Mini-Review: Blindsprings

_{(I feel like I've been lacking in terms of reviewing/talking about stuff I watched/played/read like I did last year, so I'm going to try and infrequently attempt these mini-reviews. Won't guarantee it though, but hey.)}


I read the comic in one scoop two days ago and it was still fresh in mind, so mini-review.


Blindsprings opens up with a “Once Upon A Time.” There was a young girl who lived in the forest. She was a friend to the animals and the spirits that dwelled. Then one day, a boy from a nearby town arrived, hearing about the fables. The girl, Tamaura (from here on, Tammy for short, partially because other characters call her that, partially because it’s easier to type) is forced to live in the forest due to a pact she made with the spirits to save her older sister (who’s a little less free than she is.) The boy Harris vows to master Academic magic and save her…and he does ten years later, against her will.

On the surface, this Disneyesque tone echoes the trademarks of its chief inspiration (that and some Studio Ghibli splashed in as noted by the author.) It’s whimsical, cute, and innocent with all the markings of a straight, lovable story from the minds the house of Mickey built. Instead, the situation is much grayer than expected. Blindsprings is compelling because everyone has layers to their motivation and character; nary is there true black and white morality. Tammy seems to get along perfectly with the spirits and we’re left to think she genuinely enjoys their company, but the comics later reveal the spirits consider human rather expendable for their own goal. Harris is disposable to look at because he pushes Tammy out of the forest despite her protest, seemingly in an effort to prove her existence to his peers. Yet from a different perspective, he honestly probably thinks he’s doing her a service because the parts of Tammy’s story (both serving as history and legend due to her really being an ageless 300-year-old  princess) we’ve seen differ between accounts and are filled with holes. In just the three chapters published so far, we’ve seen at least three-four different versions of Tammy’s story, all of them contradictory and missing key scenarios. Bits and pieces are explained over the course of the story, each significantly darker than the last. This all seems to tie into the current scuffle between the Academic mages and the obscure Orphics, the latter considered heretics to the general public, characters which in themselves have yet to show any sign of the "evil" the others think them as.

In spite of its sinister backgrounds, Blindsprings is stated as an all-age tale and like the best of its kind, it is true to its words. Kids will delight over the fantastical setting and characters while adults will appreciate the deep and complex narrative to both its cast and the current themes strewn about. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, vibrant and versatile; it recollects the best of children’s books. My personal favorite is this page.

I’m impressed the creator was able to get across so many in just the span of 70+ pages. I look forward to more.
OUT OF FIVE STARS




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