COMIC BOOK REVIEW: ‘Psycho Sexy Super Magic’ – Strangers in an Even Stranger Land
Raves
Rants
Ever tried placing an entire action figure in your mouth when you were a child? If you have, you’re not alone. If you haven’t, your parents must’ve kept a really close eye on you.
Ever tried placing an entire action figure in your mouth when you were a child? If you have, you’re not alone. If you haven’t, your parents must’ve kept a really close eye on you.
Anyway, this was what Kasper tried to do at the beginning of Psycho Sexy Super Magic, the first self-published comic book of up-and-coming artist and writer Amos Villar. It’s the story of 2 girls, Kasper and Selca, living in a strange, surreal world peopled with what could only be described as a mishmash of American and Japanese pop culture references. But things aren’t exactly smooth-sailing in this out-of-this-world paradise. One wants to leave, while the other is happy to stay where she is. Eventually, after much hugging, crying and a one-on-one showdown with Super Bat (I did say it was surreal, didn’t I?), we eventually find out the heartbreaking truth behind this bizarre world – and about one of the characters …
A strong point of Psycho Sexy Super Magic is its story. It’s very tricky to pull off surrealism successfully, so it’s great to see a first-timer like Amos tackling this type of story head on. “Coolsville”, the name Kasper and Selca chose to call this world, is a treat for readers who enjoy looking for and spotting very familiar characters concealed in some pages. Was that a Shingeki no Kyojin titan hiding behind a mountain? Did we just catch a glimpse of Little Lulu in the background? And what is V’s mask doing on the ground? And while Kasper and Selca seem, at first glance, to be your typical teenage girls, they’re rather charming and high-spirited. It’s very easy to relate to and sympathize with them. I had this urge to hug Kasper and give her a box of tissues at the end of the story.
There are some drawbacks in Psycho Sexy Super Magic however. Amos is a very skilled artist who still needs to further develop a distinctive drawing style. It’s rather derivative and oftentimes flat. And while the storyline is intriguing, it’s only 22 pages long, with an abrupt, uncertain ending. After reading it, I felt like Oliver Twist with an empty bowl in hand – “Please, sir, I want some more.” I particularly had an issue with the major fight scene. If it’s supposed to be depicted as “ … the greatest, most terrible, and most violent battle this world had ever showcased … “, portraying it in an unexpectedly cutesy, cartoon-y manner to spare its readers from unsightly gore weakened the impact of the story. A good story should not apologize to its readers for being what it is.
Still, Psycho Sexy Super Magic is distinctive first work and has the makings of a unique comic book once it pushes boundaries and embraces its psycho, sexy, super, magical self.