but it can be overwhelming, because the panel arrangement is very cluttered and the page is full of tiny words. Colors and character design and detail etc. is fantastic, though. Best part by far. I saw a lot of Deadpool comparisons with the Conner/Palmiotti Harley Quinn run (my least favorite comic book of all time), but it's definitely heavily inspired by Tank Girl, just significantly less funny. The chaos reminds me of The Mask a bit, but I think it works better there. If my library has the next volume I'll probably read, but it's not a priority. I still had fun in the last parts of the volume.
Kind of a weak start, but it gets a lot better at the end while keeping the tone. The first few stories are kind of a slog to get through despite being very fast-paced. The art is very chaotic, but it can be overwhelming, because the panel arrangement is very cluttered and the page is full of tiny words. Colors and character design and detail etc. is fantastic, though. Best part by far. I saw a lot of Deadpool comparisons with the Conner/Palmiotti Harley Quinn run (my least favorite comic book of all time), but it's definitely heavily inspired by Tank Girl, just significantly less funny. The chaos reminds me of The Mask a bit, but I think it works better there. If my library has the next volume I'll probably read, but it's not a priority. I still had fun in the last parts of the volume.
September 6, 2016
I had been putting off reading Tank Girl for a long time. My disinterest was probably a product of poor associations, either from watching the movie or dealing with annoying teen-punks who loved the comic. Well, I've exhausted my school library's comic collection, and the Jamie Hewlett art looked appealing, so what the hell.
The art and lettering is great-the stories and dialogue, not so much. Each page is beautiful to look at, with a lot of anarchic paneling,psychedelic new-wavey aboriginal motifs, cool punk aesthetics, and a lot of outfits I would totally wear. Hewlett also manages to render a mutant punk kangaroo that doesn't come across as embarrassingly furry-fetishistic,unlike a lot of other anthropomorphic comic characters (I'm looking at you, Omaha), in spite of its inter-species sexual relationship with Tank Girl. These were re-printed in color for Dark Horse, and I would love to see it in original black and white.
The lettering is gritty and fits the punk aesthetic really well. The actual writing gets too chaotic, however. A lot of the slang is confusing, the action and motivations behind the characters are confusing (aside from Tank Girl herself-her motivation is pretty consistently getting plastered), the dialogue is a crazy mess (partly because the punctuation is awful) and is cluttered with a ton of references that go way over my head. The comic seems to be a big inside joke for the creators and their friends. There are little messages scrawled over all the panels that have nothing to do with the action and get annoying. I am curious to read later Tank Girl comics, which feature different writers and artists; I'm sure the inside-joke quality dissipates by that point.
There is also a lot of fourth-wall-breakage, something I am never a fan of.
Also, I am a pretty crusty girl, fond of gross-outs and general scuzziness, but sometimes Tank Girl's tendencies just kinda ick me out. However, if you want to see panels of hot skinhead babes making out with kangaroos,farting, and taking craps, this is the comic for you!
In spite of my ambivalence towards Tank Girl, I am probably going to read more, even if just for the art.
The art and lettering is great-the stories and dialogue, not so much. Each page is beautiful to look at, with a lot of anarchic paneling,psychedelic new-wavey aboriginal motifs, cool punk aesthetics, and a lot of outfits I would totally wear. Hewlett also manages to render a mutant punk kangaroo that doesn't come across as embarrassingly furry-fetishistic,unlike a lot of other anthropomorphic comic characters (I'm looking at you, Omaha), in spite of its inter-species sexual relationship with Tank Girl. These were re-printed in color for Dark Horse, and I would love to see it in original black and white.
The lettering is gritty and fits the punk aesthetic really well. The actual writing gets too chaotic, however. A lot of the slang is confusing, the action and motivations behind the characters are confusing (aside from Tank Girl herself-her motivation is pretty consistently getting plastered), the dialogue is a crazy mess (partly because the punctuation is awful) and is cluttered with a ton of references that go way over my head. The comic seems to be a big inside joke for the creators and their friends. There are little messages scrawled over all the panels that have nothing to do with the action and get annoying. I am curious to read later Tank Girl comics, which feature different writers and artists; I'm sure the inside-joke quality dissipates by that point.
There is also a lot of fourth-wall-breakage, something I am never a fan of.
Also, I am a pretty crusty girl, fond of gross-outs and general scuzziness, but sometimes Tank Girl's tendencies just kinda ick me out. However, if you want to see panels of hot skinhead babes making out with kangaroos,farting, and taking craps, this is the comic for you!
In spite of my ambivalence towards Tank Girl, I am probably going to read more, even if just for the art.
January 16, 2015
How would you like a ball busting, head chopping, tank driving bitchy diva who has serious fun while doing it all? Bring it on, I hear you say? Well, that and a lot, lot more than that is what Tank girl is all about.
Tank Girl is an outlaw living in the Australian Outback who hangs out with her boyfriend, a mutant Kangaroo; her best friend, a junkie Aborigine; a stuffed toy Koala bear who hasn't come to terms with his sexual orientation and a horny squeaky toy rat. And if you're not convinced that Tank girl (with her friends, Jet Girl and Sub Girl) is a resounding anti-establishment slap on the face of all civilization, then you deserve to be strapped between two nuclear warheads and violently murdered! (just kidding)
The comic creators have stopped at nothing to create a bald anti-heroine who oozes sexual confidence, who thinks nothing of rules of engagement and whose idea of fun is to wreak havoc on everything around. With her Tank.
She crushes, stomps and blasts her way to arrive in style and she has a permanent look of 'fuck you all, I don't give a shit!' on her face. The comic is overflowing with far too many pop culture references, fantastically amazing artwork, superb attention to detail and meta-humor. I just LOVED the feel that I got while reading it; it was like getting a dose of adrenaline and endorphin, packed in little pills of viagra! (sorry, couldn't think of a better way to describe it)
This is the closest I've come to falling in love with a comic book character, but I'm sure that she wouldn't care a bit for that, so I've decided to worship her instead. There's insanity, there's humor, there's violence and then, there's Tank Girl! All hail Tank Girl!
Don't think too much, just go and read this comic! You MUST! Meanwhile, here are some sequences from the comic for those who can't wait.
Forty-third book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge | Read (this is the 100th post on my blog!) on my blog
Tank Girl is an outlaw living in the Australian Outback who hangs out with her boyfriend, a mutant Kangaroo; her best friend, a junkie Aborigine; a stuffed toy Koala bear who hasn't come to terms with his sexual orientation and a horny squeaky toy rat. And if you're not convinced that Tank girl (with her friends, Jet Girl and Sub Girl) is a resounding anti-establishment slap on the face of all civilization, then you deserve to be strapped between two nuclear warheads and violently murdered! (just kidding)
The comic creators have stopped at nothing to create a bald anti-heroine who oozes sexual confidence, who thinks nothing of rules of engagement and whose idea of fun is to wreak havoc on everything around. With her Tank.
She crushes, stomps and blasts her way to arrive in style and she has a permanent look of 'fuck you all, I don't give a shit!' on her face. The comic is overflowing with far too many pop culture references, fantastically amazing artwork, superb attention to detail and meta-humor. I just LOVED the feel that I got while reading it; it was like getting a dose of adrenaline and endorphin, packed in little pills of viagra! (sorry, couldn't think of a better way to describe it)
This is the closest I've come to falling in love with a comic book character, but I'm sure that she wouldn't care a bit for that, so I've decided to worship her instead. There's insanity, there's humor, there's violence and then, there's Tank Girl! All hail Tank Girl!
Don't think too much, just go and read this comic! You MUST! Meanwhile, here are some sequences from the comic for those who can't wait.
Forty-third book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge | Read (this is the 100th post on my blog!) on my blog
February 21, 2015
I was inspired to read this ridiculousness after my friend Tim showed me the movie version. It sparked my interest and I had to know more about this beer swilling, kangaroo screwing, tank loving, she devil. The comics did not disappoint. I don't know how I made it this far into my life never having heard of Tank Girl. She's ridiculous and nearly defies definition. She's the most badass chick in Australia and she kicks butt and takes names second. She lives for the moment and has no agenda beyond her own personal enjoyment. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the comics. The characters are bat shit insane, the story line is barely follow-able, and the inside jokes and little notes are a real treat. Soo glad I got introduced to Tank Girl. Better late than never!
