Review by Ian Keogh

It doesn’t seem that way at first, but Doughnuts and Doom develops into a sweet story of friendship and witchcraft. Elena dreams of her two person band being successful, but hasn’t exactly got a grip on the realities of life, which have to be pointed out by the owner of the venue where she plays. Margot is taking qualifications verifying her witchcraft, but is unable to perform spells under pressure, and when she turns up in the doughnut shop where Elena works it’s just after she’s failed another test. Their first meeting is more a confrontation, and has an unforeseen consequence at Elena’s gig that night.

Arguments and disagreements feature, but Balazs Lorinczi keeps Doughnuts and Doom good-natured, providing an understanding of Elena and Margot and why their dreams remain unfulfilled. This is drawn in an open, cheerful style, ensuing both leading characters remain likeable despite the occasional floopy, and having a snake as Margot’s witches’ familiar is a nice touch offering funny visual possibilities duly exploited. Lorinczi doesn’t like drawing full figures, and there’s the occasional foreshortening problem, but for someone’s first graphic novel this is confident art,

After their initial spiky meeting a friendship develops between Elena and Margot as both try to improve their chances of success. It’s like a rom com film, the charm working its magic as obstacles are thrown in their way, with Margot’s examiner having a nice line in sarcasm.

Because the genre is romcom there has to be romance, and this comes across as contrived. It’s possible for people to be good friends without romantic attachment and having it thrown in at the end doesn’t work despite a few elements of foreshadowing. Otherwise this is a charming début from a creator who’s a talent to watch.