Tag: Jungle Girl

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All E.T.’s Aren’t Nice: Vanya 06

The Story So Far

Vanya and Serah are two Time Guards trapped in the prehistoric past, surviving against dinosaurs, savage humanoids, and the Torridians, a race of warrior aliens hellbent on conquering humanity. While on a mission to retrieve a supply cache, the duo, along with a soldier named Guy, are captured by Niya, another Time Guard and a member of the Bone Tribe. They are made to partake in a ritual to summon a Torridian Dragon. Elsewhere the Torridians begin their bombardment of human outposts in the jungle primeval. 

Vanya stands atop a cliff edge, holding a bow and arrow. Behind her two pterodactyls fly, with a cloudy sky lit but a setting sun. There is also a green dinosaur that kinda looks like a T-rex, but it has two bumps atop its head.
Standard cover of Vanya #6 by Sean Joyce. Image from Bad Bug website.

Issue 06 Plot

Having escaped both the Bone Tribe and the family of saber-tooth tigers, Vanya, Serah, and Guy find themselves in an uneasy truce with Niya. Serah begins to have visions of the Torridian Dragon calling out to her. Serah, Guy, and Niya share a brain-connection due to the implanted chips in their temples (Vanya was not outfitted with one during their encounter with the Bone Tribe). The group decide to split up: Guy and Niya to hide the Torridian Dragon eggs they absconded with while Serah and Vanya follow a river to Outpost Nine that is purported to be heavily fortified. 

Panel showing Niya and Vanya confirming their uneasy truce. "We are on the same side" "For now."
Niya and Vanya.

Meanwhile Geneal Tora of the Torridians decide to free the captive humans, which include Captain Jax and Lucas, who are made to leave Base T and cross a field. However, their freedom is a ruse for all the humans are dispatched by a pack of raptors outfitted with saw blade arms, spiked grappling hooks, flamethrowers, and razor-sharp spider-esque legs. 

The ill-fated soldiers are not the only ones to encounter cybernetically enhanced dinosaurs as Vanya and Serah are attacked by a Plesiosaur that has a blaster mounted on its tail. While Vanya and Serah are dealing with their unexpected encounter, Niya and Guy cross paths with a new faction making their presence known.

Commentary

Two words: Robo Dinosaurs. Briefly introduced in issue five (when the Bone King throws a robotic raptor head at Vanya’s feet, and the final panel showing General Tora looking at a cybernetic T-Rex), issue six of Vanya is all about capitalizing on the robotic dinosaurs and how they truly ruthless they are. Reed’s death in issue three when he was chomped in half by a T-rex has nothing on a raptor with buzzsaw arms decapitating human soldiers. The scene the modified raptors appear in is an homage to/recreation of the raptor/tall grass scene from The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It is as if Vanya asked the question “how can we top that scene from the second Jurassic Park movie?” and they went all in for it. 

Panel from issue 6. It should a group of soldiers in the middle of tall grass, being circled around by robot raptors.
Robo Raptors in the tall grass in Vanya #6.
Frame from the Lost World Jurassic Park movie. It shows a party of folks, at night, walking through tall grass, while the outlines of Raptors converge on them.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park tall grass/raptor scene.

The robot-dinosaur extravaganza continues when Vanya and Serah encounter a Plesiosaur while they are fishing. Vanya charges at the dinosaur, slicing its gun-tail off, before being dragged underwater due to her embedding her knife in its hide. Vanya does not do the killing blow on the Plesiosaur as a non-robotic Spinosaurus shows up and chomps its head off, showing a trail of blood but also mechanical components. It is an interesting scene in that a natural dinosaur is able to dispatch the cybernetically enhanced dinosaur, and rather easily at that. One of the core themes of Vanya has been the traditional fight of man vs. nature (and now trickling in some man vs. machine), but here is a sequence of nature vs. machine. Giving a long enough time, nature will always win.

The mysterious Astral Guard mark their formal appearance on the final page, possibility catching Guy and Niya in the act of hiding the Torridian Dragon eggs. Emerging from a purple portal, a squadron of armored soldiers pour through, wielding rifles, demanding Niya and Guy’s surrender. It is just bluster? The Astral Guard are supposed to be the best of the best, it is what the Time Guards eventually ascend to after completing their training in the prehistoric past. They are the ones, per the opening crawl back in issue one, who are supposed to lead and safeguard humanity. However, the Torridians dominating the war front against the humans, sending them in a retreat to the past, and Elah’s ineffectual response to the alien threat in issue five convey that the Astral Guard may not be as powerful as they project themselves to be. There’s plenty of Robo Dinosaurs waiting for them to prove their mettle against. 

