Sweet Paprika #1 Review

by Carlos R. on July 29, 2021

Sweet Paprika #1 Cover Image
Writer and Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Colorist: Simon Tessuto
Letterer: Fabio Amelia
Publisher: Image Comics

I’ve been a fan of Mirka Andolfo’s work ever since I stumbled upon one of her Zatanna pieces. There’s a lot of humor and expression added into her designs and the same amount of detail and amusing designs can be found in this book.

If you’re a fan of romance stories, this title hits all the right beats and adds enough depth into its characters to keep the story from falling into cliched territory. Both of our protagonists seemingly have their ideal lives and work to convince others that their lifestyle is exactly as they want it. Andolfo shines best when dropping just enough clues about the faults in these two. She adds in panels where we can see Dill attempting to reach out, though still not completely dropping his Dill-do persona. And we’re given a scene that demonstrates the trauma of Paprika’s youth and how ingrained it is. The characters are fun and even though there are some cliché phrases used, they play into the façade of these characters, adding to the surface layer they present to the world.

Tessuto does a phenomenal job of backing up Andolfo on colors here, making great use of light throughout the whole issue, especially with the light that Dill radiates and the heat that exudes from Paprika. The pace is even and has a heavy animated feel to it with how exaggerated some of the character reactions are (don’t take Paprika’s coffee or belittle her!)

If by chance this is your first foray into Mirka Andolfo’s work and you enjoyed this issue, I highly recommend checking out their Instagram. They’re always posting some fun pieces and little strips featuring Paprika and Dill.
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside