Circadia #4

From the creator's Kickstarter.

Title: Circadia
Issue: 4
Date: 2018
Publisher: 36 Plums
Writer: Jennifer Dugan
Art: Sarah Simes
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover: J. Kiakas

Previous reviews of this series: issue #1, issue #2, issue #3.

Trapped on Earth with a horde of monsters in pursuit, Zara and Aderes seek out the mysterious fortune teller who has been watching Zara. The confrontation unravels more of the tragic events that left Zara caught between two worlds. When the monsters close in, a sacrifice must be made, setting up the next issue's climactic confrontation with the demonic Smoake.

The change in art styles felt a bit off at first (each issue of Circadia has a different artist), but Sarah Simes' renditions of the characters grew on me as the book progressed.

There was a bit too much of Aderes yelling at Zara to run, something that felt like it had been sorted out in the previous chapter, but there were also a lot of really intriguing revelations from the fortune teller, and some nice building of tension as Zara struggles with her devotion to Aderes and her fight for her own agency.

As far as I can tell, the fifth and final issue is not yet available, but I am very much looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up.

Rating: 7/10

Circadia #3

Third issue of a set of four that I got from the creator's Kickstarter.

Title: Circadia
Issue: 3
Date: 2018
Publisher: 36 Plums
Writer: Jennifer Dugan
Art: Jey Pawlik
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover: Olivia Stephens

My review of the first issue is here, and my review of the second issue is here.

Tara's dream lover from the dimension of Circadia has been transported back to Earth, and all they want to do is to get back to Circadia where the palace is under attack by the monstrous forces of Smoake.

But when Zara tries to transport them back, she discovers that it may be too late, and Smoake has sent some of his creatures back to attack them on Earth.

This chapter does a nice job of moving through Aderes' stranger-in-strange-land experiences and launching right back into the action.

Zara gets in a bunch of great lines here while Aderes does a lot of standing around wide-eyed. Fortunately the direction of the plot becomes more clear by the end of this issue.

The rotating artists used in the series can be a bit odd-seeming at first, but issue three artist Jey Pawlik is very quick to develop and really fun style for Zara. Aderes felt like a bit more of a departure from the previous issues, but by the end of this I was enjoying their look as well.

I would like to get a bit more insight into the villain as the series approaches its climax, but the interaction between Zara and Aderes continues to be a lot of fun.

Rating: 7.5/10

Circadia #2

Second issue of a set of four that I got from the creator's Kickstarter.

Title: Circadia
Issue: 2
Date: 2018
Publisher: 36 Plums
Writer: Jennifer Dugan
Art: MJ Erickson
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover: Eli Baumgartner

Review of the first issue is here.

Zara's double existence begins to unravel as she is transported to Circadia with her full set of memories from Earth.

Some of this chapter involves catching Zara up on things that have already become obvious to the reader, resulting in a lot of fairly predictable reactions. Fortunately, there are enough little revelations and plot twists thrown in to keep the story interesting.

It's also fun to see the role reversal as Zara asserts her own authority and becomes protective of Aderes against the Queen's anger.

The artwork, this time with MJ Erickson on art duties, continues to be lovely, especially the work on Zara in this issue.

Rating: 7.5/10

Circadia #1

I got this one from the creator's Kickstarter.

Title: Circadia
Issue: 1
Date: 2017
Publisher: 36 Plums
Writer: Jennifer Dugan
Art: Keezy Young
Colorist: MJ Erickson
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover: Jen Bartel

A dancer our world dreams of being a princess in the world of Circadia. She is a dancer there as well, but in Circadia, she is in love with the Queen's assassin, Aderes. But when Aderes begins questioning Zara's mysterious disappearances, two worlds begin to come together.

This book did a tremendous job of introducing the characters and worlds in a small number of pages. Zara's personality shines through in both versions of her character, and Aderes, the nonbinary lover of Zara's (maybe not) dream world is a good balance for Zara's romantic side, while still clearly sentimental in their own way.

The art is lovely, and the bits of worldbuilding we get, including a scary look at the villain, are very effective.

This was a very enjoyable read, and I'm glad I picked up the first four issues as a set. Looking forward to reading more!

Rating: 8.5/10