Graphic Novel Review: Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico and Karensac

Posted on June 15, 2021 at 7:08 am by Gene Ambaum

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico and Karensac. RH Graphic, 2021. 9780593125342. 256pp.

The second Aster graphic novel is as delightful as the first and includes two stories originally published as separate books in French. “All’s Well That Ends Wool” involves the Dumbacabra, a half-man half-goat also known as Karas, the leader of the Sheep Revolution. It’s all a bit silly and fairly non-threatening, though the sheep cause some mayhem. There’s magic, talking animals, and Aster’s dad is very excited that he’s a knight. Her mom, a researcher, still doesn’t know the valley where they live is full of magic, though she finds out in the second story, “The End Of Everything (And What Happened Next).” That one involves a trickster god, a trip into a spirit maze, a bunch of plant-headed sylvan beings all named Mike, and the end of the world. It’s all lighthearted, colorful fun.