Puffer and Clarissa
By IZZISharon White has plans at world domination. She has a magic detector, an army of robots, and a plan to overthrow the enigmatic Lord Jel. She also has a daughter.
Puffer and Clarissa is a coming of age adventure story created by James Nelson. After an accident washes her overboard, Puffer now finds herself stuck with Clarissa, who is just the worst. She just can't see how awesome Puffer's mom is, obviously. The dynamic and interaction between the two leads is wonderful. The enemies to friends (and maybe someday more?) pipeline is so much fun.
I love the characters in this comic, every one of them has such great designs and over the top personalities reminiscent of the old Saturday Morning cartoons I wasn't allowed to watch as a child. Our heroes are plucky and interesting, and it's been so much fun to follow along as they've both grown and learned about one another.
Sharon in particular is an interesting and complex character. There are obvious and insidious villains in the story, like Lord Jel or the wonderfully delightful Killer Whale, but the crux of the story's conflict is about Sharon. She is not a good mother, she is manipulative, she is cruel, she gaslights her daughter, and above all, she is self centered. She does love her daughter, but not in a way that is healthy or really even resembles actual love and care. Puffer's journey to see this and hopefully break away is the heart of the story, and is told so well and so poignantly.
The flooded world of Puffer and Clarissa is interesting and cool, it is itself a character, and it is full of life and intrigue. Every setting and location feels unique and cohesive, this is a world of survivors.
From start to present, Puffer and Clarissa has been such a delightful read, I highly recommend you check it out! It recently ended, so now is a great time to give the whole story a read!
You can read Puffer and Clarissa here: https://pufferandclarissa.com
Note: review redrafted from a previous entry on crowdsourced-webcomic-reviews.tumblr.com