EMILY AND THE STRANGERS #1
Written by Rob Reger and Mariah Heuhner
Art by Emily Ivie
Release Date: January 30, 2013

Independent. Stay true to yourself. Rock and roll.

The classic staples that have created the Emily the Strange (or Emily Strange) character are all present in this newest incarnation from Dark Horse Comics.

If you are not familiar with Emily, she was the creation of Rob Reger in the ’90s. She was a graphic art design that took on a life of her own on clothing, skateboards and eventually graced a Gipson/Epiphone guitar. There have also been several YA novels written about Emily’s misadventures in science-mystic fiction.

This is also not the first comic for the heroine, whose first comic mini-series arrived way back in 2005.

What this all-ages series does do is continue to give young females an excellent role model, and show male readers just how awesome and cool girls can be. Plus, Emily is crazy about black cats. Needless to say, she has always had a lot of them.

The story surrounds a legendary octopus bodied guitar, a song contest and the last-minute interloper that is going to force Emily out of her introverted lifestyle. For a girl who mostly stays in her laboratory looking for incredible ways of throwing science on its head, this new person is definitely out of her comfort zone.

This book is not only a fun read — with Emily Ivie’s detailed backgrounds and hunt for the cats panels — but also provides the perfect first book for any young person you’re looking to introduce to comics. Like most Emily books, the main colors focused on are black and red, however blues are introduced in a clever way with the new character at the end.

Needless to say, a familiarity with Emily probably makes this book more enjoyable than if you’re reading it for the first time. However, if you’re willing to go with it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show. Emily and the Strangers #1 is $3.99 from Dark Horse Comics.

Verdict 8.5/10