REVIEW: Strawberry Shortcake #8

I“ll be honest, I love cartoons and pretty much all things that are outside of my particular age range. You know, “kid stuff”“, which is basically just colorful awesome things that grown-ups are too boring to understand. Despite this, I was never a person that was into Strawberry Shortcake, and I really didn“t know much about her before reading issue #8 of her comic book series.

It“s colorful…Oh, the colors, and I loovvveeee that. There are two stories contained in this issue, the first one centering around a food truck race in which Strawberry goes against her dastardly nemesis. Well, perhaps it isn“t all that dramatic, but the two chefs aren“t exactly friends. It“s a light-hearted story that is filled with interesting creatures I didn“t even know existed in this universe, and even though the story is basic, it“s fun and something different. Georgia Ball writes a sweet (pun intended) story that is appropriate for all ages, and Tina Francisco does a truly magical job at capturing this world. Though I really do think Mae Hao is a shining star here with great coloring work, and the food-centered story made me and my cavity-loving teeth hungry. Yes, teeth can be hungry…So there.

The second story is entitled “People Are Like Grapes”“, and I don“t want to spoil the quote that this excerpt is from because it“s pretty factual and the story centers around a jovial notion of human nature. It“s deep without being too deep, and even though Zena Dell Lowe“s story is very simple, that“s not such a bad thing. I rather admire comics that can take the place of bedtime stories for children, and this is one such story. Genevieve FT is flying as solo artist and colorist, and even though her work is very different from the previous story, it still works wonderfully. “People Are Like Grapes”“ compliments the world of Strawberry Shortcake marvelously and leaves nothing more to be desired from this age-appropriate work of yummy fiction.

All of the variants for the delectable place are as bright and eye-catching as their interiors. I don“t think it would be far-fetched to say that young collectors could get their start here, because after all, we“re never too young to collect variants of the things we love, right?

Traditionally, Strawberry Shortcake is seen as a “girl thing”“, but I think that“s just utter ridiculousness. There should be no gender labeling on children“s stories and characters, and this book is a superb example of a good message with fun characters, regardless of who is male versus female. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and though I cannot call myself a diehard SS fan, I“m glad I got such a big glimpse into a world that I knew close to nothing of, and it“s just a reminder of how great comics can be for people of all ages and genders.

Story: 4 Stars
Artwork: 5 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars
Cover: 4 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Georgia Ball (A) Tina Francisco (CA) Valentina Pinto