Bee and Puppycat #1

Natasha Allegri might not be a household name (yet), but there is a very good chance that you’ve seen her work. After having gone to university with some guy named Pendleton Ward, he approached her about working on a little cartoon project over at the Cartoon Network. It’s called Adventure Time or something, it's apparently very popular. While this has kept her quite busy she managed to find the time to gender swap the main cast of characters and ended up creating Fiona and Cake.

Now seems like the perfect time for Allegri to branch out on her own. After a successful kickstarter she produced a Bee and Puppycat cartoon. Now Allegri adapts her adorably righteous tale for the comics medium. This anime infused, all-ages romp is a great read for the whole family, and one that doesn’t get lost in translation.

The premise of Bee and Puppycat is, like all the great all-ages books, a simple one. Bee is a consistently unemployed girl who's just trying to figure out her life. Yet at the same time she’s picked up a cute little stray named Puppycat. Is it a puppy? Is it a cat? Who knows?! The only thing for certain is that this thing has magical abilities. Fighting crime has never been so cute.

Allegri’s influences are instatnly noteable giving the book a feeling akin to being right at home. Fans of Sailor Moon and Powerpuff Girls will love the humour and the excitement. The story is written in the same witty style as Adventure Time and Lumberjanes. It’s fun, easy and accessible.

The art style and its anime influence is certainly the highlight of the book. Puppycat is cute, no bones about it, but when Allegri lets loose the book truly shines. Bee’s trip to dreamland is the kind of weird and wonderful that just melts your heart. The only real negative is her choice in lettering. For the most part it works, but the handwritten captions can be a little difficult to read as they sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

Like the Adventure Time books readers are treated to a supplementary story. What Happened Part One by Madeleine Flores is sweet but a little too short. Bee and Puppycat are stopped on the way home from buying snacks to discover they have a *gasp* unsatisfied client. The art is great, offering something completely different from Allegri’s work but the story is just too short to be memorable making this supplement too much of a tease.

Those looking for another reason to step into a fun-filled alternative reality should definitely check out Bee and Puppycat. It’s too adorable to pass up and offers the right amount of pure-hearted humour to keep you coming back for more. If you can’t wait for the next issue be sure to check out the cartoon in the meantime!

-Sean

Bee and Puppycat #1
Writer(s): Natasha Allegri, Garrett Jackson, Madeleine Flores
Artist: Natasha Allegri, Madeleine Flores