Unnatural #3
Image Comics
Story/Art/Colors: Mirka Andolfo
Colors: Mirka Andolfo, Gianluca Papi
Letters: Fabio Amelia
Mirka Andolfo is one of those artists that have a style that stops you in your tracks and forces you to pay attention. I’ve been a fan of her work since she was with Aspen. I knew from the moment that I saw her line work that she was going to be a big deal within the industry someday.
Here we are years later and the Italian sensation is proving me right with her creator-owned offer Unnatural.
Unnatural is the anthropomorphic tale of Leslie who is enlisted in a special dating program to ensure that she finds the perfect partner to mate with to keep her species “clean”. She goes out on her date and Mr. Wonderful proves to be part of a deadly cult.
Although the plot sounds simple there are a lot of underlying subplots happening within the issue. Leslie is the example of the lengths women feel they have to go to, to be whatever society deems attractive. From plucking, to waxing, to make-up, to dressing themselves; Andolfo makes the quest for the perfect match an actually lab-based science in her book.
Then there is the amount of sheer heart that Mirka injects into Leslie. As a reader, we can instantly sympathize with her self-doubt, her second-guessing, her lack of confidence and her need to overthink every single moment of her date. Even when everything seems to be perfect and she is enjoying herself, there are moments in the back of her mind where she doubts her own happiness. Sadly, when Leslie’s date proves to be a dirtbag we already know that he wasn’t the right match for her. We want to see her end up with someone as quirky and unique as she is.
The cliffhanger of the issue is not to be missed as it locks readers in for the next chapter.
There isn’t much to say about the visual side of this series other than I think Ms. Andolfo’s art is incredible and I find myself studying her every panel and page. There are hundreds of other titles on the shelf at your local comic’s shop that cannot compete. This is top-notch artwork.
While this comic lacks the bombastic content of other titles, it makes up for it with tons of heart and a witty insight into the female perspective of life while being cleverly hidden as a story about a pig trying to get her swerve on.