Nutmeg #1

Nutmeg #1 cover

Nutmeg, written by James F. Wright and illustrated by Jackie Crofts, ships this week from Action Lab Entertainment. I hope you’ll check it out.

The publisher bills it as “Betty and Veronica” and Heathers meets Breaking Bad, while the creators describe it as a “culinary coming-of-age crime comic”.

Nutmeg #1 cover

In a 1960s girls’ junior high, Cassia Caraway is new to class. She pairs up with Poppy Pepper to learn her way around, and they quickly fall foul of Saffron, the leader of the pack of Lady Rangers. Former friend Poppy just wants to stay under the radar, but Cassia won’t buckle under.

It’s time for the annual brownie sale, and Cassia — with help from her grandma, who owns the local bakery — and Poppy hatch a plan. They’re going to take Saffron down with baking.

Most of this issue is setup, but the characters are strongly established, and I love the distinctive art style. It’s well-suited for the retro setting, while still doing a great job establishing character and emotion. Here are the first six pages of the issue, for you to see for yourself. Find out more at the comic’s Tumblr.

Nutmeg #1 page 1Nutmeg #1 page 2Nutmeg #1 page 3Nutmeg #1 page 4Nutmeg #1 page 5Nutmeg #1 page 6

I hope this finds its audience. The variant cover shown below, a parody of X-Men: Days of Future Past by Josh Eckert limited to 2000 copies and costing an extra dollar, seems aimed directly at the old-school comic shop customer. That could mean more people pick it up, or it could indicate a mismatch between the target buyer and those who will love the content.

Nutmeg #1 variant cover by Josh Eckert

(The publisher provided a digital review copy.)



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