MoJoJo

The Remainders is a post-apocalyptic western following the lives of a family living amongst the rubble of a destroyed Earth. It follows the character Leeland as he returns to Earth from Mars. Leeland was brought to Mars after witnessing the death of his mother, where he was spotted by an agent of the Interplanetary Federation. In issue 1 we see Leeland return to Earth 14 years later. With the help of his brother Roscoe - which includes robbing a train full of people - Leeland is able to return home. It's still unclear how much of an impact the years apart had on the boys, as we only really get a glimpse of each of them before Leeland was taken away. There is a sense that both have been changed through the years, but in some ways still the same.

We see that the Earth is covered in garbage and remnants of our modern age, to the point that there is almost no visible greenery left on the planet. A tour guide mentions that 300 years have passed since the evacuation of Earth. This exodus was an abandonment of the Earth, with most of the planet's residents moving on to other worlds among the stars. Leeland and his family are descendants of those that stayed behind. It's unclear why his family never left the planet, assuming it was their choice. Likewise, it isn't clear why they chose to continue hiding themselves away on the Earth after generations of other planets were established.

What is clear is their distain for the Interplanetary Federation. Similarly, we see that the Federation looks down on the remaining Earthlings. As readers we see quite a few Earthlings still exist on the planet. The Federation, however, holds fast in their belief that the Earthlings are just a fleeting reminder of what once was.

The Remainders has a heavy emphasis on climate control and protection, speaking often and bluntly about how much humans disregarded the planet until it was to late. For some this might be a bit to heavy handed or distracting from the character's story. I didn't mind it, but I could see someone not enjoying this specific aspect of the comic.

Earthlings that remained have made their home in and under the garbage. Their homes resemble earthships, comprised of the garbage that litters the planet. The comic's last page reveals that they've brought back some of the greenery to their underground home. We can see lush plants around their man made structures facing towards the sun. It does make me curious how much the earthlings have been able to resurrect their planet, without the continued pollution of days-gone-by.

Issue 1 primarily serves to introduce the characters and get Leeland from point A to point B. I found it to be a good introduction into the world that John O. Burke has created. I also enjoyed the fusion of Wild West and post-human Earth. I'm not sure what direction the story could go in from here, but it's a nice setup and effective groundwork for world building.

The art of The Remainders is done by K.X Quinn. Their loose and cartoony style has a animated liveness to the comic that I really enjoyed. It almost feels nostalgic. The sketchiness and expressive nature of the designs sort of remind me of Sunday comics like Bloom County, Zits or Calvin and Hobbs. That might sound funny, given the comics more mature content.

Busy would be another good word for it I think. Even on the pages with a more simplistic layout there is plenty to look at. K.X Quinn is constantly overlapping panels, creating detailed backgrounds and utilizing typography to create high energy, maximalist pages. It's the sort of thing you want to read through, then give a second look at. My favorite detail is the Garfield lying in the foreground on page 10.

Overall, I've enjoyed what I've seen of The Remainders. I picked up issue 1 on Free Comic Book Day. I was solo this year so stopped at a few different comic shops in my area. Because of that, I got the chance to meet the creator while he was tabling and talk to him for a while about the comics. I actually picked up issue 1 and 2 of another series of his, The Routine, so expect a video on that eventually too.

If this sounds up your alley, you can get a physical copy from John O. Burke's Etsy. The comic was published by Apollo Comics so you could also get a copy from them or see if a local comic store could order it for you. Actually, I'll link to Apollo Comics too, since you can get it digitally on their website.

Anyways, I love finding comics like this. When a comic is one or two people who care about their stories and creating something they're passionate about. It'll always get a few points from me.

Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and with art by Riley Rossmo, The Moon is Following Us follows Sam and Duncan LaMarr on a race to save their daughter from her own dreamland. Their daughter Penny fell asleep six months ago and hasn't woken up. Penny is trapped inside her own mind, seemingly playing host a war of multi-dimensional proportions.

With aid both from the various denizens of Penny's dreams and a mysterious figure known as Tash Severin; the couple must delve into their daughters mind to get her back. Throughout the volume, the couple battles a group known as The Cascade who appear to be the cause of Penny's condition.

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That is the spoiler free synopsis anyways, but I'm going to delve into characters, which will include spoilers. Skip the the next section if you don't want any story spoiled.

As we follow the adventure of Sam and Duncan we see them fight both The Cascade and their own personal demons. Sam is quick to anger and prone to barreling through whatever gets in her way. We see her merciless drive to save her daughter, and unwavering fortitude in the face of almost any peril - with one major exception.

When Sam is up against a leaders of the Cascade we that the creature is - or rather appears to be - Sam's mother. While we as readers can tell this is a trick, Sam seems unable to differentiate between the two. We're shown the trauma surrounding the death of Sam's mother - which effected both Sam and Penny.

Because of this Sam more or less shuts down for a chunk of the battle, unable to face off with the figure. It will be interesting to see if this appearance is permanent to the creature while in Penny's mind or if it can take on other forms as well.

Aesthetically, Sam has a battle-babe vibe going on in the vein of characters like Big Barda, Xena or Red Sonja. Both in design and attributes. She cares passionately about her daughter and is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her goal - getting Penny back to the real world. She definitely fits well into your standard cliches of hot warrior women. But I'm an absolute sucker for both the Action Girl trope so you won't hear me complain about it.

Where Sam is emotional, her husband Duncan is enigmatic. Duncan himself lacks any real drive to face off with danger and doesn't read quite as heroic as one might consider his wife. What Duncan lacks in bravado he seems to make up for in calculation and intuition. The book hints at him having a good sense of people, and a sly mind for more sneaky endeavors. I will say however, as of volume 1 I didn't personally think he got that much time to shine. While there's a clear groundwork for his character later on, I wish he had a bit of a bigger spark even if only for a moment of volume 1.

There's a sense, at least in my opinion, that he is capable of more than the book is letting on. At this moment he feels almost cowardice, unable to strike at enemies even when defending himself from immediate danger. It's clear Duncan wants Penny back just as much as Sam, but the book seems to be waiting for the opportunity to show both us readers as well as Sam how much Duncan is capable of in order save his daughter.

Aesthetically, Duncan's design is reminiscent of his character. He resembles a futuristic Robin Hood with his beard and green ensemble. A large, yellow, lobster-claw like arm acts as a shield and breaks up a bit of the green, but in general he has a much sleeker design than his wife. The cover of Volume 1 almost makes him look like Master Chief, but inside the comic it's slimmed down a bit, appearing perhaps more utilitarian. I think this also goes back to Riley Rossmo art style, which appears to prioritize silhouette and readability over purpose and practicality.

The side characters of The Moon is Following Us paint a fun, eclectic group, reflecting the setting with a mix of childhood whimsy and gritty action movie. The standout companion for the pair, at least in my opinion, is the Toad fashioned after their daughter's childhood plushie. While their companions don't hold memories of their lives as Penny's toys, all members of the resistance army hold her in good regards - willing to ready to risk everything for the girl's safety.

We only get flickers of Penny as a character, she acts more as a tool for the story than a character. When conscious she is clearly terrified, knowing that she is trapped in her own dreams. Mostly what we see of her though is a ghost of the past, that being the memories of her held by her parents. It's unclear how much control Penny has over her dreamland, or if she has any at all. I hope that we get a bit more of her character, but at the end of the day she is functionally the pin holding the story together.

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Riley Rossmo's art is animated, colorful and creates a fun atmosphere for the series. His heavily stylized art allows for the fantasy to mix well with more realistic elements. Rossmo also get's pretty detailed in his work - creating some full and two-page spreads that are just as nice as stand alone pieces as they are apart of the comic's narrative.

I wasn't sure how fantastical this book would be when I started reading it. Personally, I like to know just enough about a comic to pique my interest when I pick it up. Because of that I was somehow convinced this book would be a Sci-Fi trapped-in-the-internet story.

One page in particular reminded me a bit of The Electric State - the novel by Simon Stålenhag not the Netflix movie. When we see Duncan and Sam sprawled out in bed, with these large helmets they've been using to get into their daughters dreams. Wires stretch from their headsets into the hallway, and then further into their daughter's room. Around them the house is in a bit of disarray and medical equipment sits beside Penny's bed.

Even though this Sci-Fi assumption ended up not being the case, it really created an interesting vibe and stuck in my mind as I read on.

If I had one complaint - I would say that while lively and exciting, it can be a smidge difficult to determine what's going on. This is particularly true with actions scenes. Such as when Penny falls out of a helicopter. It wasn't entirely clear - at least not to me - at what point they had put Penny down and for what reason they let her go instead of continuing to hold onto her. Suddenly she was just falling. This isn't a major issue, but I noticed it a few times throughout volume 1.

