Things get a little weird.

It’s no secret that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the adventures of the terror upon cute that is Gertrude, former Queen of Fairyland.  In this issue, Mr. Young brings in guest artist Jeffery “Chamba” Cruz who partners with series colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu to give us a sweet alternative kind of tale for our demonic damsel. (Sweet as in badass, not tea parties.)  We’re now into the series proper, and things are working well with the episodic nature. We now get to see Gert kick a little butt on the page instead of inferring between issues.

I like the episodic nature of the series now. It makes good use of the potential of the setting and gives us a Samurai Jack-style experience.  There’s always going to be a another way home to chase, and the feel of the series makes me believe that Mr. Young will string out longer arcs when they make sense to do so, but he can play in these one-off adventures until it does.  Considering what Gert left at the end of this issue, I fully expect him to be building more characters that will resurface from time to time.  And the scene where Gert totally dropkicks her companion right in the feelings is so on point and apropos that if you don’t see it coming, then you should come to my house to play poker.  It’s the kind of setup that begs for the gag, and Mr. Young has a knack for making the anticipation only enhance the punchline.

One of the biggest reasons that I buy this series is because of how much I love Skottie Young’s artwork, but Chamba has a skilled hand at fabricating the world Young established. Though when he gets us to the main thrust of the issue, the style swaps and you can see just where his wheelhouse really is.  The look feels strange and yet somehow entirely appropriate, which makes it a perfect addition to the Fairyland realm and makes me excited to see other guests artists in the future.

This book is settling quite nicely into its new form and well worth the pickup.  The humor and wit remain central, and a deviant comic appreciation will be well rewarded in these pages.  This has become one of my favorite series this year, and I hope there’s much more to come.

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