WISH

In “Penny Dora and the Wishing Box” #2 by Michael Stock and Sina Grace, the Wishing Box is opened for use. It’s clear from the events of the first issue and even just the title of the book that Penny has been given a box that will grant wishes. In “Penny Dora and the Wishing Box” #2, the plot advances very slowly, teasing out the possible consequences on a micro-level rather than leaping into any far-reaching changes. These baby steps squander a lot of the inherent suspense of the supernatural premise, but they also introduce a quiet tone of psychological horror that is at odds with Grace’s cartoony and upbeat artwork. Grace’s art is strong on transitions but his facial expressions and body language are stiff in some panels that could use a little more movement to them. He makes the girls look chibi in certain panels, and while the technique has the usual funny and cute results, it feels out of place. Stock’s script doesn’t have the same pacing and oversized hyperactivity that chara

“Penny Dora and the Wishing Box” #1 by Michael Stock and Sina Grace is the sort of comic that exudes a certain amount of charm. With a fairly simple premise (and which is adapted off of an idea that Stock’s 8-year old daughter came up with), it’s easy to follow. But as a result, it’s hard to keep from thinking that the second issue is going to either make or break this series. “Penny Dora and the Wishing Box” #1 follows through on its title as promised; Penny finds a strange gift on the front door right before Christmas, and inside is a mysterious wooden box that turns out to grant wishes. While the wishes in this issue are both benign enough, it seems like Penny is right to find herself slightly unnerved by the experience… What’s interesting about “Penny Dora and the Wishing Box” #1 is that you could use this comic as a springboard for both an all-ages series as well as one that skews slightly older. The premise is one that works in just about any direction; you can make it sweet,

The thing I love about comics is that it has cultivated a small crop of artists that aren’t just at the top of their game, they’re at the top of everyone’s game. They don’t usually work on monthly books and often don’t do much more than amazing cover work, but every now and then they’ll put together an issue or two of sequential work and it’s the kind of thing you can pore over, panel by panel, for however long it will take until we get the next one. Kevin Nowlan, obviously, is one of those artists. His work here alone, from the pencils to the inks to the signature lettering to the evocative coloring, is worth the price of admission, even if he’d just drawn Hellboy standing on a ridge occasionally yelling so we could get some of that sweet Nowlan exclamatory lettering. It’s versatile, lush, and brilliant cartooning. But naturally, we don’t just get Hellboy standing around. Mignola has written a pretty insane story starting in a typically Hellboy Cthulu’an place and going in much stra