As a side note - I backed the Electric State RPG when it was on kickstarter and have spent some time reading through it's game mechanics. Not sure if or when I'll every get to run it, but if you like the concept of the world Stalenhag created maybe consider checking out the RPG.

Daniel Warren Johnson does a nice job with weaving the various characters through a fun and engaging storyline. Similarly to the art, the tone for The Moon is Following Us is an eclectic mix between the cute-ness and imagination of a six-year-old girl's mind, a story of parents losing their daughter and the seriousness of conflict and war. All against a backdrop of helicopters fighting dragons and a buff teddy bear defending barbie from a hoard of fiends and monstrosities.

I think Johnson also does a nice job writing the dynamic between the protagonists. Sam and Duncan are clearly a couple and clearly love their daughter. But there's a strain there. They go about the world in very different ways and it has created a fracture in their dynamic. Like a crease that can't be ironed out, at least not yet. I think this sort of strained affection and unconditional trust can be hard to pull off, since in comics a characters tone and attitude is seen and not heard. Johnson and Rossmo came together to create a nice, believe relationship. Sam and Duncan are long past puppy love, needing open and honest communication between the two if they can stay together and save their daughter.

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One other major spoiler for this volume is it's ending, so skip this again if you don't want to see the spoiler:

As volume 1 concludes its revealed that Tash, the couples guide into the dream world, had betrayed them. Tash is a mysterious character, who almost appears druidic in design. He appears out of nowhere to help the couple save their daughter, lamenting that he had his own daughter once and lost her, assumedly from the Cascade. It's not entirely clear where his powers come from, or even how they work. What does become clear is Tash's true nature - someone willing to sacrifice the couple and everything they'd been working towards in order to save his own daughter.

In all honestly, this twist worked for me. Tash spoke often of his daughter, but exclusively in past tense. he is also significantly older - at least physically - than Sam and Duncan. This implied to me on first reading that his daughter had died some time ago, with Tash being trapped in the dream world. He mentioned this possibility to the couple a few times, so I assumed that was his story. The twist also then called into question a lot of other moments for me, moments of suspicion and gestures that hint that Tash had not been entirely on their side.

Overall I've enjoyed The Moon is Watching Us it's a fun adventure and presents an interesting narrative to explore. My only real concern with the series is how long a story like this can go on. Volume 1 ends on a cliff hanger for Volume 2, but I do hope they let this story conclude, rather than continue on indefinitely. But yeah, so far it's been a good read and I look forward to picking up future volumes.

Let This One Be A Devil is a Dark Horse Comic Written by James Tynion and Steve Foxe; with art by Piotr Kowalski.

The comic follows Henry Naughton, a young man who left his small town life among the Pine Barrens of New Jersey in favor of more scholarly pursuits. Henry is called back home by the death of his father and sticks around - wanting to support his mother and younger brother. At least that's what we've been told so far, but as is often the case in comics I wouldn't be surprised if there were additional reasons for his return to the secluded, small town.

One night the family's chickens are attacked and when venturing out to investigate Henry comes face to face with a creature in the darkness. The beast is unlike anything Henry had seen before, and acts as a catalyst for further exploration into the unknown.

Although Henry grew up among the pine barrens it is abundantly clear he never cared much for wives tales or folklore. He spends his time during Issue 2 of the series asking a local historian about the history and beliefs surrounding the creature.

I said before that the comic follows Henry Naughton, but that is not entirely true. We get cut aways and flashbacks to various point in history, mostly concerning the Leeds family and various influences of the creature's origin.

The Jersey Devil's Legend: I'm using that as a transition to talk about the Jersey Devil. For anyone that needs context - I love cryptids. I wanted to be a cryptozoologist when I was a kid and spent way to much time studying cryptids as if they were gonna pop up on the SATs in high school. Anyways - if you want to skip my shabby history lesson, you can jump the next section.

The Jersey Devil occupies the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and is often described as bipedal - with goat legs, a horses head, leathery wings and glowing red eyes. The most common origin for the creature stems from the story of Mother Leeds's 13th child. The Leeds family had twelve children. In 1735 before the 13th child was born it was forsaken by Mother Leeds. She said that the child would be a devil, and sure enough when the child was finally born it's form was monstrous. The creature flew up the chimney that night and into the Pine Barrens, stalking southern New Jersey ever since.

There are also supposed other origins for the creature, with some potential ties to Native American stories and influences. Personally though, I'm all in for the Mother Leeds story myself. It might be interesting to see the comic explore these alternative influences though, if done with tact.

So far the comic has featured two timestamps, 1735 - when the devil was supposedly born - and 1909, when the Jersey Devil had it's most prominent sightings on record. During 1909 the Jersey Devil was seen in a multitude of locations during January of that year.

They also directly mention the bounty for the Jersey Devil from the Philadelphia zoo and the encounter by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, who reported seeing the Devil himself. The authors are clearly passionate about the legends, and dive deeply into the creature's past. This is by far the most interesting aspect of the comic, in my opinion.

The Jersey Devil I would say is pretty popular in regards to American Cryptids with a plethora of documentaries, monster hunter shows, and even comedies featuring the beast. While not exactly Bigfoot, I would personally say he surpasses the popularity for creatures like the Loveland Frogman or The Squonk, as much as I hold a spot for those little weirdos in my heart. The legend of the Jersey Devil has persevered throughout the ages and has a stable foothold in it's home of Southern New Jersey.

Ok, enough cryptid talk - let's get back to the comic. Let This One Be A Devil has a really nice look. The heavy use of lines and shadows gives it almost an etched, linocut look. This presents a nice, gritty feel that I think reflects well with the story and tone of the comic. Characters faces and emotions can sometimes look a bit stiff in my opinion, but it doesn't take away from the greater ambiance of the book. The writing of Let This One Be A Devil is also nice, utilizing a middle ground of modern cadence and older-sounding dialogue. While it leans into it's setting, this isn't like Robert Eggers The Witch or anything, characters are easy to understand right from the get-go.

Overall, I would say that this comic runs a bit of a middle ground for me. It may stem from my previous knowledge of the Jersey Devil, but neither issue 1 of 2 really sustained my interest. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I do wonder if I would like it more with less familiarity to the creature's legend. I don't find the characters particularly memorable either, with Henry's most notable trait being his curiosity towards the creature. It leaves me wanting to know a bit more about him, just so I can have some kind of connection to his character. The dynamic between Henry and his brother Roy is noteworthy, but feels one-dimensional in it's presentation so far.

While a fun exploration into the myths and legends of the Jersey Devil, this comic is sort of take it or leave it for me. Part of me wants to know what kind of story will unfold, like, is this a Monster Hunter origin story for Henry? Or perhaps the comic will continue to consist of fragments of time effected by the mysterious creature. Will we see the creature face-off against our protagonists, or will it take a more sympathetic look at the human side of the Jersey Devil's origin... assuming there's any human left within it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is; the concept of Let This One Be A Devil is interesting to me, but it's two issues in and I've found the execution a bit stale. It could just be that I'm impatient for action, or that the comic truly has began to drag. That's a personal opinion either way though and would love to hear what others think of it. I would like to see more comics built around the cryptids of America though - give me a eldritch horror comic about the Dover Demons or a small sailing ship facing off against Ogopogo.

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[ Hello - this is basically a script for a youtube video i haven't recorded yet. I often just type as I would speak, so sorry if it is structured oddly. - Thanks! ]

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Sources used in video:

Tung, Angela. “The Mysterious Origins of the Jersey Devil.” The Week, 30 Oct. 2014, theweek.com/articles/442631/mysterious-origins-jersey-devil.

Mark and Mark “The Jersey Devil” 15 Jan. 2024, weirdnj.com/stories/jersey-devil/.

Philips, Sampson and Company. “In The Pines.” The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 3, Atlantic Monthly Company, Boston, Massachusetts, 1859, pp. 565–568, https://books.google.com/books?id=fbEGAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22in+the+pines%22+atlantic+monthly+devil&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Accessed 1 May 2024.

Regal, Brian. “The Jersey Devil: The Real Story.” Skeptical Inquirer, 2013, skepticalinquirer.org/2013/11/the-jersey-devil-the-real-story/.

“Heart of the Pine Barrens.” New Jersey Conservation Foundation, www.njconservation.org/project/heart-of-the-pine-barrens/#:~:text=America’s%20first%20National%20Reserve%2C%20the,seven%20counties%20and%2056%20municipalities. Accessed 1 May 2025.

