
BOOM! has absolutely nailed the feel of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time with their ongoing comic series, and this new limited series is based on one of the most popular episodes of the show, where a story written by Ice King features female versions of Finn and Jake--Fionna and Cake. All of the characters of the Adventure Time world are opposite genders in the story--Ice Queen, the vampire Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball, to name a few.
The main story is written and drawn by Natasha Allegri, and begins with Cake the cat telling Fionna a bedtime story about how volcanoes were created by the tears of a fire goddess. As the two banter back and forth about the quality of Cake’s bedtime stories, they notice a pack of baby fire lions fleeing through the rain from none other than the Ice Queen. Fionna and Cake get caught in a battle between the ice Queen and a flame warrior, who Fina has to come to the rescue of.
The opening chapter of Fionna and Cake’s tale certainly captures the feel of the show, and provides enough adventure and weirdness to leave me looking forward to the next installment. Allegri’s art is a great match for the property as well, and both the characters and the world are consistent with what Adventure Time fans would expect. The backup story by Noelle Stevenson is great as well, and brings in Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee.
My only concern about the first issue is that it assumes you are already familiar with the show, and the episode with Fionna and Cake in particular. There is very little world building, and no real introduction to who these characters are. I could see new readers picking this up and being somewhat lost.
That said, if you’re a fan of the show, chances are you’re familiar with Fionna and Cake, and this issue will be right up your alley.
3.5 out of 5 Lumpy Space Princes