I'm clearing out some of my books, and I'm afraid I've decided to give this series away, especially since I've read in the author's blog posts that they won't be finishing 'Cucumber Quest', at least not for a while. No plans seem to have been made yet. No more paperback volumes are being published either. Oh well, 'Cucumber Quest' remains a funny, cute, subversive and heartwarming cartoony webcomic series, but I will no longer be continuing it.
Original Review:
The best of the 'Cucumber Quest' volumes so far.
I don't know how it all works, it just does. 'The Melody Kingdom' is brilliant. Funny, clever, heartwarming, touching, and loud, silly and over-the-top without being obnoxious. The balance in tone and humour to go along with the storytelling is fantastic. So is the worldbuilding. Much effort and sincerity was put into this series.
There is Princess Piano - cool, regal and shy, but prone to screaming outbursts, and who is also hinted to be on the LBGTQ specter (she's like a music hall-themed Elsa); the mysterious Prince Crescendo, who inflicts on people one of the worst crimes imaginable: kidnapping them and forcing them to perform in his own Gary Stu fanfiction play; and Noisemaster and Mutemaster, the next minions to be defeated - at a concert and a rave!
Bacon the pig is fired from the guard trio and finds his calling as a beloved and talented actor. The return of Cosmo sees his most dangerous and hilarious scheme yet. Then, spontaneously heroic pizza people! Then a bonus issue about the return of the baker women Baguette and Tartelette.
And last but absolutely not least, the best bonding between the Nightmare Knight and Princess Parfait.
Every joke lands and flourishes. All is wonder and unpredictability. In a comic full of great moments, my favourite has to be the strange but lovely side-plot where Parfait and the Nightmare Knight are becoming friends, and not in a Stockholm Syndrome way. The development is well done, and I especially look forward to seeing how the so-called big bad lord of all evil Nightmare Knight will be handled. The parody is moving smoothly towards deconstruction territory now.
Every bond between certain characters, like Cucumber and Almond, and Cordelia and Peridot (and even Almond and Peridot), is sweet. There is an anti-bullying message in here as well.
One of the best lines, when Nautilus is ordering a pizza:
"Well, we're flying into the sun right now - is that going to be a problem?"
Final Score: 5/5
I don't know how it all works, it just does. 'The Melody Kingdom' is brilliant. Funny, clever, heartwarming, touching, and loud, silly and over-the-top without being obnoxious. The balance in tone and humour to go along with the storytelling is fantastic. So is the worldbuilding. Much effort and sincerity was put into this series.
There is Princess Piano - cool, regal and shy, but prone to screaming outbursts, and who is also hinted to be on the LBGTQ specter (she's like a music hall-themed Elsa); the mysterious Prince Crescendo, who inflicts on people one of the worst crimes imaginable: kidnapping them and forcing them to perform in his own Gary Stu fanfiction play; and Noisemaster and Mutemaster, the next minions to be defeated - at a concert and a rave!
Bacon the pig is fired from the guard trio and finds his calling as a beloved and talented actor. The return of Cosmo sees his most dangerous and hilarious scheme yet. Then, spontaneously heroic pizza people! Then a bonus issue about the return of the baker women Baguette and Tartelette.
And last but absolutely not least, the best bonding between the Nightmare Knight and Princess Parfait.
Every joke lands and flourishes. All is wonder and unpredictability. In a comic full of great moments, my favourite has to be the strange but lovely side-plot where Parfait and the Nightmare Knight are becoming friends, and not in a Stockholm Syndrome way. The development is well done, and I especially look forward to seeing how the so-called big bad lord of all evil Nightmare Knight will be handled. The parody is moving smoothly towards deconstruction territory now.
Every bond between certain characters, like Cucumber and Almond, and Cordelia and Peridot (and even Almond and Peridot), is sweet. There is an anti-bullying message in here as well.
One of the best lines, when Nautilus is ordering a pizza:
"Well, we're flying into the sun right now - is that going to be a problem?"
Final Score: 5/5
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