Sunny (8)

There was more meat on the bones in this volume than in the first. The main character’s relationship really began to develop. There was some interesting back and forth about how much they can and should be relying on each other and this one relationship in the face of their traumas. Both Mimi’s desire to go all in, running away with Boo, cutting off her father, and Boo’s push back which was born more from insecure attachment and a self-destructive urge to isolate than setting show more reasonable boundaries, were uncomfortable to watch. I was glad to see them find a better middle ground, though I wish they could have acknowledged these tendencies in each other more. I’m left wondering how much their problems are just pushing against each other enough to happen to land them somewhere that looks stable and how much they are really healing. Regardless, I’m glad it went the route of letting the two girls find larger support systems and not the fantasy of only needing each other.

I don’t feel as if all the elements introduced were used to their fullest or resolved. show less

It’s hard to review this as a single volume because of its adaptation from a web comic. It’s clear there wasn’t a natural way to split the story into two issues. Volume 1 is very much just kicking off the story and can’t stand alone. The ending is also very abrupt, and if I didn’t have both volumes on hand, I think I would have been a bit annoyed by it.

The artwork is cute and clean which fit Boo’s whimsical daydreaming and the sweet moments between the girls. Changes in colors show more and framing helped it adapt to the darker parts of the story as well, though I think it could have been pushed further in those moments. And make no mistake, the heavier, darker elements are a major part of the story. Alcoholism and addiction, parental abuse, and neglect feature heavily, as Boo’s childhood and relationship with her alcoholic, neglectful mother informs much of her character. Her childishness and consuming tendency to daydream are reactions to being in a very unstable home from a young age, and it was interesting to see that sort of reaction to trauma depicted. show less

Its been a while since I read the webcomic, so to me it feels like it missing a little... but that also might be me. Boo is hard to identify with in the aspect that she daydreams and fantasizes about life, but it also makes the actual plot hard to stick with. But I do identify way too hard with the ugly feeling of having to be an adult to your own parents. "A Good kid Should" is really a rough one to live with.

This seems like an excellent start to a series! I love the art style, colors, and Boo's sense of style. There wasn't a lot of character growth, but it is just the first volume. It's setting up an interesting plot, and I'm excited to see what happens next!