The Astral Guard are not the only ones with a public image crisis to overcome, but General Tora herself is already showing cracks in how she operates. Extremely cruel (as demonstrated by freeing the humans into the raptor field), Tora is also coming across as arrogant but also prideful as she is dismissive of keeping her emperor abreast of her invasion. She’s akin to Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars and her attitude will probably lead to her to underestimate Vanya and the other humans (when they finally cross paths). 

Covers and Swag Impressions

From the Kickstarter campaign page for Vanya #06, which concluded August 2023, there looks to be a total of nine different covers for the issue, which each cover being available in non-nude and nude versions, with each of those breaking down in normal, holofoil, and metal editions, for a grand total of fifty-four different covers. 

Vanya, standing atop a tree branch that is covered in moss and flowers. She steadies herself by holding a vine. In her right hand is a spear with a stone head covered in blood.
Personal copy of Vanya #6 with nude cover by Alex Monik.

The best cover of the issue six bunch goes to Alex Monik. This is a fantastic cover that depicts and incredible Vanya and an equally incredible jungle scene. The tree branches that Vanya walks across are covered in grass and flowers, with vines hanging underneath. It is this great detail that really sells the fantastique nature of the jungle adventure genre. Vanya proper still looks attractive, but she is covered in tiny scars and smudges of dirt. This iteration of Vanya moves away from the cheesecake approach (but still retains aspects of it) and goes into a more realistic interpretation of a warrior woman who has had to survive in the primeval for months. Her giant, blooded stone-tipped spear brings forth the spear and fang genre trappings. Overall, this cover has a store to tell in one image, and it does it well.

Recognition needs to go to Sean Joyce, the artist behind the standard cover of Vanya #06 (see top of article). Joyce is an old guard artist whose done artwork for classic genre icons such as Conan the Barbarian. Joyce’s cover, with its mutated, painted style, recalls the old days of TTRPG cover art, the poster art for One Million Years B.C. (1966), and even a little of the trading cards/comic series of Dinosaurs Attack!. Joyce is a master of classic fantasy art and their cover art for this issue of Vanya demonstrates this.

The four trading cards have blue borders. They show a raptor, brontosaurus, stegosaur, and spineysaur outfitted in cybernetics. The tarot card, for Temperance, shows Vanya sitting atop a log, witting the top of a Dino skull with a knife.
Four Robosaur trading cards by Vascio Giaochini and a Tarot Card by Gus Mauk.

As far as swag, issue six of Vanya has a set of four Robosaur trading cards and a new Tarot card. The Robosaur art is done by Vasco Gioachini and each card dhows a different dinosaur outfitted with robotic attachments. These dinos would make great enemies in a Turok game. The Tarot card is for Major Arcana Temperance card and is illustrated by Gus Mauk. The card depicts Vanya playing with a dagger atop a dino skull. Theme and action-wise, the art on the Vanya Temperance card is not in the same realm as a traditional Temperance card (a woman pouring liquid from one container into another), so its derived meaning is going to be open to some interesting interpretations. 

Conclusion

With issue six, Vanya looks to finally have placed all its playing pieces on the game board: Vanya and company, the Torridians, the Astral Guard, and of course, the Robo Dinosaurs. The comic also seems to have found a better balance of sex scenes, action sequences, and exposition panels. The comic needs to be able to juggle these three pillars, especially as it is trying to tell the story of time travelling jungle women fighting aliens and robot dinosaurs. It is high concept, and perhaps a little over the top, but Vanya has found its footing to sell its setup. Come for the premise, but stay for the actual intrigue as Vanya navigates both intergalactic and temporal adversaries, which just so happens to include kick ass raptors with buzzsaw arms. 

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

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(Saber-tooth) Cat Class and (Saber-tooth) Cat Style: Vanya 05

The Story So Far

Vanya and Serah are two Time Guards trapped in the prehistoric past, surviving against dinosaurs, savage humanoids, giant snakes, and the looming threat that at any moment will come an attack from the Torridians, an alien race who have declared war on the humans. Rescued by an outpost of other human soldiers, Vanya and company accept a new mission to procure hidden supply caches in an effort to boost defenses against the Torridians. However, she is captured by Niya, another Time Guard aligned with the Bone Tribe.

Vanya is crouched on a cave ground holding a 2-tipped spear. Behind here, from the shadows, emerges the face of a giant sabertooth cat. Vanya is framed between the cat's two large front teeth.
Standard cover for issue five of Vanya done by Zoran Jovicic and Antonio Wong. Image from the Bad Bug website.

Issue 05 Plot

Vanya, Serah, and Guy are brought by Niya to the cavernous lair of the Bone Tribe and introduced to the Bone King, who reveals he, too, was a Time Guard, originally named Vitor 2991. The Bone King tosses a severed raptor head and Vanya and Serah, showing that underneath its scales are cybernetic/robotic parts, “Torridian Tech.” 
Niya leads Vanya away to a vantage point where she watches the Bone King slip a chip into Serah’s temple which will “bring out her innermost desires.” A woman of the Bone Tribe, who has black “crying” eye shadows akin to Joseph Michael Linsner’s Dawn character, inserts a chip into her own temple before receiving cunnilingus from Serah.

Elsewhere, two different fronts of invasions from two different species begin to happen concurrently. A pack of saber-tooth tigers, which had been stalking Vanya and company, attack a Bone Tribe campsite. Meanwhile at the human outpost, a Torridian fleet of UFOs begins their bombardment.

Back at the Bone Tribe’s cavern, a ritual orgy to awaken a Torridian Dragon takes place, with Guy and Niya as the center show. With everyone occupied with the ritual, the saber-tooth tigers make their presence known.

Commentary

Building on the momentum from issue four, issue five of Vanya goes all out and spares no expense upping the threat level while at the same time cashing in on some of the setups put forth in prior issues.

A purple alien. Wearing a horned head dress, green skirt with a dagger. Wielding a two bladed spear. Legs are backwards like a Dinosaur or Torgo from Manos the hands of Fate. Behind the Torridian there is a plume of smoke and burning rubble.
General Tora, a Torridian.

The big setup/payoff is the reveal of the Torridians. Only referred to in dialogue in prior issues, the Torridians look fierce. Imagine a Mewtwo, only purple-ier, more menacing, with golden tattoos, and outfits akin to sword and sandal attire, but dark green. They are an interesting mix of sword and sorcery and alien in appearance and look like boss characters from a game like Baldur’s Gate. They look formidable and should give Vanya a run for her money when she eventually encounters one.

Another setup that sees a payoff are the saber-toothed tigers. Originally shown on the last page of issue two, stalking Vanya, Serah, and Reed (a character that would eventually become eaten by a T-rex in issue three), the tiger initially seemed to have been forgotten, or cast aside, or just made a one-time appearance to underscore the hostile environmental threat Vanya is operating in. Instead, the tiger turned out to be quite tenacious, following Vanya in secret through issues three and four, before jumping right into the fray of issue five, becoming a deus ex machina of sorts.

And finally, there is the re-reveal of the Torridian Dragon egg. The green egg made its first appearance during the ritual in issue three. The egg was not overtly named; it was simply referred to as “the blessed fruit” and placed on an altar where Niya and another member of the Bone Tribe had intercourse. However, the ritual in issue three was interrupted when Niya was called away from her place of honour by the Bone King to instead go kill a flock of Phorusrhacids. In issue five, it appears that the interrupted ritual is being re-attempted, with Niya back at her place of honour on the egg altar, though this time engaged in sexual acts with Guy which causes the green egg to burst open and beams of white light to shine out of Guy’s eyes like Sascha Schneider’s painting “Hypnosis.” The hatched dragon is not actually revealed. 

Of cause and effect note, if the Bone King had not undermined Niya in issue three, and instead sent other warriors to deal with the Phorusrhacids, then the ritual would have taken place then, allowing the egg to hatch, giving the Bone Tribe “a weapon under their control.” Since the tribe would not be pre-occupied with the ritual in current time, they would have been more alert to fend off against the prowling saber-tooth tigers, effectively halting the deus ex machina.