January 20, 2016
"Suck on this, Fart Face"
[image error]
When I die and come back, Tank Girl is who I'll be reincarnated as.
Talk about a badass girl who fights just for shits and giggles. That's what we shall call.... my hero.
The art is shocking to the human eye as it seems to go in every single direction, which goes for the storyline as well. But it doesn't seem to take away from any of it. TG's travels are read almost like they have been put together by Hunter S. Thompson and Tank Girl is Fear and Loathing.
[image error]
When I die and come back, Tank Girl is who I'll be reincarnated as.
Talk about a badass girl who fights just for shits and giggles. That's what we shall call.... my hero.
The art is shocking to the human eye as it seems to go in every single direction, which goes for the storyline as well. But it doesn't seem to take away from any of it. TG's travels are read almost like they have been put together by Hunter S. Thompson and Tank Girl is Fear and Loathing.
June 27, 2025
Нарвана і стильна, з купою пива, австралійським акцентом, який проривається крізь видатну суміш мату, «Танкістка» виглядає як міцна основа для веселої рвані у вигляді екранізації в дусі “The Boys”. В коміксі it’s just okay.
March 7, 2022
So much text, but quality text! Hahahha
Read
August 15, 2021Аж мозок втомився читати весь цей екшн
February 5, 2014
I was recently reading Grant Morrison's Supergods, and thinking when he was eulogising Tank Girl that I wouldn't mind rereading those stories (I'd been on the TG bandwagon in the early 90s, but don't actually own any now for reasons to be discussed later...). By complete coincidence (although if I were Grant Morrison I'd probably presume this was because my chakras had gotten wrapped around my mandala or some other bastardisation of eastern philosophy, it really was just a coincidence), a few days later our excellent little local library had the first three volumes of this remastered series collection!
Way back in the early 90s, in the thick of the Dawn of New Comics, Tank Girl barrelled onto the scene like a number of other violent, irreverent, black and white, independently produced comics (Milk and Cheese springs immediately to mind). Jamie Hewlett was unmistakeably talented and his every panel was a riotous feast for the eyes; Alan Martin (whose contribution appears practically marginal) had a penchant for making the most incomprehensible and ridiculous madcap adventures appear to be part of a greater complete narrative.
While Hewlett got better with the years, regrettably Tank Girl did not and I lost interest after the second Dark Horse mini-series (and even eventually got rid of those). What was fun and refreshing at the start turned out to be a wearying one-trick pony show only a few years later. This collection does nothing to change that perception: we start with idiotic zaniness, and continue through idiotic zaniness to finally finish with (you guessed it!) idiotic zaniness. I can only imagine that Hewlett's constantly new, always improving and thoroughly engrossing super-pop art is what kept this one-note character going for enough material to fill the six books of the current series of reprints. Time will tell if there's anything more to be gleaned from the series as I read the next two books, but my hopes are not high.
If all I expect is mindless mayhem, Tank Girl will have to go out of her way to disappoint.
This edition collects early Deadline strips, assorted pin-ups (of undetermined provenance), the first Dark Horse mini-series' covers (and thumbnails of the appropriate Deadline covers) in full colour and adds an interesting and entertaining intro from Alan Martin, illustrated with photos, early art and influential images.
Way back in the early 90s, in the thick of the Dawn of New Comics, Tank Girl barrelled onto the scene like a number of other violent, irreverent, black and white, independently produced comics (Milk and Cheese springs immediately to mind). Jamie Hewlett was unmistakeably talented and his every panel was a riotous feast for the eyes; Alan Martin (whose contribution appears practically marginal) had a penchant for making the most incomprehensible and ridiculous madcap adventures appear to be part of a greater complete narrative.
