Review by Ian Keogh

Luna is a vampire who lives in space, with her purpose-built space station seen on the sample art, which also shows she’s not the tidiest as per the floordrobe and bedrobe. Her first collection offers a fair selection of brief stories in which almost anything can happen.

Absurdism for children sustains Luna’s adventures, with her circumstances changing to suit the needs of the assorted stories. In one she’ll be the customer collecting a new pet from the shop and in the next applying for work somewhere else. The one constant is her witch friend Helga.

Luna’s adventures look great, with Yasmin Sheikh’s goofy, brightly coloured art immediately attracting the eye. Luna herself is designed as a pudgy, squat person in a bizarre dress with puffed shoulders, and drags her thin arms as she floats slightly above the ground, while she’s surrounded with blobby, squidgy and furry creatures. The whole effect resembles imaginative street art as much as comics, and it’s greatly appealing.

However, disappointment awaits on discovering the stories don’t match the art. Imagination is certainly present, with Sheikh coming up with one daft situation after another, an obstacle course race replacing the job interview process being one. Instead of building toward something, though, all too frequently the stories just drift away or work toward a predictable ending. There are enough interesting characters introduced that could be used to better purpose, but they orbit around Luna never having any great impact.

The art and general cheerful nature will take Luna a long way with younger readers, but this needed stronger writing.