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Misfit City Vol. 1

Misfit City: Volume One introduces us to a diverse, fun group of young women with an affinity for adventure. It includes the first four issues of the comic Misfit City.

The story takes place in Cannon Cove, Oregon. This is the site where a hit movie, “The Gloomies” was filmed in the 1980s, and the town both benefits from and is plagued by tourists who loved the movie as kids. Five young women who live in Cannon Cove find out that the town is not as dull as they thought when they wind up with a map to pirate treasure.

The group is a diverse one in terms of ethnicities, body types, and personalities. They are, naturally, accompanied by a farting dog. The sense of ragtag adventure is present even when the girls aren’t actively adventuring – they have mock sword fights in the town’s museum and hold séances and have poker night. The art is lush and mysterious and the dialogue is funny, and the characters are enjoyable to spend time with.

Misfit City owes a lot to The Lumberjanes, a series that is similar in character and tone but pitched to a younger audience. If you like the idea of The Lumberjanes but want something for older readers, this should do it. It’s infused with feminism, friendship, and adventure. It’s like an all-female Goonies but also it’s its own thing. I recommend it for goofy fun.

– Carrie S

Smothered by her backwater hometown and frustrated by its 1980s cult-movie fame (The Gloomies…have you seen it? It’s a real classic, y’know.), Wilder is pretty sure she’s seen everything Cannon Cove has to offer. She’s desperate to get away from home as soon as she can, and move on to bigger, better, and less annoying things…even if that might mean leaving her best friends behind. But when Wilder discovers a centuries-old pirate map, she may find out that REAL adventure was in their tiny town all along…and they need each other to get to the bottom of it!

It’s a rip-roaring adventure written by award-winning screenwriter Kiwi Smith (10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde) and Kurt Lustgarten, and illustrated by Naomi Franquiz.