Comics Roundup #36: Oddly Normal

Oddly Normal, bk. 1 by Otis Frampton (illus.)

Genre:

MG Fantasy

Series:

Oddly Normal, book 1

Pubbed:

2015

Goodreads summary:

Meet Oddly Normal, a ten-year-old girl with pointed ears and green hair—a half-witch who will be the first to tell you that having a mother from a magical land called Fignation and a father from Earth doesn’t make it easy to make friends at school! On her tenth birthday, she blows out her cake’s candles and makes a disastrous wish. Now, Oddly must travel to Fignation to uncover the mystery of her parents’ disappearance. (Goodreads)

My thoughts:

Oddly Normal is a middle-grade fantasy comic book series about a girl named Oddly Normal who’s lonely and bullied at school because she’s a half-witch. On her 10^th birthday, she makes a wish that upends her life causing her parents to disappear but for her to be whisked away to the world her witch mother is from, Fignation.

I read a preview of the story back in 2016 that I got on Free Comic Book Day. It was only the first half of the story, but I liked it. It got me intrigued about what happens next. I felt the same when I reread that section this time. However, when Oddly gets to Fignation, the story fell a little flat for me and I lost interest. I thought that she got over her parents’ disappearance rather quickly, and I wasn’t enthused about reading about her being an outcast again. I was hoping that things would be better for her in Fignation, but what happens in the story makes sense since Oddly is a product of both worlds, so she wouldn’t entirely fit into either and could be an outcast in both.

I’m sure the story is entertaining to its intended audience. It just didn’t work for me because I wanted something a bit different. But I do like Oddly’s aunt. Lol! I like that she kept chattering on for a while when she first shows up before noticing Oddly or her surroundings.

Art style:

It’s very cartoony but I like it. It’s the colors that get me: They really pop, and I like that sometimes a certain color dominates a section, like the several green panels for inside the aunt’s witch’s lair and the mostly pinkish red panels used when Oddly is outside in Fignation.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ ½

Like a 2.75. The story didn’t work for me, but I liked the art.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

Despite the almost low rating, I think it’s worth Buying this one if you have or know a kid who likes comic books. It’s fun and I think kids, the intended audience, will enjoy the story and love the bright variety of colors.