Tank Girl: Two Girls One Tank

Don’t expect any narrative cohesion in a Tank Girl comic. But for its cult followers, that’s part of Tank Girl’s charm: a punk rock romp through postapocalyptic Australia as the title character shoots, kills, and farts her way from one inane set piece to the next. Subversive when it debuted in 1988, Tank Girl burst from the minds of two Brits, writer Martin and illustrator Jamie Hewlett. In this revival, Martin gives the story the familiar madcap energy of a caper, as Tank Girl hunts for her missing tank and the imposter who stole it. Even though the comic is still chaotic, the times have caught up. Stories of women fighting against the patriarchy aren’t as rare today as they once were. Parson’s art is clean but lacks the expected layer of snot and grit. Those looking for a bit of nostalgia may enjoy this, but new readers will probably be unimpressed. (Dec.)