Hooky: The Misadventures of Two Witches

 

By Ceyda Urcan

    (This review contains slight spoilers)

        In this review, I will be talking about Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur. Hooky follows the adventures of twins Dorian and Dani, who just happen to be witches. When Dorian and Dani miss the bus to magic school they decide to find a mentor to study with and eventually find a soothsayer named Pendragon. They are now flung into an adventure with new friends, new spells, and giant squid? Hooky was a magical book and an absolute joy to read. The book has everything you could possibly want, charming characters, an adorable art style, and a genuinely interesting story to go along with it. 

        

    Hooky had good writing, but what I found more interesting was the unique paneling. The drawings seemed dynamic and alive. Many of the drawings stick out of the panels but it's not overdone to the point where it's distracting. The paneling provides a fun and fluid experience. 

Above is an example of the panel structure at work. The books seem as if they're falling out of the picture which makes looking at the art more engaging. Paneling seems minor but it plays a big part in the enjoyment of a graphic novel. 

    I think the overall concept of Hooky was a very good one but I think the story could have been better paced at times. The original story is an online comic that spans over two hundred episodes. The Hooky graphic novel covers up to seventy-one. I feel like the process of converting the original into a book led to character development being a bit choppy and confusing. One example of this is on pages 99-100 where Dani’s life is at risk and Master Pendragon says, “Maybe this is for the best” insulating to the other characters that he doesn’t feel compelled to save Dani’s life. This seemed like a major plot jump because the last time Pendragon was in the story, he seemed like a decent guardian albeit a little distant and strict. The character didn’t do a full 180 but it still seemed a bit sudden. I feel like the few character development jumps in this story break the immersion and instead leave the reader confused. 

   Overall, Hooky is a good graphic novel. The art is amazing and the characters are very lovable. There were, however, a few plot jumps that honestly let the book down. I did not expect the conversion from online comic to printed book to be perfect but I was left slightly disappointed. I read part of the original and I knew the characters were well thought out, so seeing parts of their story being left out was discouraging at times. However, don’t let these criticisms keep you from reading the book. It is still a very fun and unique experience. Despite its flaws, I still had a good time, and in the end, that’s all that really matters.