LIBRARY JOURNAL --
With the romance genre a healthy segment of both print and ebook publishing, it makes sense to bring comics back to their roots-in the
1950s, romance comic books sold millions. The digitally based Rosy Press has been serializing “sweet to smutty” love stories from comics creators since May of last year, and now through Oni delivers the first volume of collected stories. This isn't classic Archie, folks: the opening tale features a closeted lesbian high school romance plus a counterplot involving a classmate witch who's snuggling up with the guy everyone thinks the lesbian couple are fighting over. Other narratives introduce a Regency bride grieving the swain she couldn't marry, a humanoid extraterrestrial tasked with matchmaking the
Earth-living lovelorn, and a twist on the beauty-and-the-beast concept. The writing is uniformly first-rate in plotting and pacing, while the art keeps momentum in quality and appeal via styles ranging from baroque to curvy-yet-spare plus vibrant-through-chaste coloring. VERDICT This enjoyable collection for ages 18 and up will draw fans of romance manga and romance novels who are willing to try another format.
BOOKLIST -- This comics anthology contains four different stories about love in fantasy,
contemporary, and historical settings. "School Spirit" is about the forbidden love lives of four teenagers in the same school. "Ruined" is about a lady who marries a kind gendeman after being involved in a scandal. "The Ruby Equation"
is about a being whose job is helping humans find love and learning what it's like firsthand. "Beauties" is a gorgeous retelling of Beauty and the Beast, in which beauty breaks the beast's chains. The stories portray different bodies,
skin colors, orientations, and even kinds of love, and there's plenty of appeal besides the romance angle, such as magic, cute witches, wicked families, and strong female friendships. Each is the work of a different team, so drawing styles, lettering, and voices differ. This beautiful, colorful comics sampler
(hopefully, more will come) is a sorely needed, refreshing change from the superhero-dominated comics landscape.
--Kristina Pino
YA: Though a little nudity may make this a better pick for the adult section, older teens who love shojo manga will adore it.
"Heartwarming, giggle-inducing, & cute as hell,
Fresh Romance is truly joyous to behold." - Newsarama
“Romance is making a long overdue comeback - in comic books, at least.”-HOLLYWOOD REPORTER/ HEAT VISION
“Superheroes are great and all, but sometimes a girl wants a little romance with her beautifully-drawn comic books.”-NERDIST
“Romance comics are coming back-and the world has Janelle Asselin to thank.”-ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
