Suvudu Universe

Roger Langridge’s charming modern-day fable concludes here, and the ending is just what I expected. (I previously talked about issues #1-3.)

I don’t mean that I knew what was going to happen — Langridge is a better storyteller than to telegraph all his twists and turns too obviously. No, what I meant was that I got all the things I wanted from a kids’ adventure tale: excitement, suspense, silly fun, just rewards, a touch of sadness to give it all meaning, and a validation of the importance of doing the right thing, even at personal sacrifice.

The unrepentant bad guy is after the runaway Abigail and her Yeti friend Claude. The pair are on their way to send Claude home, but while they walk (adorably hand-in-hand), they talk about simple things… that to the experienced reader are immensely meaningful, summing up the theme of the story in a nicely subtle way. “Do you ever get lonely?” Abigail innocently asks her unique friend, saying more about her own feelings.

Since we surprisingly had a late snowfall here yesterday, the Yeti’s ode to the magic of the falling precipitation was comfortably timely. But that’s a prelude (and a foreshadowing) to the second half of the book, which ramps up the chase elements (as shown on the cover). The pacing is frantic, and the cartooning is excellent, so much so that I forgot I was reading. I was there, in the moment, with a speeding car and the need to escape.

Although the bad guy is really bad, Langridge has a deft light touch that makes this just scary enough (not too much). And I loved his different types of running-on-snow sound effects! My only regret is that Abigail’s dad didn’t have much to do in this issue. I liked seeing their relationship.

Overall, this was a wonderful take on the importance of friendship with a fantasy twist for the modern age.