Turns out, it’s not so easy for a candy princess to manage a vampiric rock star.
Creative Staff
Creator: Pendleton Ward
Writer/Illustrator: Meredith Gran
Colorist: Lisa Moore
Lettering: Steve Wands
Bonus Story: Faith Erin Hicks
What They Say:
Now that Princess Bubblegum is properly prepared to rock, it’s time to meet the band…the groovy ghoulish SCREAM QUEENS!
The Review:
This issue begins with the inevitable problems we knew Bubblegum was going to have with this manager gig. She’s unable to wrangle in the group as they party all night and then nearly sleep through a big interview. Of course, fans of the show will be unsurprised when Bubblegum manages to pull them together with seemingly little effort later on. This gets her some attention from the keyboardist, Guy, who confused me at first with his human appearance (isn’t Finn the only human?) until a new trust in Bubblegum causes him to reveal his secret.
Marceline, meanwhile, is having a harder time of it. After nearly missing and then flubbing an interview, she starts to show some anxiety when she’s approached by a record label. Marceline made it clear in the last issue that as much as she needs this tour to happen, she has a feeling of impending doom about it. The crippling affect of these feelings start to make itself shown in this issue, and she starts to lose control.
I was uncomfortable with the scenes in which Marceline is trying to gain favor with a record company, because this contradicts her character as we know her. It’s not that she shouldn’t show some sort of insecurity or a weak side — all good characters have these things, and we’ve been shown various examples of this for Marceline throughout the fandom. What feels a little untrue here is that Marceline would willingly display her need for outside approval, however much she might want it (the times she comes closest to do this being any episode with her dad). Marceline also shows an uncharacteristic lack of control over her hunger thanks to her “red fury”, but this could be because we’re finally seeing Marceline truly want something, and I still have hope that Gran has bigger plans for this in the next issue.
This issue’s bonus comic comes from Faith Erin Hicks (Friends with Boys). The band takes a stop in Blooo, an entirely blue country, which leaves red-hungry Marceline starving. Bubblegum has a solution, but it Marceline’s music makes it backfire. This short story doesn’t strike as strong of a cord as Wang’s tale did in the last issue, but it does show the power that music can have on other artists, bringing up a well of inspiration.
In Summary
Last issue we saw Bubblegum admit her own mistakes while Marceline owned up to her fears, but this issue doesn’t see quite so much in character growth. It’s great to see Princes Bubblegum take charge of the meandering band, but her control of the situation isn’t too surprising to fans of the cartoon. Marceline, meanwhile, seems to have taken a step back, showing even more weakness than she displayed in the first issue. While that seems to clash with what fans already know of her character, this is also Gran’s way of peeling back some layers so we can see more of an insecure girl than a vampire queen — definitely better fodder for a strong character arc. Despite some of my reservations, Gran’s storytelling is strong, with just enough humor to make you chuckle without ever feeling forced, and after what she’s added to some of the characters in this installment I’m excited to see where she takes them.
Grade: A-
