It’s Halloween and time for a Halloween Carnival! There’ll be rides, a maze, cotton candy and terror! Draculaura, Frankie and the rest of the gang are in for some big shocks in Monster High: Halloween Special #1, written by Keryl Brown Ahmed with art by Naomi Franq and colors by Desolina Griego.
But there’s always time for a little romance too. In this case, it’s Frankie and Manny the Minotaur. Between Frankie falling apart (literally!) and Manny’s maze phobia, will those two crazy kids make it through the night?
The thing I’ve loved most about this series of one-shots and miniseries is that even though this is a fantasy universe, with all the girls and boys patterned after classic and mythological creatures, they still have the same foibles, insecurities and awkwardness that human kids do. Even though I’m nowhere near the target age group for this book, I can imagine if I was a kid I’d find this book very comforting and confidence-building.
As an adult, the wordplay and pure fun of the book shines through. There’s a wide cast of characters in the book and each of them has their own unique personality and style. I’ve always felt books with a lot of characters are far more entertaining because there’s so many great conversations, interplay and plot points that can spin out of a large cast. Monster High has an infinite number of characters that are conceivable in future issues and that makes this particular IP one that will be around for a long time.
Artist Naomi Franq and colorist Desolina Griego go all out for this Halloween-themed issue, decking the characters in a super fun variety of costumes and wrapping it all in bright poppy colors. Also, the Halloween Carnival looks like a blast and made me want to jump into the book so I could be there making my own blindfolded attempts at pinning a tail on a dragon or whacking a mole.
I especially loved the design of Frankie’s Sherlock Holmes-inspired outfit and Draculaura’s Marie Antoinette attire. The costumes fit their personalities, with Frankie being more cerebral and shy while Draculaura always seems to have a snobbish air about her. She’s not a complete snob but hey, she’s Dracula’s daughter, so who wouldn’t be lording that over everyone else?
The bulk of the book takes place in a hedge maze which turns out to be more diabolical than everyone first thought, and Frankie and Manny grow closer throughout the quest for the maze exit. The two are very sweet together and I hope future Monster High specials continue their story.
If you’re in the mood for a special Halloween treat with a fun kaleidoscope of characters and colors, grab this issue up and sink your teeth into it (after you’ve bought it, of course).