While Hewlett got better with the years, regrettably Tank Girl did not and I lost interest after the second Dark Horse mini-series (and even eventually got rid of those). What was fun and refreshing at the start turned out to be a wearying one-trick pony show only a few years later. This collection does nothing to change that perception: we start with idiotic zaniness, and continue through idiotic zaniness to finally finish with (you guessed it!) idiotic zaniness. I can only imagine that Hewlett's constantly new, always improving and thoroughly engrossing super-pop art is what kept this one-note character going for enough material to fill the six books of the current series of reprints. Time will tell if there's anything more to be gleaned from the series as I read the next two books, but my hopes are not high.
If all I expect is mindless mayhem, Tank Girl will have to go out of her way to disappoint.
This edition collects early Deadline strips, assorted pin-ups (of undetermined provenance), the first Dark Horse mini-series' covers (and thumbnails of the appropriate Deadline covers) in full colour and adds an interesting and entertaining intro from Alan Martin, illustrated with photos, early art and influential images.
September 7, 2010
So .... this was different. My reasoning for reading the series was that I am one of the few people who enjoyed Tank Girl the movie but felt it was missing something. I wanted to get the rest of the story and the graphic novel seemed to be the place to scratch that itch. After struggling through the first Tank Girl graphic novel ..... I have hives! It was a disjointed mess of ideas, musings, scary dreams, and a lot of 'what ifs'. I think the connotation of "graphic novel" feed into the difficulty I had with the book. Novel indicates (at least in my mind) a cohesive story with a beginning, middle and end. Whether it has graphics or not makes no difference. Tank Girl was not cohesive in anyway. I think I would have appreciated it more back in the day when it was first published in the 80's in Deadline magazine. I would not have been expecting a linear story and would have just enjoyed it for what it was. I did some research and the later novels have more of a storyline that one can follow so I think I will soldier on (ha ha)and see if Tank Girl the Graphic Novel wins a place in my heart.
November 18, 2014
My 4 star rating is a reflection of two separate things: 5 stars for the art and 3 stars for the writing and storyline. In this collection we meet Tank Girl, who crashes through the post-apocalyptic Australian outback in her tank, with her hot kangaroo boyfriend and other assorted weirdos. We also meet her counterparts, Jet Girl and Sub Girl. This comic is violent, irreverent, and full of beer.
I’ve fallen in love with Hewlett’s drawing style, which you may recognize from Gorillaz album covers. It was a picture of TG and Booga that I saw online that alerted me to this series’ existence in the first place. The amount of detail in every spread was great, and I often slowed my reading to check out the intricacies of an article of clothing. Some of the pages also had excellent composition.
Dialogue is not exactly erudite and not entirely PC, but I’m able to acknowledge that and enjoy it anyway. Heavily referential and meta-- the margins are full of shoutouts to friends, references to 80s music culture, and sometimes the author's aside comments directly at a character.
I will be ordering the next two collections on Amazon since they're hard to find in libraries in LA.
I’ve fallen in love with Hewlett’s drawing style, which you may recognize from Gorillaz album covers. It was a picture of TG and Booga that I saw online that alerted me to this series’ existence in the first place. The amount of detail in every spread was great, and I often slowed my reading to check out the intricacies of an article of clothing. Some of the pages also had excellent composition.
Dialogue is not exactly erudite and not entirely PC, but I’m able to acknowledge that and enjoy it anyway. Heavily referential and meta-- the margins are full of shoutouts to friends, references to 80s music culture, and sometimes the author's aside comments directly at a character.
I will be ordering the next two collections on Amazon since they're hard to find in libraries in LA.
October 26, 2015
This is probably one of the most wacky things I've ever read, I can understand why it has a cult following. If you are looking for a graphic novel with good art and a compelling story, this is not for you!
The drawing is messy and non-consistent, the story doesn't make any sense and follows zero order or continuity, it's crude and rude, and it is extremely hard to read. But that's what makes it so awesome. This is not a book to sit down and enjoy, it's a novelty, it's fun and light (in the heaviest way possible).
I fell in love with Tank Girl because of the '90s movie so decided to finally read the comics and it's very different and I must admit I like what they did with the movie much more.
