SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
Review by Lauren
source: copy from library; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: The SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep school for mutants and witches,
but their paranormal abilities take a backseat to everyday teen
concerns.
Science experiments go awry, bake sales are upstaged,
and the new kid at school is a cat who will determine the course of
human destiny. In one strip, lizard-headed Trixie frets about her
nonexistent modeling career; in another, the immortal Everlasting Boy
tries to escape this mortal coil to no avail. Throughout it all,
closeted Marsha obsesses about her unrequited crush, the cat-eared
Wendy. Whether the magic is mundane or miraculous, Tamaki’s jokes are
precise and devastating.
Review: I came across this book at my local library and I was excited to check it out, but I soon realized it’s not one cohesive story. Instead, the book is told through various comics (like reading a book of Peanuts comics or something similar) about the students at the SuperMutant Magic Academy. The same characters are shown over and over, so you do start to get to know them and their personalities, which was nice. Despite not being a full story like I had originally thought, I really did enjoy this collection of very short stories.
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I thought Frances was quite hilarious throughout. She’s someone who loves to make a statement and is always trying to put on performance art. Then you have Marsha who is in love with her best friend, Wendy, though she’s not out and nobody knows. You do feel for Marsha though as Wendy is really cute and always has the interest of boys.
A lot of these comics are either really amusing or make some kind of interesting statement (sometimes both) and I enjoyed most of them. The comics are all in black and white, for the most part, with some including color here and there to really show off an aspect of the drawings. All the characters are unique in look (especially because some of them have different attributes like Wendy and her cat ears) so it’s easy to keep track of who is who after awhile. Another positive when dealing with artwork!
That looks cute!
I do like the old fashioned feel of the drawings – glad you found plenty to enjoy even if it wasn't what you first expected.
Oh, I think I need this one in my life – it sounds fab!
xx
Glad you enjoyed this overall despite the fact that it wasn't quite what you were imagining it would be. Great review and Happy Friday!
This looks like fun. I like the illustrations.
That's a cool idea!
Karen @For What It's Worth
It's interesting to have short stories like that. thanks for the discovery!
This looks different, Lauren! And I'm glad you enjoyed it! Those drawings look a little dark, even if the strokes are not very large… maybe it's because of the red dots?
Have a terrific Sunday.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
Love comics like these, it sounds super cute. Hope Wendy comes to like Marsha just as much <3
Quick!? I just got this for my birthday and the book looks huge. I'm slightly disappointed it's not one long story however, you liked it so I'm sure it'll be good. I'm going to try to read SuperMutant Magic Academy soon (: