Mushrooms and Pure Awesome
...Wow. I think I've opened a review in that exact fashion before but, wow. I finished reading this about an hour before this was posted and I was highly impressed. I am a big fan of Scott Pilgrim and have followed Mr. O'Malley since first discovering that series. When I first heard about his new book, I think around a year ago, I immediately put my name down for a copy. Was it worth such a wait? Damn right.
First, a short synopsis: Katie is a successful chef who has passed her old business off to new hands and is in the process of opening a new, hopefully better, restaurant. After a day of things going horribly bad she has a ghostly encounter with a strange blonde girl who appears in Katie`s chest of drawers, who tells her of a method to fix her woes. By writing her problems in a notebook and swallowing a mushroom before going to sleep, Katie can fix her day, but what happens when she goes too far?
The premise is fantastic. The story is well-paced and though Katie has some annoying quirks, you really want to see how this girl pulls through. There is comedy, sci-fi and a bit of fantasy and horror all in this single story. It's a lot to take in but every panel is worth it.
O'Malley`s art fits this amazing story like a glove. Even in some of the bits of horror it looks great and though he has a "cutesy" style, it somehow works brilliantly. I love the art as it's simple but super effective.
I can't say enough about this book. If you liked Scott Pilgrim you may like it, though they are vastly different save only in style. I love O'Malley`s style which is full of personality. If you're not a fan of SP or O'Malley, I still would suggest it as it's really just a great story told in a wonderfully done way. A great read even if it does come off girly or cutesy. I highly recommend it.
