I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 4: Sadly Never After by Skottie Young

Sometime in July, when I wasn’t paying attention, Skottie Young announced this installment of the I Hate Fairyland series would be the final one. Imagine my surprise when I got to the last page of what was obviously the end of one of my favorite comic series. It was bittersweet.

Young brings the series to a close with Gertie trying one more time to get home. The last book ended on a cliffhanger with a surprise twist. He addresses that directly in the first pages of this installment.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m completely unimpressed. Feels like a cheap stunt to end a story with a ‘clever’ cliffhanger, if you ask me.”

Characters from the previous books all make an appearance, plus a few new ones. All-in-all, I enjoyed it.

The genius of this series is the idea that fairyland is one, built for children, and two, should have an expiration date. Gertrude, a foul-mouthed homicidal maniac in the form of a perpetually small child, is what would happen if someone was forced to endure endless disappointments in a futile effort to go home again. And was given a pointy-edged sword with little to no consequences for her actions.

All quests have ends though they may not be in the form the person going on the quest expected. I was pleased to see that Young didn’t drag out this series beyond its own expiration date. Because he could have. Honestly, the beautiful world he created could have gone on and on if he had chosen (or had the time) to do so. But he embraced one of the lessons in the story and ended it in a timely and, I felt, dignified manner.

Recommended for adults who are looking for a different coming-of-age story in graphic novel format. Not appropriate for the younger set.

Here is my review for a previous entry in the series:

I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 3: Good Girl (I Hate Fairyland #3) by Skottie Young

Thanks for reading!

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