Nutmeg 3

Fall, Part 3: “What Girls Are Made Of.” Bobby Benson and friends devour Poppy and Cassia's illicit brownies and find they have a completely different effect than any of them expected. Meanwhile, Poppy learns something sobering about the nutmeg they used. Will it be enough for her to quit the game?

Apparently revenge is not always a dish served cold as they say.  Sometimes, it's a batch of brownies served piping hot with some "extra ingredients".  Or so we find out in the third issue of Nutmeg, where revenge does not turn out as expected.

Shortly after Poppy and Cassia attempt to sabotage a batch of brownies and blame it on Saffron, Poppy is utterly filled with guilt.  She even visits her mother's grave to work things out in her head, and when Cassia overhears her, she plans to stop.  When Bobby tells her that the brownies were actually amazing enough to take down Saffron and gang, the plan is now renewed and even stronger.

After three issues, I should probably mention how great I think the covers are.  I really dig the creativity to the covers and the layouts that are chosen.  Not to say the interiors are weak, as they are still nice, but I figured it should be mentioned.

Along with the continuing plot against the terrible Saffron crew, we got a behind the curtain peak at further evils.  There was also finally a nice hint at the crime solving side of the series.  With things really heating up now (sorry, pun had to be done), it's a good time to jump into it.

For more information on Nutmeg or other Action Lab books, check out Action Lab.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Nutmeg 2

Fall, Part 2: “...And Everything Nice:” After some initial trepidation, Poppy takes her first step on the dark side, deciding to go through with Cassia's plan to sabotage rival Saffron's Brownie Brawl fundraiser—and Saffron's chances with local heartthrob Bobby Benson—using some strategically-placed baked goods, and just a dash of malice.

If you ever had a rival in school, odds are it wasn't as dramatic as it is in fiction.  At least, I would hope not, because that would just be crazy.  It would be especially crazy if that rivalry caused you to do the kinds of things the girls are planning in the sophomore issue of Nutmeg.

It was not long after new girl Cassia arrived that she became very good friends with Poppy.  So good in fact, that the two of them are currently plotting against rival and all around mean girl Saffron.  The method?  Food poisoning.  They aren't going to target Saffron directly though, and add insult to injury by adding her crush Bobby Benson into the equation.

While the intentions of this duo may be a bit harsh, the artwork that tells the story is not.  There was a lot more varied environments in this issue and showed off the illustrating more.  The softer colors are really nice and seem to almost be chosen to reflect the baking them of the story.

Now that we've seen exactly what these two are doing to get back at Saffron, the story is really going to starting cooking.  Or baking.  Ok, maybe that wasn't the best choice of words.  It would however be a pretty good idea to check out this comic.

For more information on Nutmeg or other Action Lab books, check out Action Lab.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Nutmeg 1

Poppy Pepper just wants to survive junior high and avoid her rich rival, Saffron Longfellow, and her brownie-baking minions, The Lady Rangers. But when mysterious new girl Cassia Caraway arrives, she teams up with Poppy and together they plot to bring Saffron and crew down.

Oh, the joys of the ever dramatic times of being an adolescent and getting through school.  Dealing with cliques, losing and gaining friends, and just trying to make it to the next day.  All of this, along with some bakery plots are the just some of the ingredients making up the Nutmeg comic.  Intro pun free of charge.

Poppy is like most any young girl in junior high, doing her best to survive the jungle of junior high.  She just wants to stay under the radar, especially that of her former friend and now rival Saffron.  All this drastically changes when a new girl Cassia shows up and quickly becomes her friend.  Cassia is not about to take any shit from Saffron or her entourage, and crafts a plan involving brownies and revenge.

Girls are sugar and spice, and everything nice, and from the looks of it, so is Nutmeg's artwork.  It's got a cute, more cartoony feel to it and it really fits.  The colors are more toned down, almost like watercolors, but I thought they were still excellent.  I've also always been a fan of the lineart style used within, highlighting characters in a thicker outline.

For a story based on the lives of junior high girls, there is an intense going on just below the surface.  With the way the story opened showing us the potential end results of their actions, I'm certainly curious.  This might not be something everyone could get into, but I enjoyed the first issue and think it's worth a shot.

For more information on Nutmeg or other Action Lab books, check out Action Lab.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.

Kickstarter/Indiegogo Spotlight: Nutmeg

For more information or to make a pledge, please check out the Kickstarter page for Nutmeg!