"The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All" follows high school students Aya Oosawa and Mitsuki Koga. Aya has a love for western and rock music, and while perusing music at a local record shop she begins crushing on on the boy who works there. The two develop a bond over their love of music. In actuality the male store clerk is her female classmate Mitsuki Koga, who literally sits next to her in class. Mitsuki has a Bruce Wayne - Batman dichotomy going on, sort of hiding as a nobody during school hours and taking on a more confident, cooler persona at the shop.

The first volume in particular feels like a series of vignettes taking place over a vague amount of time, rather than a streamlined story progression. It's kind of like snapshots of the girls lives. I would assume this is because the manga started as a webseries on Sumiko Arai's twitter. It definitely shifts into a more linear story as the manga progresses. The first volume follows the girls as they are introduced to one another and begin to bond over music. Aya is immediately smitten and talks with her friends about the boy she likes in class. Mitsuki overhears this and makes the totally rational decision to hide her identity from Aya. Even going as far as calling her when Aya gives Mitsuki her number.

This dynamic doesn't stem from a malicious intent, but Mitsuki does make a choice not to clear up the confusion, hoping they can bond over music so the aspects of loneliness in both the girls lives can be somewhat alleviated. In Aya's case she has no one to share her passion of music with, feeling isolated in her interests. She is even openly teased by her friends about her choice in music. While Mitsuki is an outcast in a broader sense, avoiding ostracization by purposely secluding herself.

We are also introduced to Mitsuki's uncle Joe, who owns the record store. He is ex-rocker who walked away from the potential spotlight to raise his niece. Joe tries to have a heart to heart with Mitsuki right from the get-go and is shown to be unconditionally supportive of his niece.

The story goes on like this for a while, with Mitsuki walking a thin line between flirting/befriending Aya and trying not to blow her cover. There are quite a few hints that could give her away, and we even see flashes of recognition from Aya where she notices the similarities - even directly mentioning her classmate to the record store guy.

Towards the middle of volume 1 we're introduced to Megumu Narita who easily see's through Mitsuki's disguise as the guy in the record store. Nariita is a preppy, easygoing classmate and is pretty confident in his capabilities to win people over. He starts to hang around the record shop too - interested in learning to mimic Mitsuki's cool demeanor and also just kind of rooting for the two girls relationship. He does a lot to try to push the two of them together, and even forms a friendly rivalry with Aya about who is the bigger fan of Mitsuki's as the story goes on.

Volume 1 picks up speed as the girls and Narita join forces on the executive committee planning the culture festival for their class, and Aya recognizes a playlist she'd made for her record store guy on Mitsuki's phone. Finally able to put all the pieces together Aya has a breakdown thinking that this was a prolonged, purposeful trick. It's doesn't feel like Aya is upset that Mitsuki is a girl, but rather because Mitsuki is a classmate and someone Aya directly got to know on a personal level over the course of the story.

The girls falling out is quiet and really comes down to them simply avoiding each other. Their break up culminates in both almost quitting the committee. With Narita and her uncle Joe's help though, Mitsuki manages to get Aya to attend the festival's closing party where Mitsuki preforms a song to try winning Aya's friendship back.

This gesture is enough to win Aya back. The remainder of the book sees the girls being more open about their friendship at school and Aya makes an effort to blend Mitsuki in with her friend group. This goes about as well as you would expect, with Aya's friends not really getting what's going on with the girls and feeling like Aya is leaving them behind. The main story of the volume concludes with Mitsuki giving Aya's friend Chizuru a ticket for a concert she was going to see with Aya. This is another attempt for Mitsuki to step back, afraid that she is dismantling Aya's relationship with her friends and trying to engage Chizuru with Aya's interests. I don't want to dive to much further into that though, since it is continued in volume 2, and I'm just focusing on volume 1.

Some thoughts on Characters

I think Sumiko Arai makes it pretty clear, at least to me, that the cooler persona is Mitsuki's true self, but she'd rather blend in under the radar than deal with the consequences of standing out. This is a nice contrast against Aya's more open and spirited personality. Aloof and a bit informal, Mitsuki flip flops often from being true to herself and being numb to her own emotions or intentions.

