Girl Genius Volume 3: Agatha Heterodyne & the Monster Engine

by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

Book Overview

The collection begins as Agatha finds a new ally in Krosp the Cat (a genetic experiment with a smattering of Napoleon's brain cells) and becomes better acquainted with Gilgamesh, the Baron's son -- who gently breaks the news that Agatha has the spark for Mad Science. Othar Tryggvassen escapes the Baron's lab as the Monster Engine is activated by a revenant, and pandemonium ensues on the city-sized airship as Agatha and Gil battle the awakened behemoth...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890856320
• ISBN13: 9781890856328
• Release Date: December 2013
• Publisher: Studio Foglio
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

The Past Meets The Present to Create the Future

Volume Three of the Girl Genius story finds Agatha Clay still a prisoner aboard the flying Castle Wolfenbach. But she is a very special kind of prisoner, the favored assistant of the heir to the Wolfenbach empire. Gilgamesh is still growing into his position as the Wolfenbach heir. His laboratory has fencing robots and mechanical orchestras, but not a single death ray. Is this a problem? It becomes one when a biomechanical horror is unleashed in the Castle. In the crisis, Agatha finds she might even like Gilgamesh ... but not nearly enough for what comes next. The awkward moment is interrupted by an even more dangerous escapee from the Baron's laboratory--and interrupted again when Adam and Lilith Clay appear out of nowhere to rescue Agatha. Their escape puts them on a collision course with Baron Klaus Wolfenbach, and leads to the great revelation: Agatha is also heir to a great and important tradition. Whatever her choices her past will now dominate her future, and the future of Europe besides. When Agatha's talking cat takes charge, one character puts it in perspective: "We're in a Heterodyne story now. These things happen." Indeed they do. And when Agatha escapes, she is no longer Agatha Clay; she is Agatha Heterodyne. Her first act must be to defend herself when her would-be rescuer turns on her. It is in this volume that the airbursh-like color work of the series's first colorist begins to lag behind the line drawing of Phil Foglio. It is good with light shadings, but not with dark, a problem that would be fatal if it had been allowed to continue into later volumes. It is still adequate to the job; unless you are a connoisseur, this will probably not much distract you from the story (which really gets rolling) or the characters

Girl Genius hits its stride

Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine is the third volume in Girl Genius series, here taking from volumes 7-10 of the original comic books. After the last volume picked up with color, this one picks up the story - the titular character finally finds out who she is and starts to learn what this means. The pacing on the title has always been fine, but the more frantic it is, the better the title as a whole works, and the fast stretches here are great with the necessary setup of Agatha now out of the way. The art strains somewhat, though - the characters are occasionally look like dolls rather than people, particularly in the awkward early fight scenes, or Klaus in his lab. The ones later in the book look much better, however, possibly by playing to the artist's strengths rather than weaknesses. The Foglios know what they're doing with the plot as well, as becomes increasingly clear here - the events fit naturally into the timeline of the world and the obviously extensive backstory. After the first third or so of this volume, the series has begun to hit it's stride - a creative, entertaining comic read. ****1/2

Poor Agatha!

Agatha Heterodyne's adventures continue, as she tries to escape the flying Zeppelin/castle of Baron Wulfenbach. Along the way, she meets Crosp, the Napoleon of Cats; Young Lord Wulfenbach, the Baron's handsome & lovestruck son; & Othar Tryggvassen, a "hero" whose plan to save the day involves killing everyone, including himself. Not to mention the Baron's Nanny, whose bionic additions make her a cross between Mary Poppins & a chainsaw-wielding psychopath. And since Castle Wulfenbach is a giant Zeppelin, there's only one way for our plucky heroine to go--straight down!

Six or seven stars, actually . . .

In the third volume of Girl Genius, Agatha and everyone else aboard the city airship Castle Wulfenbach fight for their lives against an infestation of Slaver Wasps, revenant spies, a vicious pirate, and the world's most vicious and fearsome nanny. The loony pseudo-Victorian world of Sparks (mad scientists) and monsters takes a terrifying turn. Agatha's life is again turned upside down as her fascinating newfound world turns hostile. There's less romance and more adventure in this volume. In the last few pages, it even turns brutal (but not beyond PG-13). It's still every bit as great as the first two volumes, and even deeper with the new conflicts, characters, and complications. I've read every type of comics around for fifty years, and this is now my favorite of all times. Volume four comes out late in 2005, and I can barely wait. Of course, you can find some of what's going on by reading some of the comic on the Girl Genius Online Web site, along with a portal to the other works of the brilliant Foglios.