Publisher: Dark Horse
Written by: Rob Reger and Mariah Huehner
Art by: Cat Farris
Emily and the Strangers return for a new mini-series which takes place after their victory in The Battle of the Bands and winning a contract with Awesomely Awesome Records, but sadly this first issue isn’t as “awesome” as the record companies name suggests. Emily and the Strangers seems appealing to anyone who is a fan of the immensely popular Scott Pilgrim manga series and bolsters a similar story to that of Scott’s, but sadly the humor is not at the same level.
Emily and the Strangers comes in with a group of interesting personalities that a include a rebel rocker, a pretty boy “prodigy,” and a robot drummer and a very fun looking art style, but sadly it also tells an incredibly familiar story. As Emily and her band interacts with this new record company executive you can easily expect what happens next, and the ending of course comes as no surprise. This is obviously the writer’s intent, but this joke is sadly so over-played that it’s lost of its’ luster and drags the issue down. It’s my hope that this series can turn around, but with only two more issues in this mini-series, it’s very unlikely.
