Phoebe and Her Unicorn

An introduction by Peter S. Beagle (author of The Last Unicorn) compares Phoebe and Her Unicorn to Calvin and Hobbes - and not without reason. Like Calvin, Phoebe has a big imagination and the kids at school think she's weird. Like Hobbes, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils thinks very highly of herself, and she alternates between teasing/sarcasm and kindness to Phoebe. Also, she has a Shield of Boringness so she remains uninteresting to non-Phoebe characters most of the time.

"Can you fix Dakota's hair?"
"Of course."
"Can you fix her personality?"
"Why aren't you more impressed that I can fix her hair?"
(Phoebe and Marigold, 98)

*

Re-read July 2021

Been missing Calvin and Hobbes? Mount your trusty steed of choice and get yourself a copy of this one (and the next one or two while you're at it, 'cause...well....UNICORN!) Can't begin to describe the delightfulness of this concept. Phoebe is a rising fourth grader with all summer to skip stones, when one of her throws bops a unicorn on the snout, breaking the narcissistic spell that has kept it staring at its own reflection in the water. This odd rescue results in the granting of a wish -- just one, and no, Phoebe, it can't be "infinity wishes". But what could beat having a unicorn (Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, specifically) as your best friend? There are other great characters, too. Like Todd, the Candy Dragon and Max, Phoebe's show more spelling partner back at school. It's all sparkly and wry...just the break all us pointy-headed intellectuals (that's unicorn humor) need from time to time. show less

Though it is marketed as middle grade, this comics collection about a fourth-grader and her unicorn best friend would appeal far beyond the 8-12ers. It reminded me of both Calvin and Hobbes and Wallace the Brave but is fully its own thing too. Phoebe is a little bit of an outsider, so when she rescues a unicorn and is granted a wish, she wishes for the unicorn to be her best friend. And then adventures ensue, including run-ins with a mean-girl at school and summertime adventures. The humor stands out and I love Marigold Heavenly Nostrils and her commentary on human life. I'll be reading more. Recommended.

When Phoebe throws a rock into a pond, she saves a unicorn from staring obsessively at her own reflection. Granted a wish in return, Phoebe decides to wish for her and the unicorn to be best friends. And so begins the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.

This book is just so darn wholesome! The comics are full of charm, delight, and humour as Phoebe goes through life as a fourth-grader whose best friend is a rather vain unicorn. The introduction by Peter S. Beagle (yes, THAT [[Peter S. Beagle]]) compares the comics to Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts and I don't think he's wrong. While the target audience is children, I think these comics are just as enjoyable for readers of all ages. Highly recommended.

Well, I do love a narcissistic unicorn, as long as she is sufficiently sarcastic. And I appreciate that Pheobe's awkwardness does not seem to impact her self-esteem. Compares favorably with Calvin and Hobbes, and is a delightful way to pass the afternoon.

Also posted on No Flying, No Tights

When a comic is compared to Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” and Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts”, it has a lot to live up to. I mean seriously, how often do you see that type of comparison thrown around with a comic? But when the strip is about a girl and her unicorn, and no less of an authority than Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, makes that comparison you have to give the comic a try.

It was a somewhat foggy morning out by the lake and Phoebe was out skipping rocks, wishing she a best friend. Also standing by the lake that morning was Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, who was entranced by her reflection, which was a common occurrence for her. One of Phoebe’s rocks hit Marigold in show more the forehead by her horn. Oh, right, Marigold is a unicorn and she offers Phoebe one wish. Phoebe’s wish? Marigold to be her best friend. Bound by the laws of unicorn magic, and being a generally nice unicorn, Marigold grants the wish and thus begins a journey of friendship and awesomeness.

I’m not sure how many people remember it now, but Dana Simpson had a long running webcomic titled Ozy and Millie (http://ozyandmillie.org/), which ran from 1998 to 2008. Ozy and Millie was set in anthropomorphic universe and featured a young fox and wolf growing up and discussing contemporary life and having adventures. It was here that I first fell in love with Simpson’s storytelling and artwork and sense of adventure much of which carry over into Phoebe and her Unicorn.

The comparison with Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” is inevitable, as while there are other characters in the comic, the bulk of the strips focus solely on Phoebe and Marigold. And Marigold being a unicorn, isn’t always seen by other people. But this is not Simpson’s attempt at trying to be like Watterson, which all too many comics have tried and failed at. It is Simpson letting us intimately explore the friendship between these two characters. Over the strips we as readers get to watch Phoebe and Marigold discover things about each other, life, the modern world, and just having fun and adventures with each other. I mean in what other strip are you going to meet Todd the Candy Dragon? No where, that’s where. While unicorns are typically viewed as the realm of young girls, Phoebe and Marigold have a sense of humor and adventure that will appeal to everyone. Particularly the dragons and goblins and pranks and other things that show up from time to time.

The comparison with Peanuts is not as evident, but after reading the strip for some months I have realized that there is a certain sense of...gravitas to the strip. By this I mean despite the main characters being kids (or at least young at heart), they act like real kids do. I mean, sure Phoebe and Marigold have fun, but they branch out into areas that we don’t often see in the comics world. Like characters not having many friends, or being told that they’re weird, or different, and discovering that despite all of this...it is ok to forge your own path into the world beyond. This was something that Schulz was a master of, at reminding us that kids really do discuss deep events in life and they are different. While Simpson is not at Schulz’s level (let’s be honest, who can be?), it is something that she explored heavily in Ozy and Millie and continues to explore here with Phoebe that we can have a kids strip that shows aspects of the real world, while still being fun. While some parents might be leery of this, kids are sure to enjoy having a comic that doesn't try to talk down to them and has aspects of themselves they can recognize in it.

Simpson’s art style is somewhat simple, capturing the outlines of the characters quickly and backgrounds as needed. But this is all that we really need. The characters have their own unique designs, are easily recognizable. For example, Phoebe has thumbs, which she teases Marigold about for a while. Until Marigold points out that she has a tail, which can do a lot more. Simpson captures what we need to tell a good story easily and her color choices complement the characters and backgrounds well, often being soft and natural to make us feel at ease. Something else that Simpson does well, is never letting the background overwhelm the characters. Simpson only gives us the background when we need one and often has no background or simple cross hatching to make sure our focus is on the characters.

One last thing to mention is that this is part of AMP’s comics for kids collection. The other comics in this series, Peanuts and Big Nate, already have a fair amount of traction in the book world so it is a pleasant and happy surprise to see AMP release this collection so that others can discover the joy of Phoebe and her Unicorn. While this series is marketed to kids, Phoebe has broad appeal to all ages. show less

In this volume, 9-year-old Phoebe is skipping rocks on a pond when she meets a unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. As a reward for rescuing her from the overwhelming beauty of her own reflection (Marigold is more than a little conceited), Marigold offers Phoebe a wish. Phoebe eventually settles on wishing for Marigold to be her best friend. They spend time together, doing friend things like having a sleepover. Phoebe's arch nemesis, Dakota, also learns about Marigold, but Marigold's Shield of Boringness prevents this from being much of a problem.

Peter S. Beagle's introduction mentions Calvin & Hobbes, and I can definitely see the comparison, although the fantasy elements are handled a bit differently.

Overall, I loved the artwork. show more I can see these comics working for all ages - there's stuff here that kids could definitely enjoy, but also occasional jokes that will make more sense to older audiences (I loved Phoebe's dad's joke about life prior to the internet).

Extras:

A guide to drawing Marigold and Phoebe, instructions for making a Marigold stick puppet and an animated flip book, a recipe for a unicorn slumber party snack mix, some facts about unicorns, and instructions on how to make your own comic strip.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less