''If Tank Girl really existed,'' says British cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, ''she wouldn't have any friends. I wouldn't hang out with her. She smells.'' Not surprising, considering her boyfriend is a mutant kangaroo who occasionally carries her on his back. Described as the ''love child of Barbarella and the Banana Splits,'' Tank Girlwas created in 1988 by Hewlett, now 26, and writer Alan Martin, 28. The cult comic, which sells about 16,000 copies per issue in the U.S. (successful for an underground title), is a particular favorite with | British bands: Teenage Fanclub has used Tank Girl images on its T-shirts.
How does Hewlett feel about his creation moving to the big screen? He's happy with Lori Petty-she won his favor when she showed up on the set with a straight razor and said, ''Where do you want me?''-and doesn't mind that Tank Girl's Australian accent had to be dropped. ''I only set it in Australia because there aren't many buildings,'' he explains. ''It gets you down, constantly drawing buildings, and you don't get paid much for this kind of work.'' -Randall Mony Brown
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