Bigger Than Capes

Publisher: Image
Writer and Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Colourist: Simon Tessuto
Letterer: Fabio Amelia

Who sent the mysterious video to Paprika? Did they want some cold hard cash to make it go away? Is blackmailing a well-connected demon with an anger management problem a good idea? The answer to these questions is resolved early on in issue 4.

It seems Paprika’s crush on Za’atar had not abated, and she’s miserable about it because of her continuing self-repression. She shares her problems with some subordinates over a terrible salad, who suggests she tries to be who she really is (is that Ariana Grande playing?).

Cue awesome retail therapy and an attack of the horn, and she finally manages to push past her mental block, only to encounter an inconsiderate shop assistant.

The solution it seems is to practice on a friend with benefits so she doesn’t appear completely insane or naive when getting amorous with Za’atar. She needs a docile idiot. Enter Dill!

While this is a fundamentally daft comic on many levels, Mirka Andolfo has really created an interesting character here. Sure, there’s plenty of sexytimes going on here, but this isn’t a one-note sex joke book. There were hints in the previous issues about a deeper plot, and here we see more of what’s going on psychologically, as well as who she might become once Paprika emerges from her many neuroses. At which point I’m sure there will be a knob joke, of course.

I guess my only issue with Sweet Paprika is that it makes me want to eat nicely spiced food, and I’m really hungry now, so this is perhaps best enjoyed with a snack.