Kay And P #00

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: Kay And P
Issue: 00
Date: 2010
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Jackie Musto
Artist: Jackie Musto

This issue introduces the title characters, a young music student and her best friend, a skeleton named P who is (mostly) invisible to everyone but Kay.

The focus here is almost entirely on the two lead characters, setting up their easy and fun banter as they deal with a breakup of a short-lived relationship and P's interest in celebrity news and pop fashion magazines.

The dialogue flows nicely and the artwork is beautiful. Writer/artist Jackie Musto does a particularly good job capturing Kay's many moods and expressions in this issue, without the pressure of having to do a lot of major plot developments.

This was a good introduction that definitely left me wanting to learn more about these characters and their relationship.

Rating: 8/10

Kay And P Volume 2

I saw Jackie Musto last week at MeCAF, but I actually picked up this book through Kickstarter.

Title: Kay And P
Issue: Volume 2
Date: 2014
Publisher: Jackie Musto
Writer: Jackie Musto
Artist: Jackie Musto

This trade paperback collects issues 6-10 of the comic, which, in turn reprints the webcomic version of the same story.

The story is about a young woman who lives with a talking skeleton that has been her companion since childhood and that only she can see. That's how things stand at the start of this volume, anyway.

Kay, an aspiring artist and music student, lives by a simple set of rules: "Don't call me your girlfriend. Don't leave your stuff at my place. And it's not anything serious." She has good friends, good conversations, and not enough time to get everything done.

Kay is also beginning to notice strange things around her, and not just the skeleton who's been her best friend since she was a kid.

Kay is an instantly engaging character with a great supporting cast, dialogue that flows naturally, and enough geeky qualities to make her interesting. P is the overprotective practical member of the team, and he has some great reactions to Kay's adventures, not to mention running snarky commentary.

This was fun all the way through. There were some interesting plot twists, including an absolutely awesome surprise ending.

I'd really only read this in bits and pieces online. I loved how nicely the story flowed when it was put together.

Clever and fun.

Rating: 8.5/10