I can’t claim discovery of this comic since it was sent my way, but I can say that it’s awesome. The combination of the writing and art makes this quirky comic very entertaining and just a ton of fun to read. At first glance you’ll probably think you have everything figured out, but there are so many moving parts of this story that you wouldn’t think work together that ultimately do. I think that’s why I liked it so much as it took a simple idea like brownies and made it interesting and unique. The story has a brilliant opening, but I can’t tell you about it. It would give away far too much about the story and I don’t want to do that until you read it for yourself. Its genre bending though, I will say that. The part of the opening I can tell you about is the introduction of a new girl to Mason Montgomery which is a school for girls. The teacher introduces Canelle Caraway who is quick to tell the teacher and class that she goes by Cassia. The popular girl in class, Saffron, is quick to make fun of her full name and Cassia is even quicker to snap back at her and send an insult her way in French. After the showdown is over the teacher asks for a volunteer to show Cassia around and a girl in the back volunteers. Cassia sits down next to her and they make introductions. The girl, Poppy Pepper, also lets her know that she knows some French. Needless to say they’re fast friends.
First off, kudos to the creative team for capturing the middle school experience quite well. Granted I didn’t go to an all-girls school, but it was basically the same. What makes this book is the characters (and the art, but we’ll get to that). Cassia is a quick read. Obviously she doesn’t want to be where she is and has a huge chip on her shoulder. It’s also pretty clear that she takes zero shit from people because she’s been there too many times in her life. Poppy on the other hand is a harder read and I suspect will go through the most changes during the course of the story. She’s wholesome and has the classic girl next door charm to her. I imagine that everyone likes her because she’s so likable and that others dislike her for that exact reason.
The pacing of the writing was perfect as it hit every beat it needed to and never stuck around on a scene when it wasn’t needed. I’m very excited to read the rest of this story and was hooked from the very first page. The premise is unique and creative and the characters almost guarantee that this is a hit.
The artwork is fantastic. Not just the style which is great, but the coloring as well. It’s strange to describe it because I’m likely to not make any sense, but there’s a very soft hue to the coloring, somehow though this makes the art vibrant and animated. The pages come to life with the emotion of the characters and your brain fills in the movements of the scenes. For instance Cassia and Poppy shake hands for the first time and just from the expressions and body language you can sense their connection from this contact. The character designs are great and as strange is this will sound I dug their hair styles. I’ve read so many comics in which all the women have just terrible and unrealistic hair, but with Nutmeg all of the women have their own flair and style. It’s amazing to see so many different styles on one page in a comic. Seriously I mean that.
The awesome thing is that this comic is for sure going to print, but if you’d like to get in on it then check out the Kickstarter project. I was very impressed and will be waiting with baited breathe for the next chapter and the one after that. Overall this is just a great story that utilizes the strengths of the medium and is a great door way to comics regardless of your age or gender.
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Nutmeg #1 - Kickstarter Edition Writer: James F. Wright Artist: Jackie Crofts Self-Published Kickstarter Page Link Website
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