Señorita Cometa
Writer/Artist: Arechan
Publisher: WEBTOON (In progress)
Publication Date: March 25, 2022 – present
Rating: Young Adult
Genre: mystery, action, drama, romance
I really liked Arechan’s previous series on WEBTOON, LUFF, so I was excited to see she had a new project in the works when Señorita Cometa launched back in 2022. And even more excited by the shift in genre from lightly speculative romance to action-packed vigilante justice mystery. Heists and grappling hooks and neon, oh my! And now that it’s been deservedly nominated for a Ringo Award, what better time to talk about it?
Señorita Cometa follows Alex’s quest to solve the kidnapping of her best friend Lola, in a city ruled by two rival gangs. Alex has to navigate around corrupt policemen, easily-bribed government officials, and the fickle will of the public as she dons her Cometa costume and fights to free the young girls kidnapped for ransom by the gangs. Fortunately, she has a solid crew behind her: her himbo bestie Adal, the beautiful lawyer (and Adal’s love interest) Sofia, popular political VTuber Lottie, and celebrity detective Puig, who was hired to catch Cometa but finds himself developing a flirtation with Alex as she works in the police precinct’s IT department to get access to the information she needs to bring Lola home. Things get more complicated as more and more powerful people start plotting to bring Cometa down, and the web of crimes grows ever more intertwined. But Arechan’s propulsive pacing makes this a ride any reader would want to take.
The core cast of Señorita Cometa is intensely likeable, Alex perhaps most of all. She’s funny, principled, smart and good at what she does. Her bubbly, take-charge personality makes her a fun character to follow, especially when she plays off her friends and colleagues. Her banter with Puig shows that they really are a good match for each other, having a lot of interests and values in common. LUFF subverted the expectations of a soulmate/love triangle story by (spoiler, I guess) making it ultimately ambiguous as to who the protagonist ended up with, but Cometa has a much more traditional romantic subplot building alongside its political intrigues. Puig’s conflict between his job and his morals make his interest in Alex really tense and interesting to follow.
Arechan’s art has leveled up since LUFF, though it was very competent then as well. Her linework is more confident and dynamic, and her characters are more expressive. In this series with far more dramatic environments, lighting situations, and high-tech action sequences than her previous work, the art is doing a lot of the storytelling work. Whole scenes have scarcely any dialogue as Cometa scales buildings or races her motorcycle down side alleys, and the dynamic posing, colors and shot choices help sell these sequences as dramatic and intense. Recent episodes have started incorporating small animations (a spinning USB drive, a shocking taser) that enhance the visuals even more. There is careful thought put into every aspect of the character designs and their props. I especially enjoy how Lottie’s VTuber design really looks like an indie VTuber I could find on Youtube, and how Alex uses her small size to get other people to underestimate her and lower their guard. And the colors!! The neon action sequences and bright, saturated daytime scenes are both super appealing.
Señorita Cometa isn’t the most lighthearted action comic on the platform. The central mystery driving the story, Lola’s disappearance, is just one of hundreds of kidnappings of young women sold into sex trafficking by the two mafias running Yoalco, the Jaguars and the Jabalis. Political VTuber Lottie got her start after her investigative reporting into the corruption of the city government got her blacklisted from the journalism industry, leading her to take up streaming to fill her time. The police are corrupt, the government is in the pockets of the crime lords, the people are powerless… until the masked vigilante Cometa shows up and starts to help the kidnapped girls find their freedom again. Season 2 just started a few months ago, so the story is far from winding down just yet. But I have faith that the ultimate endgame for these characters will be a hopeful one.
If you enjoyed Lavender Jack, media featuring the Phantom Thief trope, Batman comics, and good old-fashioned police dramas, Señorita Cometa might be the vertical scroll comic for you!
