The past few summers have been great for superhero movies. Films like Iron Man, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and, of course, The Dark Knight have kept audiences in the theatres and on the edge of their seats. This summer looks to continue that trend with X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

But there is another superhero finally getting her chance to shine. Because there is finally a film for the world’s foremost homeless skateboarding ninja teenager, Jessie Sanchez. While Wolverine will be running about slicing things up with his claws, Jessie, as Street Angel, is busy fending off evil geologists, pirates, demons and algebra.

Jessie is the brainchild of Pittsburghers Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg. In 2005, she starred in a five issue comic series published by Slave Labor Graphics, and her adventures were later released in trade paperback form. Since publication ceased, Street Angel has gone on to be a sort of cult hit. Displayed prominently in Pittsburgh comic shops on the “Local Artists and Writers” rack, and occasionally referenced by Chris’ Invincible Super Blog, Street Angel mostly remained a fantastic hidden gem of sorts in the comic world.

However, the series was recently resurrected in short film form. An Australian team put together a 20 minute film, mostly following the plot of the first issue of Street Angel with a few bits and pieces added in from issue #4.

Jessie is recruited by the Mayor of Angel City to rescue his daughter, who has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Pangaea. Oh, and also to stop Dr. Pangaea from reuniting all the of the world’s continents into the super continent with which he shares a name.

Street Angel works as both a celebration and a send-up of superhero comics. While the premise is ridiculous (homeless skateboarding teenage ninja fighting crime), and certain issues lampoon comic cliches (supernatural plots, time travel, even an issue which deals with blacksploitation comics), the work never really feels like pure parody. Underneath the ridiculousness, there is a very real sympathy for Jessie.

During her introduction there may be some laughs over “She’s homeless,” but through the plot it becomes less amusing as we face facts: she is HOMELESS. At no point is she taken in by Daddy Warbucks. Instead she is mocked, unrewarded and often starving. The entire fourth issue of the comic moves away from the crime fighting and shows a slice of Jessie’s OTHER life: dumpster diving, scrounging for food, and the shame she feels over her situation.

To be honest, I was a little worried about the film version. I’ve been a fan of the comic for awhile now, and wasn’t entirely sure how movie-friendly it was. Artist Jim Rugg said his initial reaction was “Intrigue probably. I don’t really remember. There was some concern about how it would affect the possibilities of a feature.”

However it turns out I had no reason to fear. The film is fantastically true to the spirit of the comic, and for the most part follows it. There are a few things that, understandably, were cut, but not in such a way that you’re really conscious that something was obviously changed for the movie. Also, some of the humor that I was afraid wouldn’t translate to the screen was actually handled very well.

For example: the last panel on one page shows Street Angel about to face down a number of ninjas. The first panel on the next page shows the bloody disaster she’s left them in after the fight, with narration assuring you that, in just the time it had taken you to turn the page, Jessie has defeated all of the ninjas. The film achieves this with the participation of a narrator, who is also crucial to a few other fourth-wall-breaking jokes. Actually, what may have thrown me off the most were the obvious accents of the all-Australian cast. And when that is the only major complaint you can raise about a comic-to-movie film, you’re doing pretty good.

When I asked Jim Rugg for his feelings on the film, he told me, “They did a lot of things really well. I’m not sure what the budget was for it, but they managed to get a lot of the comic on screen. I had fun watching it, and I might try to do a screening in Pittsburgh, maybe through Pittsburgh Filmmakers or the Toonseum or something. I’m flattered that anyone would think so highly of something I did that they would commit the time and effort to producing this short film. In hindsight, I’m thrilled we agreed to let them do it. Lucas Testro (the director) and Adam Bishop (the producer) deserve a lot of credit.”

As for the future of Street Angel? Well, the credits for the film end with the promise that Street Angel will be back, hinting that they are working on a second film based on the next issue: “Inca-Dinka-DOOM!” And in comic form? Mr. Rugg assured me, “Assuming I don’t die prematurely in the next five years, I would expect to produce more Street Angel comics.”