Time for a little sidestory.
Creative Staff:
Story: Gene Ha
Artwork: Paulina Ganucheau
Color: Kendall Goode
What They Say:
Before Mae’s sister Abbie was known as Ani, Fallen Queen of the MHoukové, she was just a punk kid running away from problems at home. This standalone issue, illustrated by guest artist Paulina Ganucheau, shows how something, or someone, in the magical world of Cimerter n transformed Abbie into the warrior she is today.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With five issues under its belt at this stage, Gene Ha has crafted a pretty intriguing world going off of some familiar ideas. A world that really has me wishing for a novelization in order to really connect with the world building that’s going on here in a deeper and richer way. With Ha working the artwork and story across it, it’s caught up a bit and a bit of a breather is required and that means we get some sidestory material this time around. Ha crafts the main story here with artist Paulina Ganucheau while the shorter backup story comes from writer Danny Busiek and artist Sally Jane Thompson that explores something completely different. It’s fun material overall but I can also see this as being something that will frustrate a lot of fans that want “pure” Ha material.
The main story takes us back a ways with Abbie to when she was relatively early on in her adventures as Ani. She’s crashing in a small village while trying to find her way back to the kingdom but nobody knows how to get there because nobody travels. It’s a welcome idea in showing how provincial most people are in these situations compared to her worldliness as she’s traveled a lot and seen so much, but that’s because she’s not tied down to anything. This all gives us a decent look at your average villager, at least until a group shows up that’s looking to take over while in hiding from the military. Suffice to say, fighting ensues and Ani’s reputation grows. What I like about it is that the designs are coming from classic Japanese oni stories and there’s some real fun with the way that the new arrivals divvy up the villagers by servants and servings and have them fight it out to see who will be what. There are no surprises here and Paulina Ganucheau does a solid job in presenting the work, but it’s a definite departure from Ha’s style that has really defined this world in a very particular way.
The backup story is a cute piece that gives us some time with Mae in her high school years where she knows Dhalia but the two aren’t exactly as close as we know them to be later. That all changes when Mae gets accosted by a mansplaining dude about the Black Butler shirt she’s wearing and we get the whole terrible True Fan conversation unfolding. I hate that conversation because it’s so belittling and the people that play at it are just terrible. Hell, I’d fail under most of these kinds of accusations simply because I watch and read so much that I feel like I’ve forgotten more than most anime fans will even see in their lifetime. It’s a nice piece overall with Mae asserting herself and not simply taking it as the only way to deal with these kinds of people is to treat them like the bullies that they are and stand up to them.
In Summary:
While background stories like this are all well and good, they’re things that I’d rather see done by Gene Ha himself as his style and design is half the draw of this series. I’d rather see him skip a month rather than do this. Paulina Ganucheau and Sally Jane Thompson do some fun stuff with their respective stories but it really is falling into that dreaded filler category when it shouldn’t. Moreso for the opening story as it’s so long and does so little. Then again, I’ve seen thirty-minute anime episodes that essentially do the same so it’s not exactly unheard of. Not a swing and a miss but something that shouldn’t have been swung at in the first place.
The series returns in April 2017.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 26th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
