All good things must come to an end, including Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters. This charming series is created by Laura and Chris Samnee, who dedicate the third and final volume to “all the kids who doodle and daydream”, which feels appropriate given how the book feels it could be conceived through a child’s imagination.
Rainbow and her younger sister Jonna have been through a lot throughout this title, trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, fighting the likes of giant monsters and the worst of humanity. As they travel to locate their missing father, there is still the mystery over our titular hero, who suddenly disappeared only to return from the wild, nearly feral and suddenly possessing the strength to punch out the monsters. As we are approaching the end, we might as well get some answers.
Vol. 3 opens on an eight-page silent sequence starting off with a giant egg crashing to Earth like an asteroid and upon arrival, the Unpossible Monsters rise from the ground as witnessed by fellow adventurers Gor and Nomi. This is the first of a number of revelations along the way, and whilst there still isn’t a great deal of character development, the heart of the story remains the relationship between Rainbow and Jonna.
Upon discovering the Jonna clone at the end of the previous volume, this gives us our first glimpse of her possibly otherworldly origins, but Rainbow is always determined to remind her that she is her sister and nothing is going to change. Towards the climax, we get the big exposition dump that explains everything, with a touch of horror that might upset younger readers (as if the giant monsters weren’t scary enough).
For most of the storytelling, dialogue is rarely used as Chris Samnee’s art speaks louder than words. Though so much of Samnee’s work showcases the grandeur of this fantastical world, along with the Kaiju-inspired creatures that dominate it, he doesn’t negate the intimacy of the central relationship. Known for his cartoonish character designs, Samnee allows his characters to emote in a heightened fashion that allows us to see how they are feeling without any dialogue.
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