But these comics are extremely unique, unlike anything I've ever seen before.
If you enjoy bad ass chicks who don't give a f*** about what you think and does what she wants, including dating a kangaroo man, then this is for you!
The drawing is messy and non-consistent, the story doesn't make any sense and follows zero order or continuity, it's crude and rude, and it is extremely hard to read. But that's what makes it so awesome. This is not a book to sit down and enjoy, it's a novelty, it's fun and light (in the heaviest way possible).
I fell in love with Tank Girl because of the '90s movie so decided to finally read the comics and it's very different and I must admit I like what they did with the movie much more.
But these comics are extremely unique, unlike anything I've ever seen before.
If you enjoy bad ass chicks who don't give a f*** about what you think and does what she wants, including dating a kangaroo man, then this is for you!
February 21, 2010
I came to this after very much enjoying the film adaptation of Tank Girl. This volume collects the first 15 strips of Hewlett and Martin's very, very strange comic. Unfortunately, I must confess to not particularly enjoying much of it. As I say, it's very strange, sometimes non-linear, irreverent and just a little too bonkers for my tastes.
There's little continuity between stories, and the whole thing of being on the run from the military just seems to fizzle out by the end. In saying that, there were a couple of stories that I enjoyed: the Italian Job spoof was fun, as was the one about God's dressing gown. The later stories weaved in some Australian Aborigine mythology which was interesting and it would have been nice to see more of that.
An interesting read, but not one that I'd re-read.
There's little continuity between stories, and the whole thing of being on the run from the military just seems to fizzle out by the end. In saying that, there were a couple of stories that I enjoyed: the Italian Job spoof was fun, as was the one about God's dressing gown. The later stories weaved in some Australian Aborigine mythology which was interesting and it would have been nice to see more of that.
An interesting read, but not one that I'd re-read.
August 11, 2015
Tank Girl, the character, is a lot of fun. I can see a legitimate criticism of her being the sort of "Geek Ideal" strong, sexy woman, but I didn't really feel that. She seemed like a perfect inhabitant for the world in which she lived. The fact that it seems like she really chose to live in that kind of world makes it make all the more sense.
The ancillary characters haven't gotten a huge amount of page time yet, so it's a bit harder to judge them. They seem fun though. Booga's gotten the most time and he's a lot of fun. His relationship with Tank Girl also undermines the "Geek Ideal" image.
The art is a lot of fun. I like the Punk image of the world.
The ancillary characters haven't gotten a huge amount of page time yet, so it's a bit harder to judge them. They seem fun though. Booga's gotten the most time and he's a lot of fun. His relationship with Tank Girl also undermines the "Geek Ideal" image.
The art is a lot of fun. I like the Punk image of the world.
March 10, 2015
So Tank Girl loves drinking beer and screwing kangaroos and generally just blowing things up. That's fine, but overall seems mostly crass and definitely a weird perversion of male fantasy. This is just the first volume, so maybe she develops into something more over time...In addition, the artwork was a bit hard to follow. Almost every story is action-packed, so I guess that's why some images seem unclear. I preferred the larger, less images, and I am aware that overall this review makes me seem like a bit of a prude. Oh well.
November 27, 2012
Worth reading solely for Jamie Hewlett's early artwork. The story is an absolute mess and all of the jokes are based on 80's pop culture that (if you're British) you'll struggle to remember or (if you're American) you'll be completely lost with. "Who was Mike Smith again?" ... off to Wikipedia again.
March 8, 2016
I finally discovered this masterpiece in punk-art and it was exactly what I expected, crazy, funny, delirious, epic, alternative and full of details, with amazing drawings. Can't wait to read the next volumes!
Read
May 29, 2023Тішить, що мальопис «Танкістка» виданий за підтримки програми ЄС «House of Europe». Приємно усвідомлювати, що в підмурку Дому Європи жарти про калоприймач президента та збільшення розміру чоловічих яєць на 10000%. Також тепер зрозуміло, чому Австралія бере участь у Євробаченні. Так переможемо!
November 2, 2014
I loved the movie. She's even more awesome in the comics. Most definitely want to read more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews