Stuff I Read – Adventure Time Playing with Fire Review
So when this was announced I had a bit of a nerdgasm, I must admit. I am a huge Adventure Time fan, both of the show and the comic. And the video game, I guess. And most things about the show. Which I guess sort of disqualifies the use of the word both, but oh well. Onward! In any event, when it was announced that they were making an Adventure Time original graphic novel, I was pumped. When I heard that it was a sort of romance story between Finn and the Flame Princess, I was just as pumped. Because adventure, that’s why! The only trouble, really, was that because I don’t get cartoon network and because the show is cruel about when it releases DVDs, I haven’t actually seen the introduction to Flame Princess. No troubles, though, as the story does an adequate job showing who she is and what she means to our intrepid adventurer, Finn.
The format of the book is black and white, which is perhaps a little disappointing given what a colorful world Adventure Time inhabits, but I found that through the clever use of shadow and similar techniques that the book avoids seeming bland, becoming quite expressive and moody in places and entertaining throughout, still able to capture the charm of the show. The characters still look like they should, and there are enough artistic flourishes like the close up on what I’ll call Finn’s “romance face” that make the art stand out but not seem at odds with what I’ve seen in the past.
The character work was very solid stuff, too, with the writer capturing these characters to the point that you can (or at least I did) hear them in your mind as you’re reading. And the humor and darkness from the show is all retained, which is a big plus, because that’s one of the big parts about what makes Adventure Time so interesting, that it manages to blend some seriously dark themes with this whimsy and fuun that is infectious. And this graphic novel is no exception, having Finn get kidnapped and putting Flame Princess in the driver’s seat in getting him back. This reversal of the traditional roles is great, and made better by Jake being along for the ride, ready and willing to be his lazy and awesome self.
Which leaves, I guess, the romance aspects of story to touch on, because that’s a big seller for this, that it’s this sweet little story between Flame Princess and Finn. It’s awesome. Flame Princess is such a great character, troubled by her upbringing and potential for violence and at the same time incredibly driven and assertive, very decisive in how she approaches every aspect of the challenge. And Finn is the naïve adventurer who believes that people are good, that people can kick their problems in the butt and be happy. And while it doesn’t always work out that way, it’s that belief that things can get better that makes him such a force for good, because we see what happens in the story when Finn is without his hope, his zest. It’s a literally big part of who he is. And Finn and Flame Princess work. They are fully rounded characters and complement each other nicely.
Which leaves me really nothing negative to say about this, which is unusual. I really did like pretty much every aspect of this book. It doesn’t perhaps had as many layers as some works, but there is a surprising amount that can be unpacked from this. And through it all I think it works both for children and adults, and it tells a complete story. What more do you want? Read this book. I did, and I like it enough to give it a 9.5/10.