Review by Woodrow Phoenix

The Sparkling Stories of Phoebe and Her Unicorn is another collection that reprints two previous volumes of Dana Simpson’s series together, hence the ‘Two Books in One’ part of the title. This selection features The Magic Storm and Unicorn Theater. These two books differ from the usual compilations of the daily strips, both being original Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novels: single long stories complete in one book.

‘The Magic Storm’ is an ice storm plunging the whole area into darkness when the power is cut. It’s not a normal occurrence, and Marigold the unicorn knows a supernatural force is at work because all the background magic that she and the other enchanted creatures rely on to cast their spells, has been cut off. Without any magic anywhere Phoebe has to enlist both Dakota with her goblins and Max, her self-professed science-nerd friend, to help her find out who is soaking up all the magical and electrical power in the area, and then restore them for the whole community.

‘Unicorn Theater’ is about what happens after Phoebe writes a play she’s going to present at drama camp. It’s time to move on from music camp, and she’s expecting Marigold Heavenly Nostrils to help her stage her play. However, Marigold’s sister Florence Unfortunate Nostrils is coming to visit, and when Marigold announces she will be spending time with her rather than her human best friend, Phoebe doesn’t know how to handle being second best. Phoebe’s music camp friend Sue is there to meet her at drama camp this year, and so is Max. Sue has made friends with the lake monster from music camp, and Max is accompanied by the electric dragon he befriended in The Magic Storm. That’s a lot of magical animal companions for one adventure, but they are more like enhanced pets than dramatic protagonists, so the action stays small in scale. The simple drawings support the emotional and teachable moments, as Sue, Max, Florence and Marigold all combine to teach Phoebe and the readers what friendship is all about.

These longer continued stories seem to work better for Simpson’s style of storytelling. Without the pressure to have a punchline on every page, she can allow the plot to do the work of pulling the reader through the narrative. The observational dialogue works much better as part of the reading experience rather than trying to shape the action to end with a punchline every four panels, and there’s more space for details and character moments. This might be the most satisfying collection of Phoebe and Her Unicorn for solo reading yet.