Simon Hanselmann

When I started this book, I thought I was in for a silly stoner comedy about a lazy witch and her anthropomorphic pals. The humour could be a bit juvenile, but it was weird enough to keep me interested and entertained. However, things took a turn for the worse after the uncomfortable sexual assault scene occurs about one third of the way into the book. The disturbing scene is tastelessly played off as a joke by the characters, and I found it really hard for my engagement to bounce back after that.

Even though this is a book about a green-tinted witch and her talking cat boyfriend, part of what made this story so depressing was how real it all seemed. This book painfully captures how poor behavioural choices keep these characters stuck in a self-destructive cycle (e.g. self-medicating with drugs and alcohol; engaging in toxic relationships because of loneliness; low self-esteem; failing at any kind of responsibility; not being able to sustain long-term motivation). Comics are a powerful medium to depict this kind of lifestyle, as the reader too feels constrained and frustrated by the perpetually messy surroundings of the apartment.

So while I was expecting a lowbrow stoner comedy, I instead was faced with a much deeper examination of millennial malaise. I appreciate the way these comics explore the unsavory side of depression, but also cannot say that I enjoyed the reading experience all that much.… (more)