Comics Review: Adventure Time Comics #23

Some big adventures and some small moments.

First off is “Forever (Not) Alone” by Xiao Tong Kong. It focuses on Bubblegum and Marceline, and their conversations as Bubblegum goes off exploring. Marceline asks Bubblegum what she wants, and is disappointed by Bubblegum’s frank answer. When Bubblegum asks the question back, Marceline is a bit flustered by her answer. She admits that after living so long, things have changed, but she doesn’t want to see Bubblegum go. Bubblegum admits that she feels the same and that she could always use Marceline’s help. Serious for a moment, Bubblegum says that things won’t last forever, even if she wants them to, but she enjoys the adventures in-between.

In “Keys to the Breakfast Kingdom” by Jake Sjogren, Breakfast Princess rewards Finn and Jake with the key to the kingdom. They’re not entirely sure what it does but after playing around with it, they realize that it can open any door in the kingdom. After messing around for a bit, they break out in an argument over who should have the key. The fight sends the key flying over the wall, right in time for the Princess’ return. They confess what they’ve done, but Breakfast Princess isn’t worried, because she had a spare made, just in case.

“Pickling With Prismo” by Jean Wei is a cute adventure.  After finishing the last pickle, Finn and Jake are teleported to Prismo. Prismo called them over so they can all make pickles together, and they prepare a jar using Prismo’s special recipe. It takes a while until the brine sets in, so the duo offers to come back. Instead, Prismo fast forwards time until the pickles are ready, so they can eat them all together.

Last up is “The Arcade” by Mari Arakaki. Finn and Jake visit an abandoned arcade late at night, and Finn is astounded. Having never been inside an arcade before, Finn is excited at everything he sees. They play a round of DDR, but are interrupted by Ms. Partyfeet and her gang. She shows her style, but in return, Finn and Jake perform some moves of their own. Ms. Partyfeet is moved and concedes that they’re pretty cool, and they all play DDR together.

Honestly, this issue was a lot of fun. All the stories were cute and enjoyable in their own way, whether it’s through introspection or humor. The art styles were varied and had a lot of colors, to really make the stories pop. The highlight is likely the first story, which sheds some light on Marceline and Bubblegum’s relationship and the test of time. The rest of the stories were lovely too- plus, we got a new recipe on how to make some good pickles! I had a lot of fun with this issue, so if you want something quick and lighthearted to read, why not pick up a copy?