Dynamite Diva: One Eyed-Wild Ride

by Jasper Jubenvill

From the back cover: Collecting the first three issues od Dynamite Diva in full colour! 2 years of work over the ages of 19-21 bound together in book format. A strange worlf of thrills, babes, guns, crime & heart pounding "b-movies" action created by Jasper Juvenbill.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Ryan Mandelbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim at Secret Headquarters in Los Angeles after hearing about Jasper through fellow young artist taking the scene by storm, Nate Garcia, and wow. This is simply some of the most exciting shit I have read in a minute. I had no idea I could love this nearly as much as I do, but the love and passion and unstoppable creative energy put in to these comics is absolutely undeniable and impossible to resist.

With Dynamite Diva, Jasper draws from a huge list of influences, from Dick Tracy and Nancy strips, to B action/exploitation films, and a whole bunch of other things I largely have no reference of and or/interest in, and somehow distills them into the most enjoyable, pure comics experience I can remember having in a minute.

Collecting a number of zines, one-offs, drawings, pinups etc starring Dynamite Diva (picture every femme fatale archetype you have ever seen boiled down to the quintessential not-to-be-fucked-with powerhouse of a badass babe), these comics explore so many different styles and genres, from hardboiled gumshoe detective stories, to Tales from the Crypt anthology style horror, to the smuttiest of erotica and everything in between. Jasper recasts his Diva character as a stand-in for all sorts of hilarious/fucked up/steamy situations, and it seriously never gets boring. You can see such a clear progression in his art over the few years it took him to put out this stuff, and there's this sense of an artist who is genuinely excited to see where he can take his character next, progressing right alongside each other.

I can go on and on, but I'm going to end this review by saying that after reading this, I am genuinely feeling just a bit more optimistic about the future of comics. There is so much safe and same-y bullshit being pushed out right now in the indie comics/festival scene, but here is something written by a young person that has a real oldschool punk approach. It's risky without being needlessly edgy. It's fun and explorative but not precious or self indulgent. It has a clear moral stance (blatantly anti-cop and anti-misogeny) but doesn't feel virtue signally. It's just a really pure expression of influence and love of art and it pours out of every page, and I feel really excited to be along for the ride.

[Max Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Putting this in because I just finished Jasper’s new book “The Engine Whispers”- I’ll say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. While the extreme scenes of violence feel intense, I enjoyed the ending the most. A psychedelic dream romp through the subconscious of Jasper’s titular character. Reminds me of Jaime and Gilbert’s early comics, attempting to understand femininity and masculinity through their genre obsessions. I appreciate the craft of this young artist, enjoying the grotesque and perverse while exploring its intentions. It’s juvenile, sure, but this is also the honest work of a young man having fun.

[Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dive is a new age Dick Tracy and I can’t get enough of it!

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hyperstylized pulp comic starring the ultimate femme fatale, Dynamite Diva, who battles waves of over the top villains like classic monsters and actual Nazis. Jasper Jubenvill cites Chester Gould and Jim Steranko as influences to this series, along with his love of exploitation films. There also seems to be a lot of outsider comic influences like Robert Crumb at play here. Yet, Jubenvill's style toes the line between familiarity for influences and something utterly unique. His application of flat spot colors is slick and his sharp linework with deliberate panel layouts come off as a creative modern twist on Chester Gould's Dick Tracy strips. There is no narrative throughline in the various issues of Jubenvill's Dynamite Diva here - instead the Diva takes on wildly varying scenarios in each story making the connection to classic comic strips even more apparent. For someone who was only 19 when he started pencilling this series, I have to say there is an astounding amount of confidence in the work here. I can't wait to read more Jasper Jubenvill works in the future.

[Zac Caprous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive