Colors assistant: Gianluca Papi
Lettering & production: Fabio Amejia
Review: Will Dubbeld
Though wildly popular, manga tends to adhere to a handful of stylized artistic choices for the most part and simply lacks the diversity I’ve come to expect out of comics.
European comics, in contrast, run the gamut.
From Moebius to Manara and all points in between, there’s a layered artistic aesthetic I don’t find in their Japanese counterparts, leading me to choose Schtroumpfs over Dragon Ball any day.
Unfortunately, manga is much more prevalent in the casual market. Domestic companies have done far better a job at translating, importing, and marketing manga in an affordable manner so kudos to them. Euro books are much more scarce and oftentimes collected in pricier collections.
I nearly passed over Unnatural at first glance but, upon learning it was a domestic translation of an Italian comic, quickly ordered a copy.
I was not disappointed.
Granted, Unnatural will not be for every reader. It takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic creatures and in a rather puritanical society.
Young people (animal people...) are expected to procreate and are levied against them a Singles Tax if unmarried. Furthermore, upon reaching age 25, one is entered into a Reproduction Program with the intent of matching young, fertile couples.
Additionally, interspecies relationships are forbidden. Dog boys should be with dog girls and sloth boys with sloth girls.
There will be no mingling of sloth boys and dog girls...
Oh, and homosexuality is right out as well.
Trapped by of all these oppressive regime regulations is our lead character, Leslie.
Leslie is a freshly-25 year old pig girl living with a mouse girl roommate and working at a restaurant managed by a chauvinist crocodile.
Her work buddy is a gay goat boy who, on top of being gay, is in a relationship with a pig boy.
The real human drama holds up well without the anthropomorphic window dressing but would not tell near the story without it.
And poor Leslie?
She’s having Naughty Nighttime Dreams about frolicking with a mysterious wolf boy.
Nekkid frolicking...
If they weren’t bad enough, she’s also shadowed by an archetypal Mysterious Hooded Stranger who, if we play to type, will be the wolf boy of her dreams.
That, however, remains to be seen...
Neck and neck with the story is the art.
It’s not overly busy with detail and focuses on sharp, concise line work and the colors are vibrant and provide a great pop without appearing overly technicolor.
The real star of the show, however, is the character design.
Leslie is a lovely Reubenesque girl, on no accident given her porcine lineage.
Her boss is reminiscent of the rakish crocodiles in Fantasia, and her dreamy wolf lover is shrouded in mystery whilst simultaneously dominating the pages on which he appears.
Also, it’s worth noting the book contains nudity, so kiddies beware.
Unless thicc pig girl boobs are safe for your viewing pleasure...
I’m all in on Unnatural. The art is phenomenal and the comic tells a new story with familiar conceptual DNA. There’s some thinly-veiled social commentary and thematic elements that get the point across without relying on obtuse subtlety and neither do they beat you about the head and shoulders.
I mean, the cute pig has sex dreams about the Big Bad Wolf...
What more could you ask?
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