Action Lab Entertainment 2015
Written by Gayle Middleton & Dave Dwonch
Illustrated by Amanda Coronado
Coloured by Bill Blankenship
I usually tend to shy away from books that are mainly targeted to young girls, the all ages fare usually doesn’t sit with me but surprisingly what Gayle and Dave have been bringing us is this universal story of someone just wanting a place to fit in and be happy. That’s a story everyone of every age and gender can relate to and it’s being told in this way that’s engaging, fun and in a world that is at times frightening but represents something far greater.
Last issue Destiny was sent milk the dragons for blood for the babies and that’s where we pick things up here. Thanks to Amanda and Bill’s interiors the fantastic characters we meet like the Cyclops skeleton guard are more cute than they are scary doesn’t do much to quell Destiny’s apprehension as to how this should be done. The undead dragons seem very much like domesticated cows but they are extremely large and she’s a mortal so with her trusty shrunken head at her side how she manages to milk these dragons is wonderfully done.
Meanwhile at home Howliss has escaped and Lycinda tries to capture her with rather funny results. I love the characterization here and our stinkless stink bug Rasket ever the voice of reason, or nervous nelly take your pick, is a wonderful character and he’s one of those that as the story unfolds you just can’t help but really like. He and Lycinda are just so different that you have this feeling that the more time the spend together the more they can benefit from learning how the other behaves and make them more complete and rounded individuals.
Because teenage girls are the same wherever you go and with Vammette’s jealousy of Destiny and her attempts at sabotage the unthinkable has happened and the nursery is spotless and gorgeous not to Gloomvanian standards. How can a mere human compete with a jealous vampire teen held in high esteem in this society, well privilege is never fair and we see this all too common in high schools today where some feel more entitled than they should be behaving in such a reprehensible manner.
The best suggestion is to ask Madame Simone for help and that’s what they do.
This is so stinkin cute the character designs are fantastic and the mood, tone and feel of this book cannot be overlooked. With this decidedly anime feel to it along with the sheer delight we see in the attention to detail in the backgrounds, panel use on the pages bringing the words to life makes this a truly delightful series.
Don’t be afraid of something because it may not have been intended for you because if you snooze on this you’ll miss out on something profound and extremely entertaining.