Another character that seems either ill-equipped or overestimating their own abilities like the Bone King is the Astral Guard character Elah. Another cashing in on a setup, in the universe of Vanya, the Astral Guard are the biggest, most skilled, most important warriors, what the Time Guard become after their years training in the prehistoric past. These are the leaders and the guardians of humanity as humans make their way through space and time. Elah comes off as ineffectual. At this point in the story, the Torridians have effectively obliterated humanity by bombarding Earth and sending humans fleeing to different timelines. Elah sends a call to the Torridian general Tora, chastising them for breaking the law, and giving them one day to release their captives and leave the timeline or they will come at them with the full force of the Astral Guard. The question is – should they not have already done this when the Torridians attacked humanity months ago? Elah’s threat sounds too little coming way too late. If Elah represents the best of the best that humanity has got for protection, no wonder the Torridians have been able to steamroll over everyone.

Swag Impressions

Issue five of Vanya is loaded with some fantastic variant covers, but the cover art done by Renato Camilo and Martina Rossi is the winner of the bunch.

Issue 5 variant cover. Variant perches atop a tree branch, nude save for her cloth boots and bracers. Below her are embers from a fire. Above her is a full moon and other trees. Her dreadlocked hair waves in the wind.
Personal copy of the Renato Camilo and Martina Rossi nude variant cover of Vanya issue five.

The Camilo covers continue to knock it out the park, basically becoming the canonical representation of the titular character. The Camilo representation of Vanya is the right balance of cheesecake and Jungle Girl, highlighting her dreadlocks that are not really underscored in the interior pages.

Per usual, with stretch goals met during the original crowdfunding campaign to fund issue five, there is a lot of complimentary swag that supplements the reading experience.

Six trading cards. The first is a carnivorous dinosaur (not sure what species) that has robot legs and a metal nose and jaw. Next is a triceratops with front legs that are robotic and horns that are too. Next is a flying pterodactyl that has two cannons protruding from it. On row two there is a dinosaur with electric spines coming from its back. Next to that is an Ankylosaurus with a metal spiked mace for a tail tip, and finally there is a close up of a T-rex face with one of its eyes beaming red.
Robosaur Trading Cards.

Firstly there is a set of six Robosaur trading cards done by series artist Zoran Jovicic. These all depict cybernetic dinosaurs, such as a T-Rex with a red Terminator-style eye, a pterodactyl with cannons on its back, a triceratops with robot front legs and bladed head scales. These are the twisted images conjured by a childlike imagination and they are awesome. Reminiscent of the likes of Dino-Riders and Dinosaucers, cartoons from the late 80s that combined dinosaurs with tech.

Four items here. First is a holo-foil trading card. It depicts Vanya under water with bubbles around her. Next is a large black Tarot card for The Sun. It shows Vanya atop of pterodactyl with a sword raised above her (very Heavy Metal). Next is a TINY sticker of Vanya leaping in the hair, lunging with knife in hand at a raptor. Finally there is a rectangular sticker of Vanya in the nude. She is nestled between the branches of a mossy tree with a purple sky behind her.
Stickers and Tarot card that got with Vanya issue five.

Next there is a variety of swag: a holofoil trading card by Zach Raw depicting Vanya under water, a holofoil sicker that depicts a nude version of the Vanya #5 cover done by Bruno Freitas and Antonio Wong, a tiny sticker showing Vanya lunging at a raptor through a azure blue sky, and a tarot card of “The Sun” that shows Vanya riding a pterodactyl, with her blade held high in the air a ’la the iconic poster for the Heavy Metal (1981) movie.

The tarot card is a brilliant swag item, outside the norm of trading cards, magnets, and stickers, and it looks like Bad Bug is deploying the concept with their other titles. This is a neat concept, and it helps tie the different Bad Bug series together intertextually (via the cards), but for folks who perform/read Tarot, collecting the cards will yield a different style deck outside the traditional Rider–Waite style, which is quite exciting. 

Conclusion

Issue five of Vanya is epic in scope and action, capitalizing on the momentum of issue four. Concepts and ideas either foreshadowed or hinted at in prior issues are finally realized. Since all these setups are having payoffs in this issue, it creates a strong sense of urgency, giving the comic a heightened tone of bigger stakes. The multi-genre smorgasbord of time and space travel, dinosaurs, robot dinosaurs, cavemen, aliens, futuristic vs. primitive weapons, and so on that was promised in earlier issues is finally starting to congeal, and rather seamlessly at that. Vanya is looking to become the comic is set out to be.

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

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Jungle Romps and T-Rex Chomps: Vanya 03

The Story So Far

Vanya is a Time Guard, an elite warrior in training who must spend a year living in the prehistoric past, honing her fighting and survival skills. While Vanya is in the past, humanity is attacked by the alien race called the Torridians. Serah, a soldier and Vanya’s romantic partner, is sent back in time to retrieve Vanya. Vanya, Serah, and another Time Guard name Reed, team up and make way to an armory to retrieve weapons while under the threat of dinosaurs, barbarians from the Bone Tribe, and the Torridians themselves.

Vanya is leaning against a slain T-rex (a small one). She has a smirk and is holding a spear.
Vanya #03 Cover by JC Fanul and Bryan Magnaye.

Issue 03 Plot

After weathering a stormy night, Vanya, Serah, and Reed continue to follow the tracks of another group of warriors who are making their way to a hidden armory. During their trek the trio encounter a giant turtle whose shell was part of the ground, small carnivorous dinosaurs, and a rampaging T-Rex. Elsewhere the Bone Tribe engages in an orgy/ritual, but Niya, a Time Guard herself, is called away from the festivities in order to deal with a flock of Phorusrhacids – giant carnivorous birds – that are attacking the tribe. 

Commentary

Three issues and nine pages into Vanya and the comic receives its first George R. R. Martin treatment as Reed is devoured by a T-rex. Just as suddenly as Samuel L. Jackson is delivering a rallying speech in one moment and whisked away the next by a shark in Deep Blue Sea, so is Reed as in one panel he quips that “It’s nice to know that not everything is trying to eat us” immediately followed by the T-Rex chomping down on him. The sudden, abrupt end to Reed is both gruesome, yet darkly comedic, a throwback to the prior issue with a similar gag when one moment it is clear and the next it is raining on the characters. It should be noted that the T-rex’s head is covered in arrows, establishing him as the same one that appeared in issue two, interrupting an amorous moment between Vanya and Serah. No doubt this Tyrannosaur will show up again in a future issue and perhaps get its comeuppance.

Introduced in issue one, Reed seemed like a character that would have longevity. His time was short in the comic, but his presence did accomplish a handful of story-critical tasks. Plot-wise, he is the character that gets Vanya and Serah on course to find the armory by picking up the trail of another band of warriors. For the erotic-element, Reed acted as a male character for readers to project themselves onto. Tonally, up to this point in Vanya all the encounters the characters have had ended in fights they easily overcame, or fleeing to get the advantage later. Vanya’s narration tells the readers the prehistoric world she is in is hostile, but the adventure so far has been easy-peasy. Reed’s death dispels that notion and puts back in the forefront that the world they are in is deadly and needs to be taken seriously.  

A character who is not being taken seriously but should be is Niya, the champion of the Bone Tribe. Briefly introduced in issue two, Niya is revealed to be a Time Guard herself and the most capable warrior of the tribe. However, she is not respected by the tribe’s leader, the Bone King, who forces her to leave her place of honor in the orgy/ritual to deal with the marauding Phorusrhacids by herself. Returning back to take her place in the ritual, the Bone King proclaims, “Well done, Niya.” but is chastised the next morning by being told she “should have done better” regarding a scavenging trip. Niya is akin to a worker bee who is really good at her job, but management keeps her demoted because she is just “too good.” The Bone King’s unappreciation of Niya will surely come back to bite him (pun intended if his fate is at the maw of a dinosaur).

The intrigue is still building in Vanya issue three, but if there is a critique to be had it is that the plot is moving a little on the slow side. It feels like the characters should have accomplished a bit more in the adventure at this point. The cliffhanger in the final three panels promises some characters (Established ones? New ones) will cross paths, so that holds promise that something major is about to go down.

Narrative content aside, Vanya’s offerings extend past its pages into the realm of covers and ephemera. There are a plethora of alternate covers, both nude and non-nude, for Vanya #03. One of the best covers for the issue is the Bruno Sousa / Tommy Shelton variant that depicts Vanya bathing at the base of a waterfall. The cover is a call back to a page from Vanya #01 where Vanya narrates her ritual of washing in a specific waterfall for its disinfectant properties. While the other covers are action packed, this cover goes the serene, tranquil route. 

Vanya is nude, at the base of a small waterfall. She has two feathers in her dreadlocked hair and a necklace made of teeth.
Vanya #03 cover by Bruno Sousa and Tommy Shelton.

Folks who contributed to the Vanya #3 Kickstarter campaign were rewarded with a trove of additional loot.

A circular coaster with a black border. Vanya is in the center, nude, with flowing red hair. The stick is rectangular and shows Vanya fighting a dinosaur with her knife underwater. The magnet is square and shows Vanya crouched in a defensive position with her knife.
Vanya #03 coaster, sticker, and magnet set.

Firstly, for swag with function, there is a coaster, (that is a bit bigger than a large pog), a small sticker of the cover issue three cover done by Renato Camilo / Sanju Nivangune, and a square magnet of the Renato Camilo / Bryan Magnate cover for issue one. 

Vanya is completely submerged underwater, lashing at an aquatic dinosaur with her knife.
Vanya #03 cover by Renato Camilo and Sanju Nivangune.

It is a pity that the sticker for the Camilo/Nivangune is so tiny because their cover is easily the second-best cover for the issue (just barely being beaten out by the Sousa/Shelton cover). The colors are fantastic.

Art print of Vanya. Same art as the coast, but not nude. She is in front a jungle and has flowing red hair.
Vanya #03 art print.

Next there is a lovely art print (artist unknown) depicting Vanya against a dark jungle – the same piece used on the coaster, though not nude. 

Four trading cards. Top left is June, a Cyberpunk lady with latex boots and garters with long purple hair. Top right is Vanya, wearing an animal skin bikini top and bottom and holding a dagger. Bottom right is Nell, with blonde hair with 2 bun. She has one striped stocking on and the other is off on the floor. The bottom left is Maggie, with a glowing white eye and holding two pistols with smoke coming out as if they have just been fired.
Trading guards of Bad Bug heroines by Captain Shima.

And finally, there is a set of four trading cards done by Captain Shima depicting the heroines from four of Bad Bug’s flagship titles: (clockwise from the top left) June (HyperGeist), Vanya, Nell (Death Nell), and Maggie (Dead End Moon). Bad Bug is getting into the habit of creating interesting trading cards among all their titles, (for example, some are in Tarot style), so these are always fun to receive. All in all, a mighty haul from the rifts of time.

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

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Hunter – Lover – Killer: Vanya 02

The Story So Far

Two hundred plus years in the future, mankind has expanded across space and time. Leading the humans’ expansion are the Astral Guard, elite warriors born out of surviving many months in the prehistoric past.

Standard, non-nude cover of Vanya issue 2. Vanya is sending atop a T-rex head. The T-rex is roaring and Vanya is holding stone knives in both hands. Behind her are trees and cliffs.
Vanya issue two, cover A.

Vanya Tepanov is eight months into her journey as a Time Guard to become an Astral Guard, spending her days surviving dinosaurs and other creatures from the far past. Vanya’s world is turned upside down after she encounters another Time Guard named Reed and her betrothed from her present, Serah.

Issue 02 Plot

Unbeknownst to Vanya, two months after she started her trials, the alien race of the Torridians commenced a surprise attack on humanity. In order to proceed with a counterattack, soldiers were trained and sent back to the past to fetch the Time Guards, with Serah sent to retrieve Vanya.

Despite the looming threat of the Torridians, Vanya and Serah intimately rekindle their romance, with Reed welcomed in. Sexual appetite satiated, the trio decide the best course of action is to proceed to an emergency armory that has a stockpile of weapons. Vanya and company are not the only ones with an interest in the armory as a tribe of savages have also set their eyes on the cache prize.   

Commentary

Neo-jungle girl Vanya’s adventures continue in the second issue of the planned twelve issue series with a dramatic increase in narrative stakes, the introduction of new characters and threats, a stronger sense of humor, and, of course, erotic content.

As with issue one, issue two of Vanya goes full speed at rapidly laying out the greater narrative context. The Torridians are introduced (but only their UFOs are shown), along with a tribe of barbarians led by the, pudgy, dino skull wearing Bone King, and more dinosaur encounters. In addition to the Bone King, one of his soldiers, Niya, is introduced. An attractive jungle-girl herself, it can probably be surmised she will become both a nemesis and a paramour of Vanya. With all of this going on the stakes in the Vanya universe must be dire, especially if the humans in the present are sending fresh meat into the past fetch the Time Guards who have not completed their own trainings quite yet.

The world of Vanya takes much inspiration from the works of Paul Verhoven regarding sex and violence: over the top and plentiful. Due to all three major characters having been without sex for many months, their pent-up lust for one another explodes across multiple pages, only interrupted with the arrival of a T-rex. In just a few panels the comic goes from erotic, to suspenseful, to humorous as the trio crack a pop culture joke about Jurassic Park being a documentary.

Two panels from issue two. The left panel shows the heads of Serah and Vanya. They each have 3 band-aids on their faces. Serah says "Don't move. They can't see movement." The right panel is a close up of Reed. He has two band-aids on his face. He replies with "I watched that Documentary once."
Jurassic Park reference.

Even more subtle in these rapid panels are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it details, such as the T-Rex’s head being peppered by lodged arrows, indicating the king of dinosaurs has encountered something humanoid (savages? Cavemen? Other Time Guards?) before. Other humorous moments include Reed making a Jaws reference of “We are going to need a bigger bow” after witnessing a giant anaconda constrict a barbarian and when Reed mentions that “they will be fine” in one panel, followed by a sudden downpour the next. It is great timing and does not impede the overall atmosphere of the comic.

A peppering of pop culture references aside, the second issue of Vanya begins to show even more genre homages. While issue one solidified Vanya as a jungle girl homage, issue two teases additional pulp elements. For example, the spaceships of the Torridians take inspiration from 50s and 60s era circular UFOs from sci-fi comics and movies, yet they act as formidable as the alien crafts in Independence Day. Another genre throwback is with the Bone King and his lair (which looks akin to a volcanic lair high in the mountains) which fully embrace the spear and fang genre.

As is custom with many adult Kickstarter endeavors, Vanya #02 comes with a plethora of alternate covers, in both non-nude and nude varieties. Two standout covers are the Renato Camilo/Boyfiy Miah and the Pow Podrix/Jasen Smith covers. The Camilo/Miah cover is particularly flirty as it is detailed and colorful, giving an “inviting’ sense. The Podrix/Smith cover scales back the colors and goes more ominous in mood. The exploding volcano, approaching T-rex, and Vanya drawing her bow convey strong adventurous, Turok vibes.

Nude version of the Renato Camilo/Boyfiy Miah cover. Vanya is laying on her stomach, propped up her elbows, looking over her shoulder. She had red dreadlocks. She has a knife and fur boots, but no under garments.
Nude version of the Renato Camilo+Boyfiy Miah cover.

In addition, the Vanya #02 crowdfunding campaign met many of its stretch goals, which aside from the additional pages of sexual content (no doubt the extended ménage à trois between Vanya, Serah, and Reed), entails a handful of ephemera and swag. 

A magnet depicting a close up of Vanya, with a red feather in her hair and the setting sun and ocean behind her. To the right is a white, circular coast. Vanya is in the middle with the blue feather in her hair. She is wearing a ripped pink top, pink shorts, and pink roller skates. Behind her is a circular emblem that kind of looks like an Aztec calendar.
Vanya Magnet and Coaster.

For utility items, there is a square magnet by an uncredited artist that shows a close up of Vanya with a setting sun behind her. Along with this there is a round coaster that depicts Vanya in pink rollerblade and blowing bubble gum, taken from an alternate issue two cover done by Gregbo Watson and Gwenaelle Daligault. 

Two trading cards. Both show the exact same image except one is nude and the other isn't. Vanya is in a swamp fighting a large blue snake with black stripes. There are trees standing on their roots sticking out of the splashing water behind her.
Vanya trading cards.

Next there are two trading cards (one nude, one note) that depict Vanya in a swamp fighting a large blue and black snake. There is no credited artist, but the cards evoke some epic thrash metal.

Four square stickers, all are headshots of different Bad Bug leading ladies. Vanya is in a profile, holding three spears and brown dreadknots. June has long purple hair with cyberpunk gridlines behind her. Maggie is missing an eye and she is blowing the smoke out of a revolver. Nell is wearing a fishnet top and has sailor moon buns. She is winking.
Bad Bug leading lady stickers.

Next there are four square stickers, also with an uncredited artist, each showing a headshot of a lady character from different Bad Bug Comics: Vanya, Nell (Death Nell), June (HyperGeist), and Maggie (Dead End Moon)

Hypergiest art print. The colors are all blue and purple. June sits on her knees atop a bed. She is wearing latex boots with garters and a black corset. She has 2 LEDs in her purple, beehive hair. On the bed beside her is an empty wine glass and wine bottle
HyperGeist art print.

And finally, there is an art print (uncredited) of June from HyperGeist, sitting on a bed with a wine glass and bottle at her side.

Vanya #02 is a great continuation of what was started in the first issue. Bigger scope and more threats are introduced yet the comic does not feel bogged down. The comic has a laid-back attitude regarding sex and violence, but in its primal setting, it works. The increase in humor in issue two was not expected but it is quite welcome. 

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out the reviews I’ve done of other titles published by Bad Bug:

Categories
Comics

She’s Got the Killer Instinct: Vanya Issue 01

The Story

In the far future of 2288 AD, mankind has mastered time, dimension, and space travel. Leading humanity’s front-line conquerors are the Astral Guard, fierce warriors who are battled hardened by spending a year surviving in the prehistoric past.

The standard cover for the first issue of Vanya. Vanya is armed with a bow while a triceratops charges at her. There is a full moon in the sky.
Standard cover of Vanya issue 01.

Vanya Tepanov is such a candidate for the Astral Guard, currently eight months into her year of living in four billion years in the past. Each day is a test of her skills, instinct, and luck, as she must deal with the likes of sabretooth tigers, Pteranodons, raptors, and even other Astral Guard trainees, dubbed Time Guards, that she is warned to stay away from. However, a chance encounter (and a night of passion) with a Time Guard named Reed jumpstarts Vanya’s newest escapade where the prehistoric past and the highly advanced future clash. 

Commentary

Vanya issue one is a crowdfunded comic book published by Bad Bug Media, the first in a planned twelve issue run. Kickstarted in August 2021 and shipped to backers in February 2022, Vanya is an ambitious, multi-genre adult comic. The Kickstarter campaign states that the series is for fans of Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, and that it is a “sci-fi twist on the jungle girl genre.” The first issue of Vanya is written by Mike Tener (who is also the editor in chief of Bad Bug), with art by J. C. Fabul (The Dragonfly) and Zoran Jovicic (Burlap), colours by Bryan Magnaye (Militia, Twin Worlds), and lettering by Aaron Locust (Death Nell, HyperGeist). 

With its multi-genre approach, Vanya is ambitious and high concept. The future scenes hint at both a Blade Runner colonial setting (replicants at off world colonies vs. Astral Guards conquering new planets) and a Starship Troopers style of fascism (levels of citizen ship). The time traveling aspect of Vanya looks to take inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s story “A Sound of Thunder” in that going to the past is business-like, matter-of-factly, mixing hunting/safari-ing and surviving. Lastly, the jungle girl aspect is greatly emphasized, combining the menacing and awe-nature that dinosaurs evoked in Jurassic Park, the agility and nimbleness jungle girls like Sheena exhibit, and the eroticism of Budd Root’s Cavewoman, but fully embracing the pornographic elements that the genre normally only hints at. This is a lot to juggle, but Vanya anchors itself with its focus on the prehistoric/jungle girl aspect of the comic.

A nude cover of Vanya issue 1. It depicts a naked Vanya emerging from the sea at night. Behind her, off in the distance, is a brontosaur.
Nude cover variant of Vanya issue #01.

Usually, the first issue of a new comic IP is unwieldy as it tries to accomplish too much (introduce characters, setting, plot, and so on) in too little space. Vanya is surprisingly quite concise in setting its game pieces: the one page pseudo-Star Wars opening text paints the big picture, while the comic proper does a succinct job at establish Vanya’s personality and goals (she wants to become an Astral Guard so her and her girl beau Serah can move to another world), establishes the risks, dangers, and day-to-day life in the prehistoric past (dodging tigers to fending off infections). As with the multiple genres, most comics would crumble under the weight of what Vanya is going for, but instead it pulls it all off effortless, at least in this debut issue.

Like the dinosaurs of the past, Vanya goes big, and its first issue is cleanly edited, drilled down to a concise story that could scatter in too many directions but does not. The action scenes are thrilling (taking down an entire Pteranodon and riding it into the ground), there is an air of intrigue that comes from unknown forces in the future, and the sex and nudity is integrated into the plot and not simply there to just be titillating. 

For more information on Vanya and the comic’s creative team, check out the links below:

Also, consider checking out other reviews I’ve done of titles published by Bad Bug: