Unicorn Fight Squad is the latest project from Christine Larsen, under her self-published label Snaga Comix. Following Orcs! (2016), Microcosmics (2017), and Holy Diver (2019), the new series features a casually anthropomorphized animal society (think Ducktales more than Zootopia) that parallels our modern world.
Issue #1, Beware of Snakes, we are introduced to sisters Jet and Twink. Jet hates her job and is in a real funk, and Twink cajoles her into going to Jerry’s (the bar where Twink works) to see their friend Joe’s band, the Turkeys. Their friend Cherry works there, too, as a bartender. Unfortunately, the opening band opens some kind of portal, allowing mind-controlling serpents to enter the bar and zombify the patrons! How will Jet, Twink, & their friends escape? Who are the mysterious black-suited men watching from outside? How high is Jerry right now? Is there any beer left?
Larsen asks and answers all the important questions. The world she creates is comfortable and familiar, like the hoodie you forgot was in the back of your closet. There’s no awkward infodump; you’re left to discover the world by watching the characters interact with each other. At first, you may not be sure whether the story will deliver a fairly straight-laced take on feeling lost in your late twenties/early thirties, or whether we’ll be diving into WHY our protagonists have unicorn horns and are friends with a billy goat who owns a bar.
The slice-of-life/magical realism combo is a fairly standard order these days, but the segues into the surreal portions are made smoother by the fact that we started with anthropomorphic characters in the first place. Unlike Scott Pilgrim or Girls With Slingshots, where the speculative/fantastic elements can occasionally be jarring juxtaposed against the mundane setting, Unicorn Fight Squad seems like the kind of story where you might normally encounter a band of cultists. I mean, there’s a unicorn lady behind the bar, why not snake-people (“sneople”) on the stage trying to bring about the apocalypse?
Larsen’s character designs are amazing. She does an excellent job of differentiating the sisters beyond their height and heft, but she also creates background extras that don’t blur together. Her scenes feel full and lived in without being overwhelmingly busy. Each character is also extremely expressive, utilizing cartoonish elements (like suddenly huge anime eyes) as well as subtle eyebrow quirks and the slight curves of wry smiles.
Unicorn Fight Squad comes out of the gate with strong characters and a fun premise that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Definitely check this one out, so that we can see what happens in Issue 2. Available here.
