6.24.2017

I HATE FAIRYLAND

After reading I Hate Fairyland, you'll never hear the word "fluff" the same way again.  This is a comedy from Image Comics filled with massive violence inside a brightly colored fantasy world -- and it's funny as hell.

A little girl named Gertrude wished she could be on a grand adventure in a magical land.  She gets her wish, being transported (face first) to Fairyland, a magical place full of magical creatures, vibrant colors, and all sorts of animated life.  Queen Cloudia gives her a simple quest: Find a magic key, use it to unlock the door, and return home.  She's given a companion -- the talking fly Larrigon Wentsworth III -- a map of all the known lands, and a small bag that can hold very large things.

Twenty-seven years later, Gert is still wandering around Fairyland.  She hasn't grown physically, she's no closer to finding the key, and she takes her frustrations out on the denizens of Fairyland, usually slaughtering them (even the narrator at the star of the issues) with a battleaxe or cannon.  Larry is sick of Gert but is stuck with her, while Queen Cloudia can't directly harm Gert, as she's still a guest of Fairyland.  The Queen can, however, encourage others to take out Gert -- and she has a plan to make Gert a permanent part of the fantasy workd.
I Hate Fairyland is a demented and delightful reversal of the saccharine-sweet world of some fantasy.  Gert is a true anti-hero, perfectly willing to use or kill anyone in order to get back home.  It's hard not to feel sorry for her, but harder still to really support, well, just about anything she does.  (This is reflected by Larry, who clearly wants to be rid of Gert but can't; he also sometimes pulls out a pistol to help her.)  The first collection, Madly Ever After, sets up this twisted fantasy world quite well; the second collection, Fluff My Life, has the consequences of the cliffhanger at the end of the first collection, plus a little kid in a dragon costume and post-apocalyptic Gert.  If you have a sick sense of humor, I Hate Fairyland is for you.
Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

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