The charming adventures of our heroine Oddly Normal continue in this second volume of Otis Framptons' "Oddly Normal" comic series.
The perils and pitfalls of middle-school are on full display here, as Oddly begins to acclimate ot her new home and school, and makes both new friends and new enemies.
And, of course, Oddly's inability to catch a break continues, and yet she stil manages to (mostly) rise above, which in turn both endears her to the reader and sets her in good stead for furhter adventures.
I NEED MORE!!! Thank God, the 3rd volume was published last week and I won't have to wait!
I can go on and on about how great and fantastic this comic series is and take a lot of your time so I'll just advise you - GO AND READ IT! You will not regret it for a second. :)
Oddly Normal’s life in Fignation continues in Book 2 of Otis Framption’s young adult series, as the half-witch learns about her parent’s past while beginning friendships with some of her new classmates. With nice character development and wonderful artwork, this second installment is a wonderful continuation of the “Oddly Normal” series.
After surviving an attack by some of her more nefarious new classmates, Oddly wakes up and talks with her Great Aunt about her parents including looking through some of her mother’s possessions that she kept stored in Fignation and going through one of her mother’s memories. Then Oddly gets an invitation from Ragnar (along with his brother Reggie and friend Misty) to join them at his family “secret” lab, which she does only to return Ragnar’s delivery robot that lost its rockets. Soon Oddly not only finds herself friends but also a pet. But once the weekend is over, the school day seems to go just like her first though a little better with friends.
After establishing his title character in the first book, Frampton expanded Oddly personal history and gave the story some important secondary characters that young adult readers would find engaging that will no doubt help Oddly fit in better in Fignation while her Great Aunt searches for her parents. The wonderful artwork by Frampton is perfect for the age range of the intended audience, though pleasing to those older like myself, and adds to the story being told from panel to panel.
“Oddly Normal Book 2” is a fantastic continuation of Otis Frampton’s young adult series, not only through dialogue and story but most importantly with artwork. Even if you aren’t in the book’s target audience, take a look at Oddly Normal if only to see if your own children or niece/nephew might be interested in following the adventures of this half-witch in an imaginary world.
Oddly starts to get used to life in the fantastic world and even makes a few friends. Sinister threats huddle in the background, however, and there's still no trace of her parents.
I liked this volume. It didn't get us anywhere, but it was fun to read.
I think I could be good friends with Oddly Normal and her friends. Nicely written story about the trials and tribulations of growing up in several worlds!
Η συνέχεια του πρώτου βιβλίου είναι εξίσου συμπαθητική ! Η Oddly, όσο η γιαγιά της προσπαθεί να διορθώσει το ατύχημα απ' το πρώτο βιβλίο, εξοικειώνεται στα νέα δεδομένα, κάνει νέες φιλίες (και έχθρες ) και μέσα από αυτό γνωρίζουμε καλύτερα και τους υποστηρικτικούς χαρακτήρες της ιστορίας. Και όλα αυτά στο ίδιο, όμορφα σχεδιασμένο και χρωματισμένο, πακέτο !
(I received a copy of this comic/graphic novel from Netgalley, in exchange of an honest review.)
I'm really sad I didn't got to read the first issues of Oddly Normal, so I was almost caught up in the middle of a story I don't really know, but it was not hard to catch up. Still, I lacked some information about the story itself. What I could understand for this volume, it was more about the characters and their past, and meeting Oddly's friends, and mainly, about Oddly's family and her past. Sometimes the story felt like it dragged a bit too much, and it became a tiny bit boring to follow. Thankfully, the other aspects of the comic helped a lot in me being able to appreciate and read it.
It's a really funny, easy to read graphic novel. It has a cute, clean art to it, and the characters are easily likable. as I can see this comic being more young teens/kids directioned. I will probably read the next volume of this comic, I'm intrigued to see where this story is heading .
This was a bit surreal reading it. I really enjoy the more recent editions and can see why and how it was developed. This version has potential, but nowhere near the spark and joy that the new one does. Also, I appreciate the development in art style for the updated books.
The first Book of this series set up the premise - young Oddly Normal is the daughter of a human Dad and a Mom from the alternate world of Fignation. On her tenth birthday Oddly accidentally wishes her parents away, and her whacked out Aunt shows up to take Oddly back to Fignation for safekeeping while the mysterious parental disappearance is solved. So, while Oddly felt like an outsider on Earth she is a super-duper outsider in Fignation, where everyone is fantastical, monsterish, and, well, odd. The upshot is that when Oddly Normal is transported from Earth to Fignation this series morphs from a good-natured predictable mild middle school drama into a rollicking head trip.
