By Svetlana Fedotov
Adventure Time has become a force of nature. What started out as a fun attempt to bring some creativity to the stale and predictable world of children’s cartoons has turned into a multi-million dollar franchise that has changed the face of entertainment altogether. Spawning a fandom that would make Invader Zim blush, it’s no surprise that Finn the Human and Jake the Dog would eventually find their way into comic books. The newest mini-series, Marceline’s Gone Adrift, focuses on the side character Marceline the Vampire Queen, the resident goth kid of the Land of Ooo. While some might argue that just because the creators added a vampire to a show doesn’t make a show ‘brutal,’ I can assure you, what Adventure Time lacks in blood and gore it makes up for in epic fantasy, dark creatures, and incredibly in-depth mythology. Sure, it’s fun and goofy most of the time, but things can get pretty wild when needed be, especially when Marcy is around.
The fun thing about doing a comic about Marceline is that it opens up an unexplored world of Adventure Time. Born from fire and brimstone and saddled with a sweet bass guitar, Marcy is a bit of a wild child in the series which allows for some unrestricted access into the darker parts of Ooo. Speaking of dark, the story opens up on the drifting lyrics of the Vampire Queen’s newest song as it dances off the page like so much bad inking. Tossing aside her bass, she grumps at her inability to write anything worthwhile and pines away at how she needs new experiences. As Finn and Jake try to console her, a mysterious beam of electricity suddenly descends onto her house, dragging her away while drowning out the Candy Kingdoms own power sources. Unfortunately, the threat of a total outage forces Princess Bubblegum (the Princess of the Candy Kingdom) into dire action, one with dire consequences.
Alright, so just from that explanation, I definitely suggest getting acquainted with Adventure Time before diving into this comic. There’s not a lot to catch up on, but a definite knowledge of who’s who is probably for the best. I mean, the show has run for about five years, but you don’t have to know the miniscule details.
Definitely the first thing to grab attention is the art as it slowly breaks away from the monochromatic restraints of animation and instead plays around with the shading and coloring of the design. There’s a bit of a graffiti vibe going on with the visible blending and it’s almost chalky looking compared to the show. The characters are also more noodle-armed and wiggly, probably a result of attempting to capture the range of animated emotions from the cartoon to the comic. Obviously, we’ll have to give it some leeway in that regards as comics are obviously more static than animation and it’s fun to see comic artists add personal touches to the already stylized show.
Also, I love the new story arc; it is a perfect companion to the Adventure Time show, especially for those that have fondness for Marcy. The writing captures the voice of the show perfectly, from the mannerisms to the speech patterns, and creates a bit of a sub-vocalization effect as you hear their voices resonate in your brain. The dynamic between the characters is spot on and the new series adds on to the mythos of the land of Ooo while staying true to its source material. It’s literally an expansion of the already established universe, perfect for the child or the inner-child undeniably hooked to the animated series.
Adventure Time: Marceline’s Gone Adrift is on stands now!