Carolyn Nowak

Welcome to Showside #2 is another fun installment in writer/artist Ian McGinty’s bouncy, anything goes all ages urban fantasy saga. In this issue, readers get to meet Belle’s little brother Toulouse, who is a bit of a nerd and scared of their father Mr. Stone, an eyepatch wearing demon hunter, who hates monsters (even adorable ones like Kit and Boo) and lives in a castle above Showside. The comic starts as a fun beach excursion complete with rad banter, a food truck excursion, and standing up to an annoying bully, who looks like the steroid fueled offspring before turning into another magical monster brawl. And between the eating and fighting, McGinty continues to develop the world of Showside, including the tension between humans and monsters as well as introduce the silliest (and sadly most powerful politically) character to date, Mayor Mayer.

With the new creative team getting a little further in, Lumberjanes #19 is a fun issue that gets more action into the arc. The focus on April gives a little more substance to the good and bad sides of her character, but there are also great little moments in the art and with the other Lumberjanes as well. It’ll be fun to see how this arc concludes next month.

While it does feel like a transition issue, Lumberjanes #18 was a fun start to a new arc with a new writer. With April taking lead and Nowak’s expressive artwork, it should be fun to see where this mermai- er, merwomyn arc ends up.