After the main story of volume 1, there is one more section of the book. in flashback, we see that one of Mitsuki's childhood friendships was ruined by her dislike of wearing skits. Her friend was bullied after defending Mitsuki on a day when the other girls of the class had decided to wear skirts, while Mitsuki herself didn't own any. That moment effected Mitsuki, giving context on why she is determined to keep her facade up at school - maintaining a subdued reputation even with the buzz of the mysterious musician who preformed in all black at the closing party.

Aya is shown to be outspoken and friendly, but feels insecure about her interest in western and older rock music. The spectrum they listen to is actually pretty broad in scope, ranging from Nirvana and Beck to more modern rock like Willow. However, none of Aya's friends share her passion in music.

It's also worth mentioning that Aya is a gyaru or a gal. This is a subculture in Japan that is pretty varied and I am not someone who can really delve into it, but they're are some great video essays on the subculture on YouTube. Aya - at least in my opinion - falls into the Kogal, or school girl, subcategory of Gyaru. I'll link to some videos about Gyaru (like this one or this one). I do think it's worth noting Gyaru itself is form of counterculture in Japan and so works well with Aya's love of alternative music and western media.

Joe is a character that we learn a lot more about in volume 2. He has a lot of love for his niece and is determined to help Mitsuki and her friends to the best of his abilities. He is also voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda in the Drama CD which I found so many people mentioning online in regards to this series.

Overall Thoughts on Volume 1

In all honesty, I liked The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All less than I thought I would, which might be a hot take. I think this is an entirely personal preference though, and can totally see why so many people are interested in it. An anime for the series was announced in February and I might have to check that out whenever it premieres. Overall though, the manga was just ok for me. There were quite a few times the humor didn't really land for me, and I found myself sort of skimming and then needing to go back and reread sections. At no point did I give up reading the book though, and the moments that hit really hit.

The manga is well written and the art is so fun. The heavy use of that like brat summer, nickelodeon green really gives the book a distinct look and sense of energy. I also really enjoyed the emphasis on music. Coming from a western perspective and as a un-musically inclined person I loved looking up some of the music mentioned just to see what exactly the girls were listening to. Like, I don't listen to Willow, but they bring her up enough that I check out the album and it was pretty good. I should mentioned that I read both volume 1 and volume 2 and did enjoy volume 2 more so it could also be the structing of the story, since volume 2 is a bit more linear and doesn't have quite so many ups and down in timing and tone.

Still, at the end of the day the manga was just ok for me, but that's ok. I'm excited to hear what my sister thinks, and would love to see what other people have to say about it. With that in mind, have you read The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All? What did you think of it? Please let me know.

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Our story begins 10 years after the disappearance of the girls' parents, who themselves were famous philanthropists and detectives. Currently the Seasons sisters are scattered and divided... just as mysterious, malicious forces creep into their lives.

in Issue 1 we see that Spring - the youngest sister - has been made away of their impending plight, warned by the adventurous Autumn. The first issue follows Spring as she chases down the letter which warns of the creeping cacophony just as the travelling circus comes to town. We see a glimpse of what this circus is capable of within the first few pages of the issue.

Issue two gives us a larger look into the day-to-day of Spring's life as well as allowing us a bite-sized glimpse into the lives of her sisters. Spring also talks to Winter in an attempt for conversation and to perhaps gain some guidance. Finally, the end of the issue sees the Seasons officially invited to the circus.

Now to talk about the characters:

Spring herself is a plucky, optimistic young girl. She may or may not also be able to speak with animals. At 14 years old Spring is a bit precocious - caring for herself as independently as she can in lieu of receiving aid from her sisters or missing parents. Her primary companion is her fish, Gilbert, whom she takes with her to School, Work and whatever else she gets up to.

Summer only makes a brief appearance in issue 2, but she is a starlet. She is also perhaps the most on-the-nose interpretation of her season as a person, at least at time of recording. Shown to be a bit egotistical to the point of being out-of-touch, Summer seems to have no cares about disrupting the lives of others or inconveniencing those around her. This appears true at least for she might see as beneath her, such as her director or crew.

Summer is the sun, everyone else revolves around her. It will be interesting to see her dynamic with the other Seasons sisters, specifically in regards to comradery and teamwork.

Aside from Spring, Autumn is perhaps the sister we see the most of. Although even with more pages we don't really get a good feel of what she's like. Mysterious and adventurous Autumn feels very Indiana Jones or Carmen Sandiago-esc, perhaps taking after her parents. She see Autumn warning Spring of the circus before delving into ruins to uncover what happened to their parents. Going on the little we have gotten of her, I personally got the impression that she is very intelligent, knows she's intelligent, and can be a bit hard-headed because of that. She thinks she's the smartest one in the room at all times and acts accordingly.

Winter is a moody artist, hiding away in her studio atop the Seasons home. She laments the woes of feeling passionately about art, and the heartache of destroying something you've put a piece of your soul into. In my opinion though, Winter feels very much like a hypocrite. She claims no one cares more deeply than artists, yet berates Spring and refuses to engage emotionally with her younger sister. All the while Spring is in fairly apparent distress over Autumns letter.

It will be interesting to see what she actually cares about on a deeper level. At the same time I can see a lot of people liking her even if it's only for her moody, goth aesthetic.

My thoughts on the comic so far:

Firstly, I think it's worth reiterating that what drew me in initially was the art. Done in watercolor, with loose linework and vibrant colors. The comic simply oozes with whimsy and an all around fun vibe. This is a horror comic though, and I am equally excited to see what direction the art will go in when the time comes for more horror elements.

Overall, the writing has been ok so far. Personally it has felt like The Seasons can, at times, come across as a bit choppy. Particularly within issue 2, in terms of timing and tone. Additionally, while the characters are interesting-enough, none of the Seasons sisters really peaked me interest out of the gate. I am interested in the circus though, and what has drawn it to the sisters directly.

Although it is also worth noting that these early issues do sort of read like a pilot episode; with elements being established and left unexplained in pretty quick succession. We'll have to wait and see if it keeps this pace, or slows down a bit in later issues once the characters/lore has been more fleshed out.

I've enjoyed The Seasons enough that I plan to keep reading it. Only two issues are out, but I found them both to be fun introduction to the greater narrative. It is at least, a fun comic to begin 2025 with.

I could also see it getting a following for those simply like the clowns and circus stuff, since that gained a lot popularity last year on tiktok... at least on my fyp.

"I Don't Want to Be a Magical Girl" is a refreshing, fun story. They spend time to simultaneously redefine and pay homage classic tropes of the genre. The pilot is also doing it's own thing though; particularly with it's sleek, modern feeling character designs and pacing.

The writing and comedy is likewise kept very modern. It feels clean with a good balance of work and play to move the story along. The series main characters are (freshmen?) in high school and I think the creators did a great job at writing youthful without it feeling kiddy.

I would say there is something for everyone within the 11 minute Pilot, but the series definitely takes a few steps back from all-ages. It contains light swearing and cartoon violence. With dark-ish humor and attitudes presented. Quite a few of the jokes had me snickering, which is more than I can say for a number of full-fledged adult comedy cartoons.

They really struck a good balance of funny without overly meme-ing it up. While there was the occasional moment where I felt a bit to much second-hand-awkwardness, that's definitely a personal take. I find myself feeling that way with plenty of other modern shows and movies with a similar tone (that I enjoyed) such as Disney's Turning Red, just as an example. For every moment that felt a bit awkward though, there was two jokes I thought landed.

The idea of a parodying or playing with the magical girl genre is a concept that I've seen before, and usually always love. There are so many different avenues to take it, and limitless stories to tell.

A few webcomics that you might consider checking out which take the magical girl genre and runs with it are:

🌟 Magical Boy by The Kao features another magic user, disgruntled with their title and expectations. However, in Magical Boy we follow the story of Max, a young transman dealing with his gender identity alongside his fantastical powers. Originally a webcomic, it also available in print.

🌟 Retired Magical Girl Support Group by Anne Soderborg - In this comic we explore the life of Aiko and a few other women who have aged-out of their magical girl personas. How can they adjust when the magic they had throughout their youth is gone and they suddenly have to move onward into an ordinary life?

🌟 Glitter and Guilt by Sierra Ray tells the story of Sweetheart, magical girl fueled by the power of love. Alongside her archenemy (boyfriend?) Bitterbat; a multidimensional prince of evil. <-- Be advised, This comic is intended for a more mature audience.

But yeah, please also watch the Animatic Pilot for "I Don't Want to Be a Magical Girl" - it's great.

