Graphic Novel Review - 'Meesh the Bad Demon: The Secret of the Fang' by Michelle Lam

A fun, dynamic and relevant sequel to 'Meesh the Bad Demon', with many callbacks to the first story (seriously, nothing is forgotten about), expanded worldbuilding and history, and actual stakes and threats. It continues the story of young Meesh and her friends, and feels like it needs to exist.

There are themes of friendship, family, community, believing in yourself, and overcoming your insecurities - the usual, predictable fare - but also deforestation, destitution, prejudice, scapegoating, displacement, homelessness, classism, late stage capitalism, creation and destruction differences, and weapons of war. It's about how division for any reason destroys us all in the end. It is a violence, a poison - in this case, it is literal.

There's a clear divide between the children who are passionate fighters and want to help and do something, and the adults who have lost hope, are jaded, and have become complacent (or who are just too embarrassed to admit their mistakes, and won't do anything about them now). Scared. Helpless. Angry. Silent. Under the guise of "protecting" the youth, aka the next generation who will suffer the most from the previous generation's dangerous, shortsighted, colossal errors in judgement (and plain old ease and laziness, hindering progress). They need to take responsibility, as well.

Like its first volume, 'Meesh the Bad Demon: The Secret of the Fang' is not as wholesome as it appears, but it's still cute! The characters are cute and likeable. The artwork is wonderful - colourful, sweet, shady, shadowy, dramatic, expressive, and plum fresh! - as is expected, and it suits the book so well.

In this subsequent, final (?) volume, we find out what happened to Meesh's mother, and why Meesh lives with her grandmother. And - slight spoiler - the big bad problem is not sorted this time by magic. Not the way you'd expect, anyway. It's not an ultimate-magical-girl-transformation-waves-wand-and-sparkles-fix-everything solution at the epic climax. The ending may surprise you.

Kindness, compassion, understanding, working together, and learning from past mistakes and building bridges must be the answer, for us all to survive.

'Meesh the Bad Demon: The Secret of the Fang' could have done a little better with its character development - especially in regards to Meesh, as the protagonist fighting for attention in the sea of so many other characters. Scenes, events, plot elements and plot threads happen fast; the pacing - throughout the book on its own and in its transition from volume one to volume two - isn't quite as smooth and seamless as it should have been.

But it's an adorable children's action fantasy comic that doesn't get too dark, that isn't too violent, with a 75% satisfactory ending, with a bright, hopeful future for this fantasy world. A world where a girlchild at heart like me would love to live in.

Wonderful, wonderdust stuff, containing vitally relevant real life messages.

I hope 'Meesh the Bad Demon' becomes a cartoon series or movie someday.

Link to my review of 'Meesh the Bad Demon' here.

Final Score: 3.5/5