I probably should have realized that Loonicorns V01 Bleary-Eye was going to be a train wreck when I saw a cyclops, grumpy unicorn (I guessed it was a unicorn, the horn was a clue) and a girl with a horn. Yet, like wrecks in general, you just cannot look away. Or in this case, stop reading. After all, what was going on? At first, I was, “Nope. Jerky characters in a segregated system? Not my jam.” Still, there was something in Cedric Asna’s words that was moving me along.
While this is a lot of shenanigans, when I got into it, things were mostly funny things and started to work out in an acceptable manner. However, there are several points that got old (Granny’s always misnaming one of the unicorns for one). But overall, teens will get a kick out of the goofy, but serious messages that come about. Yes, it was about a segregated society and how they basically bring the plague that affects them on themselves. There are several political points (A big bell ringer: “Why should we get life saving vaccines for our children? Don’t we have a choice? Why should we get a vaccine we don’t know what is in it.”) and there is religious issues, even transgender issues (or you could label it like that). This is just a political commentary disguised (not to subtly) as a comic story.
You learn about “Pretties and Uglies,” true friendships, liars, and con artists and where bananas get washed when you follow the text and read the illustrations of Peter Waltch. The cover says it all. This is the coloring and details you will deal with (a few pages might have a bit more, but there are little changes otherwise). Overall, this is a love them or not case; there is little “in between” for the illustrations.
And while it sounds like I hated this, I did not hate it. I did not love it, but I know there is an audience for them. And props for them mentioning my main-state-mascot, Champ!
