Lucy Knisley is one of my favorite artists and this latest work from her does not disappoint. In this short comic Lucy and her roommate Nora take a trip to the Hogwarts Theme Park in Florida, in part because they both love the Harry Potter books and in part to help them get over recent breakups. The comic covers their seven day adventure including meeting and talking with people that work at the park to find out about the Disney “magic” and the experience they create for those that visit the park. They also take a side trip to visit and swim with the manatee’s at a local manatee refuge. Throughout the issue Lucy explores not only her feelings for the Harry Potter books and movies, but also takes an unflinching look at herself and recent experiences in her life. It’s a fast read, but fun and insightful.

What I love best about Lucy’s works is that she includes the good and the bad when she writes. She takes an unflinching look at herself and puts it on paper in a way that we can all relate to. And I stress that point because some authors seemingly want nothing more than pity or take such a hard look at themselves they no longer seem human. Lucy’s writing and art style puts us on her level and makes it easy to relate to her. When reading this work we can imagine ourselves being in the same spot, maybe even having some of the same conversations and making some of the same decisions that she does, which to me is the sign of a great writer. It’s an easy story line to follow, and while there are some background details not mentioned—such as the breakups, it isn’t important to the story.

And while the artwork may appear to be simple lines, they have a power and grace to them that easily captures the human form and instantly lets us get a sense of the person and how they’re feeling that day. We can tell instantly if they’re stressed, happy, sad, or just feeling bored. The human form is one of the most difficult things to draw, especially amongst scenery without one or both getting lost. But Lucy’s drawings don’t have this problem. She quickly captures people and the background without the image being overwhelming.

Although this comic follows Lucy’s normal works, being a slice of life style comic, it has a slightly different twist to it. This comic was a chance for Lucy and Nora to escape recent breakups and in order to fund the adventure they used Kickstarter.com. This comic was one of the thank yous for donating money helping them fund this trip. I point this out because this is a relatively new way for the creation of art and comics and I hope is continued, not only by Lucy but other artists as well.

I highly recommend all of Lucy’s works and this latest one is no exception. The story is simple, easy to follow, and flows naturally and the artwork is beautiful. And I can’t give it any higher praise than that. ( )