Graphic Novel Review - 'Sweetie Vol. 1' by Sean Dillon (Writer/Artist), Steven Petrivelli (Cowriter)

'Sweetie Vol. 1' is a very unusual superhero comic. Not just because its young heroine got her "powers" from simply copying moves and styles she's seen on TV and in comics her whole life, but because it isn't just about beating the bad guys. In fact, the evil mastermind plot takes a backseat as the issues progress - which can be a detriment to the comic's story and pacing, admittedly - and at the forefront is the shy and withdrawn heroine, Maggie, or "Sweetie", in her coming-of-age story about social interaction, making friends and finding peers who share her nerdy interests, or don't, but who are there for her anyway, and vice versa.

Genre savvy, jaded and insecure, she fears for people's lives, and people themselves. But in trying new, maybe less dangerous hobbies and pass times, this amazing-but-reckless-and-in-her-head-and-in-over-her-head hero finds she isn't so lonely, helpless and hopeless after all.

The root cause for why Maggie is the way she is goes back to her family life, with her loving, worrier father, and her fully supportive but now dead mother (of course there's a dead mother here, why wouldn't there be? Teen grief and depression have to come from somewhere, right? At least there are vague inklings of a mystery surrounding Dead Mom™ that may be explored further in a possible sequel). There are hints in the comic that Maggie is neurodivergent and on the autism spectrum, and crowds and interacting with people are her kryptonite.

'Sweetie' is a chaotic yet sweet and spectacularly nerdy comic. It's all over the place, but there is heart present on every page. It took a while for me to get used to the off-putting, exaggerated and slightly abstract cartoony artwork, but it's colourful, bold, expressive and emotional enough. There are references to mecha anime, 'Dungeons & Dragons', 'Yugioh!', 'Naruto', 'Steven Universe', the MCU, and Maggie's dad wears a Green Lantern shirt at one point. One of her bedroom posters is of Sailor Moon! Other anime and superhero media are included, I'm sure, but I can't think of them right now.

Above everything else, I think 'Sweetie Vol. 1' is about embracing your fanboy/fangirl/fan-enby side and having fun with it, and friendship - revolving around a small, introverted comics-and-TV-loving Black girl with big Medusa-like hair who both wants and doesn't want to be a real life superhero; she wants to because heroes are her passion and the corrupt, crime-ridden world needs them, and she doesn't want to because of the danger it puts herself and others in (seriously, for a supposed kids' superhero comic, 'Sweetie' doesn't shy away from the realities of violence, and it sugarcoats nothing when it comes to the threat of violence and death. It can be pretty dark). She doesn't want to worry her dad. Her broken family is still in mourning over her mother's death.

She might come to wholeheartedly embrace the hero she is through her new super geeky friends, however.

'Sweetie Vol. 1' - a unique, pulsating, exciting, sweet thing.

Final Score: 3.5/5