UNICO

The little time- and space-leaping blue-eyed unicorn befriends the daughter of the Sphinx in this third series entry.

Marusu, Bamoria’s daughter, has been held captive by Venus, but she’s rescued and returned just as Unico arrives in the hall of the Sphinx’s desert palace. When the bounty hunter General Selak attacks Bamoria, Unico, who has befriended the small sphinx child, escapes with her. The large cast of characters, most introduced in a gallery in the opening pages, appear in three intertwined storylines; the stories center on Unico and expand the universe of the ongoing adventure. In the first one, the evil goddess Venus continues to threaten the hunter Iver with destruction unless he can bring Unico to her. Next, the little cats Toast and Chloe from Unico’s first outing meet a celestial scientist who works with them to refine their temporal shifting abilities so they can find Unico. In the third section, Unico and Marusu go in search of Queen Titania, the fey cousin of Unico’s benefactor, Prince Halian. The pacing is swift, with rapid shifts among storylines, and lively, kinetic framing on every page. Onomatopoeia (“BAFOOM,” “VHRROOM”) creates a visual soundtrack for swift escapes, close-fought battles, and the deployment of magical tools. The combination of intriguing worldbuilding and the suggestion of old, celestial magic and myth is highly entertaining. Fans will be begging to know when the next volume will arrive.

Page-turning and, as always, cliff-hanging adventure.