Review by Frank Plowright
Jonna and Unpossible Monsters is an all-ages adventure about two very different sisters. Jonna is adopted by Rainbow’s father on an Earth that’s had to cope with arrival of massive monsters, seemingly guided by instinct, not intellect. Against these Jonna is a force of nature, supernaturally strong and fearless despite being very young.
Chris and Laura Samnee began talking about Jonna and her world before their daughters’ bedtime, and those conversations gradually evolved into this story of loss, courage and redemption as the parents discovered their children showed greater interest in who Jonna was than her world. Ultimately, then, this is the story of who Jonna is, eventually contrasted with who she was intended to be. However, it’s step-sister Rainbow who supplies the human core, personifying courage, hope and persistence in never giving up looking for her father and her sister despite the odds of success being small and the dangers great.
Samnee’s art is wonderful on any project, and that remains true even when it’s modified for the exaggeration of all-ages material. He delights in designing wonky looking monsters, and illustrates Jonna as a fearless force of nature, joyously piling in where anyone else would be cautious, frequently over great spreads. He varies the surroundings as Rainbow and Jonna discover more about their world, and some panels almost look as if they belong in a B.P.R.D. story as coloured by Matthew Wilson, who’s very adaptable. Flashbacks scenes set in more idyllic times are brighter, reflecting fond memories.
It’ll be a long time since you’ve read anything approaching the sheer frenetic pace this achieves at times, and while it seems a little episodic, there’s always an end point in mind, and that begins with the revelations two-thirds of the way through.
Very young children may find some scenes a little scary, but most will thrill to a great adventure. It’s best experienced complete and with the back-up material of this edition, but it can also be found spread over three paperbacks beginning with Volume One.
