Comic Review: Adventure Time Pride Special – PB and Marcy’s Infinite Mixtape
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)
Marceline and Princess Bubblegum get ready to sing at Ooo’s Pride Battle of the Bands, but can’t come up with any new songs, leading to them listening to an old mixtape that PB forgot to give Marcy and going down a mental rabbit hole to find inspiration!
OUR TAKE
Happy Pride! Well, two days after pride. And to celebrate, we’re here with more Adventure Time comics focusing on the franchise’s main power couple, Bubblegum and Marceline! While the two didn’t get confirmation they were a couple until minutes before the end of the original series, numerous installments and mediums have taken steps to rectify that, including their own episode of the spin-off miniseries Distant Lands, further exposure in Fionna and Cake, and an upcoming spin-off series of their own, titled “Bubblegum and Marceline”, coming…eventually to HBO Max. And of course there’s been plenty of comics, including the Bubbline College Special one shot comic that we covered last year. So it makes sense that they would decide to be even more on the nose with things and just make a full on Pride Special starring the two. And if you enjoy these characters, then you’re likely to enjoy this as well, as it dives into the shared memories the two have about key but previously unseen moments in their relationship, and how they can reignite their creative passions without snuffing out the passion they have for each other. Honestly, when I first heard this was coming, I expected something like an anthology that would definitely have these two at the forefront, but also give some time to other queer characters in Ooo.
It’s of course perfectly fine that they just focused on the two that most fans would recognize and like, though maybe a second issue next June will do more with that. The art is pretty neat, though it’s a bit odd to see the two of them with such full eyes and detailed hands when I’m so used to their usually simple art style. Again, not a bad thing by any means, just odd to me. But what’s not odd, and in fact a great illustration of why these two work so well as a couple, is how it covers how their electric dynamic does bite back at them sometimes. Bubblegum is smart and plans things out thoroughly but sometimes keeps people she cares about distant when she is so engrossed in her work. Likewise, Marceline is the free spirit who abhors authority (which makes sense considering her relationship with her dad), but her reckless nature and, ironically, pride gets her into fights often, especially with PB. And most importantly, when they come together, they can overcome everything, which is a great Pride centric message, especially now. I’m sure the queer audience this was made for will enjoy this much more than me, but I’d say this is a pretty good way to celebrate the Pride season. And I hope you all have a great Pride season as well.
