Cinderalla by Junko Mizuno
Viz: 2002
One of the best things about this graphic novel is that it's in colour - very rare for indie comics! Flick through it and you will be immediately drawn into the surreal not-so-innocent childlike innocence of Junko Mizuno's work. Her illustrations are populated by wide eyed young girls who have a childish sexuality about them, rendered in pop-culture colours and the now ubiquitous firm, rounded manga drawing style.
Cinderalla is a rather odd story. It's kind of like a dream where everything seems totally normal and familiar but then your mother comes in with the head of a donkey and you know things aren't quite as you remembered them... Cinderalla's yakitori restaurant owning dad dies from overeating, and comes back (to Cinderalla's dubious pleasure) as a zombie. He brings with him his new bride, also a zombie, and her two zombie daughters. Poor Cinderalla is run off her feet trying to look after a restaurant and 4 demanding zombies with only her little mouse friend Setsuko to help her. (You can begin to see where this story diverges from the original fairytale about now, right?). Meanwhile a handsome zombie prince arrives on the scene, but Cinderalla can only marry him if she is also dead. But how can she have time for love when her stepmother is demanding a constant stream of pancakes to satisfy the little demon living in her stomach, her stepsister needs her to knit an enormous bra, and her customers are clamouring for their yakitori!! Oh the dilemmas!
If you enjoy twisted fairytales, but aren't into the gothic melancholy of Nightmares and Fairytales by Serena Valentino, or the bloodthirsty Victoriana of Dame Darcy's Frightful Fairytales, then give Cinderalla a go...it's funny, it's sexy, it's weird, it's manga!
MS 11/2/05