Review by Frank Plowright

This is a second selection of four panel comic strips starring the Disney Princesses, although a broad application of the term ‘Princess’ applies in order to include the female leads from all Disney films going all the way back to Snow White. They’re all drawn, and often also written by Amy Mebberson being both traditional four panel gags and other strips running to several pages, and Mebberson’s some cartooning talent, bringing a wide variety of people to cheerful, expressive life.

There are no credits for individual strips, so no indication which are written by Mebberson, and which are the work of a growing list of other writers. Whoever’s responsible, they’re reasonable jokes, and there’s thought applied to ensure they’re applicable to a particular character and their supporting cast, so not just generic. In some cases, however, it may mean readers not familiar with every Disney film may not get the joke.

Among the longer strips are Merida’s Hogmanay, Ariel finding some treasure, Mulan holding archery training, and a glorious strip about Louis playing his horn. The longer selections are sometimes just a gathering of jokes featuring a single character, though. These strips are unashamedly aimed at the young girl who loves all things Disney, and are well enough crafted to ensure that girl has a few giggles, thrills to the short adventures, and tries to copy Mebberson’s appealing simple art.

A fault of the first Comic Strip Collection was it not always being clear where one strip ended and the next began, which has been rectified by titling the strips. Further tinkering occurred when the content was reissued as Gleam, Glow and Laugh and Beyond the Extraordinary, where the strips were rearranged so they could be presented in traditional comic size instead of landscape format.