I Hate Fairyland - Volume 1: Madly Ever After

Hugger Fluffer are the best two words I can use to describe I Hate Fairyland. It’s the story of Gertrude, who is transported into Fairyland as a child and in order to leave must go on a quest. She’s sent by Queen Cloudia, ruler of Fairyland, to retrieve “the key” that will take her back to her world. Except twenty-seven years later she hasn’t found it, and has become a foul-mouth, hard-drinking, mushroom-using murderer of anyone who stands in her way. Accompanying her is Larrigon Wentsworth III a.k.a. Larry. He’s assigned as her traveling companion and is just as out of fucks to give as she is by the time the story begins.

Due to an unstoppable amount of carnage throughout Fairyland thanks to Gertrude, the Queen is forced to act by sending assassins after her. Each issue of IHF takes the reader on a visual roller coaster ride - imagine Candyland with the Joker in the body of a little girl. Skottie Young does a great job writing a story that draws the reader in and makes them not want to leave as we follow Gertrude doing everything possible to leave.

As we travel through the numerous worlds from Ice Cream Land to Faun Valley, we meet memorable characters like the slug lord, the giants, the moon, and even the stars. They all underestimate Gertrude’s skills with an axe  - and if needed - her bare hands. I Hate Fairyland exists in a world of excess, from the characters, the plot, the artistry, and the colors, it all intertwines to over stimulate the senses - yet it works.

By the end of this volume, even as I sighed in disappointment at being finished, I was brought back to the opening quote:

“It was a nightmare. Nothing but the green of her hair… and the blood of my people.”

I highly recommend I Hate Fairyland. You’ll have a lot of laughs and surprises as you read through and come away with a satisfied smile.