Tephlon Funk!

Streetwise swagger infuses this fast-paced, fantasy-tinged action story, set in 1990s Long Island City, Queens, with crackling energy. Inez Jozlyn, a canny 14-year-old who dreams of finding a way out of the Queensbridge projects, becomes the reluctant sidekick of Gabriel, a mysterious teen in a big Afro who seems to share a checkered past with everyone he meets. Their goal: to get an ultra-potent, untraceable new strain of marijuana called Tephlon Funk out of the hands of a local ganglord before it makes him too powerful. During their adventures, they cross paths with undercover cop Cameron Phoenix and Giselle Rodriguez, a sword-wielding bartender, and Gabriel reluctantly reveals a supernatural angle to his quest for the heavenly stash. The cool, confident art has a strong anime and manga influence, recalling stylized series like Cowboy Bebop. Characters talk tough and break out into speedline-enhanced martial arts battles at a moment’s notice, their elastic figures and faces in exaggerated motion. The creators are relatively new to comics, and the work has rough moments; they test their limits, but a relentless drive and raucous sense of fun keeps the pages turning. It’s an addictive blend of urban grit, fast-paced style, and a spark of unexpected magic. (Nov.)