Dizzy Olsen dreams big. She just hasn’t discovered what she is going to be great at. When Chipper calls her the “Chosen One,” is this really her big break? Find out in Getting Dizzy #1 from BOOM! Studios.
GETTING DIZZY #1
Writer: Shea Fontana
Artist: Celia Moscote
Colorist: Natalia Nesterenko
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Sophie Philips-Roberts
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 17, 2021
Previously in Getting Dizzy: Dizzy has dreams of being great. But no matter what she has tried, from ballet to skating, things just seem to fall apart. Little does she know that suddenly she is going to have to step up and save the world!
YOUNG WOMAN WITH A BIG IMAGINATION
We meet Desideria Olsen at the start of Getting Dizzy #1 when she is dreaming of being not just a ballet dancer, but the best. She is new to ballet class and notably clumsy. Plus, between an unfortunately located melted chocolate bar and the name Desideria, she gets the terrible nickname of “Diarrhea.” So much for ballet.
When we next see Dizzy, she is volunteering for the Mayor’s campaign. Well, really she is volunteering because of Julio, the cute boy organizing the youth volunteers. She goes around town to hang posters and has the big idea to spray paint a campaign message rather than merely hang up a poster. She sees the picture in her mind’s eye, but when she tries to create it on a store wall, the cops pick her up for graffiti. The store owner doesn’t press charges, but Dizzy’s mother gives her a talking to and tells her to clean her room.
It’s when she puts some of her old stuff into a donation box that things start to happen. First of all, a bunch of small, shadowy creatures with bad attitudes appears, and a swirl of rainbow colors surrounds her. Then a young woman appears and asks her if she got it. Dizzy is as confused as we are, especially after she tries to describe the creatures. The young woman (Chipper) calls her, “’Burb Defender,” and says she must stop the Negatrixes.
Dizzy has only a vague clue what she means by this, but when Chipper says she must be the Chosen One and speaks of “Destiny,” Dizzy is more than eager to take on that role. She puts on the skates and helmet she had put in the box and suddenly discovers that, while she now has super strength and speed, she also still has her innate clumsiness. She crashes in a skate park in front of the local skate team and loses track of the Negatrix.
Chipper tells her she needs better gear and she just happens to have some equipment from a friend of hers, Bea Jinx. Bea disappeared a few weeks ago, but Chipper found her diary where she talked about taking on the Negatrixes. This led her to the Helmet of Help, which she gives to Dizzy. This has a display visor that allows her to see the Negatrixes, which are invisible most of the time. She also gets a Blaster Bracelet, and before you know it, she has become some sort of superhero.
YOUTHFUL ENTHUSIASM RULES THE DAY
The art of Getting Dizzy #1 is joyful and energetic. I like the way we are introduced to the ever-optimistic Dizzy with the Walter Mitty-esque envisioning of the ballet greatness she never achieved. We see a couple more of these imaginings which are all harshly brought back to reality. The contrast is delightful, and that playfulness comes back around near the end as Dizzy accepts the call to action.
Dizzy is an easily likeable heroine. Like many of us at that age, she dreams big and wears her heart on her sleeve. In her imagination, she is elegant, and nothing ever goes wrong. Real life is full of pitfalls and accidents and her reactions range from embarrassment to frustration. One thing I do enjoy about her is we also see her determination to bounce back and find the best in any situation she is in. She may have a very active fantasy life, but she is grounded.
BOTTOM LINE: A CHARMING ORIGIN STORY
Getting Dizzy #1 combines skating and surprise superpowers in a heroine who is charming and easy to identify with. There is plenty of mystery and action along with a healthy dose of humor that makes this a truly fun read.
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Getting Dizzy #1
Dizzy hasn’t become great at anything…yet. But that may be about to change.
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By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.