Review: Oddly Normal Vol. 1 by Otis Frampton

Oddly Normal Vol. 1 by Otis Frampton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: NetGalley
Publication Date: March 24th 2015
Publisher: Image Comics
Point of View: Feminine
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, School

BLURB:

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. Join Oddly as she navigates a strange new school, monstrous bullies, and Evil itself on an unforgettable fantasy adventure through the vibrant world of Fignation in ODDLY NORMAL.
Collects ODDLY NORMAL #1-5

REVIEW:

It’s been so long since the last time I read such an enjoyable graphic novel.

Oddly Normal is a half-witch living in the human world. At school, she is the ‘‘freak’’ due to her… green hair and peculiar name. On her tenth birthday, having had enough of her clueless parents that do not understand her, she wishes for them to disappear. And something bad happens. She unleashes some sort of spell… and the only way for her Auntie to keep her safe is for her to bring Oddly to the magic world her mother was born in, Fignation.

This is a middle grade story, but it can very likely be enjoyed by an extensive group of age. The graphics are magnificent, the story creative and original, the world-building extremely beautiful and detailed (making me wish to attend Fignation’s middle grade school) and the characters strangely relatable despite their out-of-this-world appearance. With reason, for some are vampires, witches, monsters or… aliens.

The world-building is by far what I loved most about this graphic novel. Half Wonderland, half outer space-like, the backgrounds brought my optical sense to life. Such delectable illustrations! But what is most fantastical about this masterpiece is that the story also shares similar qualities to the artwork, meaning that it isn’t over typical or dull or colorless. Quite the contrary.

Any positive quality you could find in your adjective repertoire can describe this book. Very recommended.