I'm a sucker for books that include music and this is no exception. It's such a fun way to incorporate a soundtrack into the experience while reading. Overall, I personally enjoyed the various songs throughout the book. Each chapter is titled after a song, and others are periodically referenced. There is a full list available at the end of Titan itself.

I also wondered if maybe João himself was named after João Gilberto. This didn't feel relevant to bring up in the video.

As I mentioned in the video, João is cheating on his wife - and while I don't like it on principle I also feel like it's also handled a bit flippantly. Like, unless you notice the wedding ring there really isn't a way to know until his wife herself is introduced for maybe a page. It feels so unnecessary. Still - in a story focused on the division of people, capitalism and the woes of oppression... why not include a man in power cheating on his wife like she doesn't even exist.

I wish we had explored a bit more of the world of Titan. The lives of both the Terrans and Giants are only lightly seen. We know that Titans have kids and exist primarily in an environment where they are literally and socially treated essentially like prisoners. But what does their society really look like, and consist of? We do at least get some glimpses - at least more so than that of the Terrans, who are left behaving more like Storm Troopers than three dimensional personalities throughout the story. After watching a few interviews it's pretty clear that Vigneault has more to say about this world, but was limited by the story's scale and page count. Still, for me at least, the story takes such a long time to truly get going that I wouldn't have minded an couple extra pages if it meant fleshing out additional concepts and characters. They work as archetypes, but I found it hard to really care about anyone personally aside from the Pro and Deuteragonist.

I was apprehensive to really dive into any of the concepts concerning gender, sexuality and cultural hegemony vs folk belief. While I do think there's a lot of those elements worth dissecting in the movie, I wondered how much of those perceptions are formed from my own cultural background and lifestyle - As opposed to actually being baked into the film.

Elements such as Piotr's gender expression or Gorcha's suggestive comments (and eventual, direct physical iniquity) towards the Marquee stand out within first viewing. Piotr also involves himself in actions that - at least to my American perspective - feel like something more akin to traditionally womanly roles. This includes taking part in folkloric beliefs and practices, as well as him simply expressing emotional distress. While the Marquee is shown in similar conditions, he glides somewhere between the expected roles of both Jeger and Piotr. His foreigner status and eccentric otherness seems to permit him a fluidity not allowed to the other men... At least for most of the film.

Painted both as a subjugated and illicit action, this never the less weaves a fairly fluid expression given the rigid dynamics within the film. I personally would interpret this as another way to highlight just how stigmatizing and alienating the familial and cultural structures can be for the family. The implication being (at least in my opinion) that their relationship was tenuous at best, and held together at least partially from societal expectation long before the events of the film.

This is seen in other ways too, such as in Anja's open distress that her sister-in-law (Sdenka) is unable to be married off due to her previous indiscretions in the eyes of their community.

I think they do love each other, but would not necessarily like each other in a world where each were strangers. Personally, I believe that is a sentiment that many siblings can attest to. I love my sisters, but we are each so starkly unique that in another world we may have never properly met. At the same time, we are tied together through our shared experiences and - obviously- our family togetherness.

Additionally Gorcha holds an iron grip over his family, allowed to him through cultural tradition and (at least later in the film) fear. This enables him firstly to reenter the home as a monster and later to guide them to their demise. It's only when everything is lost that Jegor is able to reflect and admit what had delivered them to their end. We don't see or hear much of Gorcha's character before the events of the film, so his nature before the film starts is definitely up to interpretation. Was he always a monster, or did becoming one bring out the worst in him?

On a different note - it helps that The Vourdalak itself so physically nice to watch. Filmed on physical film as opposed to digital gives the movie a more classical look, with a graininess (although that could be my monitor as I watched it on my computer) and grit akin to movies from days gone by. In my YouTube review I highlight it's fairytale look, but I would be remiss not to mention how well I think this could work as a theater production. Many shots look like they could be pulled directly from a stage. Sdenka's speech as she explain their father's whereabouts feels almost like a soliloquy. A moment where she is just as trapped in her own thoughts as her family is enraptured in her tale. Likewise this could come from the puppetry element... or maybe just because I love a nice dramatic stage show.

Ultimately, The Vourdalak paints a melancholic and perhaps even bitter narrative that leaves me feeling a bit forlorn. It's a woeful piece of art, with much more going on aside from it's vampiric elements. Expressing a lot in less than 2 hours, it entertained me enough (even after a few rewatches) that I have yet to be truly bored with the film.