As I say, the first Book sets everything up and we leave it with Oddly settling in to Fignation, and her new middle school, and trying to learn more about her parents. Book 2 starts right where we left off, but since the setup is all in place we can move right on to interesting new developments. And this Book 2 delivers on a number of fronts. Auntie answers some questions about Oddly's Mom, but the mystery actually deepens. Most importantly, Oddly makes some friends. And this is where the book shines, because the friends aren't just fill; they have a lot of appeal and very different and engaging personalities. If the first Book had a fault it was that it was all Oddly, all the time. Oddly is still the center of the action in Book 2, but her new posse adds a lot of variety. This gives the story more depth, a number of sub-plots, and some fresh new voices. The new friends also add some deadpan humor and give Oddly and us a chance to interact more directly with the larky nuttiness that is Fignation.
As always, the artwork is top drawer and remarkably well-suited to the narrative. It's detailed enough, but not finicky. Greatest care is devoted to the characters rather than busy, busy backgrounds, and I suspect that helps keep a younger reader focused. Perhaps more important, it's always clear what's going on and the panels just burst with energy.
So, no sophomore slump here. This is a fine early reader graphic novel series.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Oddly Normals life if Fignation has started . She has made some friends in her school . The little half witch starts to find out more about her parents past. After surviving an attack from some of the not so nice kids . She wakes up to talk to her grand mother about her parents . Which prompts her to go through her parents possessions . Will she find out where her parents are and will she be able to get them back .
The characters are very well written and you will love them . Oddly is a sweet girl who is trying to figure out what happened to her parents . She is feisty and you will love her. Her strange aunt is hilarious . She tries so hard but alas she isn't the best to kee an eye on the girl . You will love them as you read
I truly liked this comic . The artwork is amazing and the author has built a great base in the first book. He set up a great premise in the first book and carried it on in the second . Your kids will love this series both and girls will get a kick out of reading . So if you want a fun read for your kids this weekend this is the book for you .
In the second book of the Oddly Normal series, Oddly is settling in to life in Fignation after she accidentally wished her parents would disappear. She has a new group of friends and is starting to learn more about her mother. However, just like life in the real world, Oddly still has to deal with a group of bullies and things aren't quite as normal as they seem with Oddly. I really enjoyed this book, even though I was a bit late getting around to reviewing it. Fignation reminded me a little bit of Halloweentown. I just looked it up and the 4th book is finally supposed to be released this year after a long hiatus, so that's good news.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.Note: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
This volume picks up where the last volume left off... in the woods. Reggie comes to save the day and helps Oddly out of being almost eaten/killed by the half boys/half wolves. Also in this volume, while her auntie is still nowhere close to finding her parents, her auntie at least shared some background information with her about her mom, and even shared a memory with her.
Of course, school still sucks for Oddly... but at least she's making friends with Reggi, Ragnar and Misty. She also ends up getting a really cute animal thing? It's nice to see that she's at least getting some friends.
The big mystery (other than about her parents) is what's up with her English/Literature teacher? And why is there a picture of her mom with him and some other students? I hope in the next volume there will be some answers.
Oddly Normal is a perfectly adequate book. I quite like Frampton's art style, and Oddly herself is a fine protagonist who neatly inverts the "magical girl" trope by being the only nonmagical girl in a school full of supernaturals (I mean, she's half witch, but so far, that only means that she's a pariah in both Earth [I refuse to call it "The Real World," because I think it's utterly ridiculous to imagine that the residents of Fignation would call it that] and Fignation).
It's just that I'm now 2/3 of the way through the story, and nothing in it has grabbed me yet. It's fine, with little I can point at as objectionable, but nothing stands out as memorable, either.
This really delves into the history of Oddly’s parents and the craziness of her family. Yet at the same time sees her starting to come out of her shell in a way that shows you just need to find the right group for you. I can see the start of repeated history yet at the same time seeing her different view on this new world fascinating as well as refreshing!
I’ll try another volume from my library soon but so far my main complaint is that no one is doing very much here. Auntie says she’s looking for the mc’s parents, but I have my doubts. Certainly Oddly isn’t doing anything besides school and making friends. 🤷♀️
Oddly is beginning to find her way in her new world and with new friends and star mother Auntie Oddly. Memories of Mom and Dad are found and explored and a new pet is added to the friend mix.
As a stand alone book not much happens, but as the story in its entirety it is very good. I really like the illustrations and the friendship she has developed.