Graphic Novel Review - 'Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Party Bash Blues' by Kate Sheridan (Writer), Killian Ng (Artist), Valentina Pinti (Artist), C.R. Chua (Colourist), Mike Fiorentino (Letterer)

Oh my glob this is fantastic.

'Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Party Bash Blues' is short, but it packs in so much, with just the perfect amount of ingredients to make it work right, like the tastiest birthday cake you ever had as a child. It is so cute, funny, fun, entertaining, clever, and delicious, I want to squee!

There is a lot to 'Party Bash Blues' for a short "surprise" birthday party story, about celebrating Fionna's birthday in ways only she would love. It is not your typical Saturday morning cartoon birthday episode fare, but it's definitely to be enjoyed while stuffing your face with sweets in your pyjamas!

I don't want to spoil this "surprise" party, but one highlight I will point out is Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee's relationship, which is brilliantly done. There is absolutely positively something there, indicating their friendship will bloom into something more in the future, if it's not already happened, and they've finally admitted their feeling towards each other; these two butting heads, who, of course, like Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen, clearly have a history together.

Fionna and Cake's relationship, their best friendship and sisterhood, and Cake's loving concern for and protectiveness of Fionna, is also extremely sweet.

Like all the food shown in the comic. The artistry! I want to eat every glorious meal, treat, snack, and cake in these pages!

Love the inclusion of Butterscotch Butler, and how the creators didn't lazily make her into a genderswapped version of Peppermint Butler. Creative touches like this are what make the whole franchise as popular as it is.

'Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Party Bash Blues' - it's exactly the sort of thing you'd want in a 'Fionna and Cake' story. Everyone and everything in it is so flooping adorable! It is a much-needed pick-me-up, for a good, uplifting adventure time, and for the fuzzy feels.

Hilarious, delicious, heart-licious, and seemingly effortless brain candy, I highly recommended it for fans.

If only it was more explicit with Gumball and Marshall Lee's homoerotic tension. It would have been perfect. Oh well.

Bubblegum and Marceline are canonically together and their ship name is Bubbline, but what is Gumball and Marshall Lee's ship name? Gumball Lee?

For more of my thoughts on this amazing kids' feminist action adventure comedy series (the comics, anyway; I haven't seen any of the cartoons for a long time, and I ought to), read my reviews of:


'Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake'

'Adventure Time: The Fionna and Cake Compendium Vol. 1'


Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Adventure Time: The Fionna and Cake Compendium Vol. 1' by Natasha Allegri (Writer, Artist), Jen Wang (Writer), Britt Wilson (Artist, Letterer, Penciller), Various Writers, Artists, Colourists, Inkers

'Adventure Time: The Fionna and Cake Compendium Vol. 1' (I don't think there's a volume 2... yet) contains the first 'Fionna and Cake' comic by Natasha Allegri, and their 'Card Wars' comic by Jen Wang. Then the bonus short stories from the first comic by N.D. Stevenson, Lucy Knisley, and Kate Leth.

It's all very cute and funny, and the 'Card Wars' story, with Cake the cat playing for a Card Wars tournament against snails and a mysterious Floop Master, contains good twists and surprises. And there's a Swordcery Fair in it. There's a subtle anti-sexism theme, not too much like easy and "acceptable!" subtext, that's definitely there, and it's great to see in a kids' cartoony comic.

Feminism and fun do go together!

Case and point: the entirety of the 'Adventure Time' franchise.

Colourful, clever, wacky, thoughtful, heartfelt, entertaining girl power stuff, that's part of the 'Adventure Time' made-with-love distaff parody universe! I'm sure loving these characters as much as their creators do!

For more, read my review of the 'Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake' comic here.

Final Score: 4/5