One place where there doesn't seem to be a shortage of girls with guns in the comic book industry. Starting in the early 1990's, the market got flooded by a series of "bad girl" books, followed by a slew of "good girl" books, and all sorts of stuff in between. While I was initially very excited with all of these new prospects, it was impossible to keep up with every new female superhero and the supersaturation of the market quickly bred boring and exploitive material. Just how many bra-busting, spandex-clinging, fashion-posing, one-liner-delivering bimbos do we need? These are all comics that satisfy my girls with guns criteria, and are true to the hearts of the characters and their creators.
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Appleseed (Japan) - My personal favorite collection of girls with guns books. Masamune Shirow delivers an excellent sci-fi series with gripping art and complex storylines. The mecha is excellent, and the treatment and exploration of the main characters are very well done. And, Deunan's a babe.
Battle Angel Alita (Japan) - This sci-fi series by Yukito Kishiro follows the "life" of a female cyborg who was salvaged from a junk yard. Excellent art, compelling stories, and bone-crushing action.
Caravan Kidd (Japan) - A fun outing from Johji Manabe about a super-tough chick and the two con-artists that she forces into serving her. Manabe's intricate art and twisted sense of humor really shine through.
Danger Girl (US) - In a market full of angst-ridden heroes, J. Scott Campbell, Andy Hartnell, and Alex Garner finally put the fun back into comics. "Danger Girl" is an extremely fun and campy series about a female commando team a la "Charlie's Angels". Excellent artwork and slick tongue-in-cheek humor.
Darkminds (US) - Firmly in the anime mold of "Ghost In The Shell", this is a gorgeously rendered futuristic tale by Pat Lee about a female cyborg with a secret past. Unfortunately, volume two is extremely weak.
The Dirty Pair: A Plague Of Angels (US) - Although I think that Adam Warren's adaptation of "The Dirty Pair" is a bit too commercialized, this one is really good. It also marked a radical growth in Mr. Warren's visual style, and the girls look great.
The Dirty Pair: Sim Hell (US) - Definitely the best looking book of the series, but it's a tad weak in the story department. This time, Kei and Yuri experience problems when they get stuck in a virtual reality training simulation.
Ghost In The Shell (Japan) - Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk classic. Excellent artwork and a mentally challenging storyline help this book push the envelope. That Major Kusanagi is one tough gal.
Gunsmith Cats (Japan) - Kenichi Sonoda is a true girls 'n' guns fan, and this series about a female bounty hunter and her adorable sidekick proves it. Excellent art, action, and character designs, and even though it occasionally slips into cheap thrill territory, it never seems disrespectful to the characters.
Kabuki (US) - David Mack's "Kabuki" is a fascinating body of work about a renegade agent from a top secret Japanese law enforcement agency. An engrossing and complex psychological drama married with stunning imagery, and plenty of girls with guns action sprinkled throughout.
Orion (Japan) - Masamune Shirow is back again with this bizarre tale of science and magic. Naturally, it's centered around a strong and beautiful woman.
Outlanders (Japan) - Johji Manabe's sci-fi masterpiece about a tough and violent alien warrior princess who comes to Earth to rid it of the infestation known as Man, only to take on a human as a husband. Gripping science fiction drama and beautiful art.
Razor (US) - One of the original "bad girl" comics to come out in the early 1990's. The first dozen or so issues of Everett Hartsoe's violent vigilante are raw, fresh, and exciting, but the series lost momentum after Razor's story had been told.
Shi (US) - William Tucci's "Shi" starts off with a bang and fades away with a whisper about a dozen issues later. Stunning art and a well researched story help keep the series on track and interesting for most of its initial run.
Twilight X (US) - Although Joseph Wight's "Twilight X" doesn't feature a lot of girls 'n' guns action, the attitude is right on and his heart is in the right place. Unfortunately, this meandering series ended prematurely as Joe's interests led him to other projects.
Wandering Star (US) - Teri Sue Wood delivers a strong and sobering tale about a young woman who gets swept into an intergalactic war against impossible odds. Great stuff.