COMIC FIRSTS • Moonstruck #1: Welcome to The Black Cat Cafe

[quote]Comic Firsts, a feature where I talk about the first issues of comics that I’ve bought, received, or borrowed. It’s all about first impressions, what I like or didn’t like about the issue, and whether I would keep reading it beyond the first issue.[/quote]

[quote]Fantasy creatures are living typical, unremarkable lives alongside humans, and barista Julie strives to be the most unremarkable of all. Normal job, normal almost-girlfriend, normal…werewolf transformations that happen when she gets upset? Yikes!

But all bets are off when she and her centaur best friend Chet find themselves in the middle of a magical conspiracy. Will Julie and Chet be able to save their friends? Is Julie’s dogged determination to be normal a lost cause? Who’s going to watch the coffee shop while our heroes are out saving the world?? — Image Comics[/quote]

Moonstruck, I am…lovestruck with you. 

You know what’s wonderful about Moonstruck? Everything. The writing, the art, the characters, the queerness. It’s a shining beacon of delightfulness.

Let me attempt to list the reasons without spoiling a goddamn thing about this already amazing comic. And here we go—

WHY YOU NEED TO READ MOONSTRUCK

• It’s set in a coffee shop!! Everything is always better set in a coffee shop. We get lots of coffee shop goodness, meeting supportive co-workers who is filled with love for each other and customers who shuffle in and out of The Black Cat for their daily dose of caffeine and cat art froth. 

• It’s full of fantasy creatures who will light up your entire world. You have Julie, the barista who is prone to lycanthrope tendencies when she gets upset (a complicated way of saying she’s a werewolf!); Chet, Julie’s best friend and right-hand barista who happens to be a centaur; and a range of other characters ranging from a burly, soft as teddy bear minotaur to a Medusa-like musician.

• It’s wonderfully diverse and queer! Don’t worry about not getting representation because Moonstruck brings it. I have no doubt this comic will do an excellent job exploring all these different characters and their love life. (This comic starts off with the plus-sized main character gushing about the girl she went on a date with. SUPER CUTE!) Moonstruck does its utmost best to portray all types of people that we all have encountered or have in our own lives.

• You will relate to everything that happens. (Y’know, aside from the supernatural aspects of it.) From newly formed romances where you’re completely smitten to anxiety that manifests into something unmanageable. Despite the urban fantasy in Moonstruck, you will come out of reading this first issue falling in love and relating to the events that happen.

• The art is magical. Bless, Shae Beagle, because she does a beautiful job bringing these characters, the setting, and this story to life. I’m so happy about the way the story plays out in the panels, how it’s framed, the different body shapes, and I can go on and on, but take a peek at the art I’m raving about!

Who will enjoy reading Moonstruck? Everybody who has ever loved coffee shop stories. People who want something that’s wonderfully queer. People who love urban fantasy.

Will I continue reading Moonstruck? YES! It’s so cute.

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Thank you to Image Comics for sending me this comic for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the comic or the content of my review.[/note] [note note_color=”#DDB349″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Are you convinced? Go buy Monstruck #1 from your local comic book store when it comes out June 21, or these online retailers: Comixology · Midtown Comics · TFAW.[/note]

Will you be reading Moonstruck?