”Cassie #1” Review – Bases Loaded

The Run Down

If you missed the story by writer Sam Humphries in the pages of “Hello Darkness”, now’s as good a chance as any to read “Cassie”! The story follows the titular protagonist as she and her baseball team work to win the tournament, even if that involves summoning a demon. If you love sapphic slashers with dark comedy, this is the story for you!

Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Eleonora Carlini
Letterer: Jodie Troutman

The Writing

Man, I’m truthfully not entirely sure where to go on this. As a sapphic who loves chaos, comedy, and horror, and grew up playing Little League, this book was right up my alley. However, I do have a bit of a drawback. Not a massive one, but a drawback nonetheless.

First things first, reading this book was so much fun! The dark humor kept me laughing the whole time. Between that and the buildup to the twist, Humphries managed to keep things both fun and interesting. However, that’s also what leads me to my one drawback, and that’s that I wish there was a bit more. When I say that, I mean I wish this were a regular, ongoing series so that we could get more about these characters. The story itself is really good, but I feel if given more time, these characters could have more depth. With more depth, the story beats would hit even harder.

Second, I genuinely loved the representation that was on display and how in-your-face it is. While I was reading, it took me by complete surprise! The queerness absolutely felt right at home and not at all out of place. Overall, I left this book mostly pleased.

The Art

Here, all of the amazing art and coloring is done by one person: Eleonora Carlini. I absolutely love her style, as it’s super unique from most anything else out. Here, she managed to make things both exaggerated and lived-in. This gives the book an enormous amount of character outside of Humphries’ dark humor and sapphic themes. To top it off, everything from the penciling to the colors feels very anime/manga inspired, being loud and bombastic in the best way!

As for the lettering, Troutman did an insanely beautiful job throughout. The boxes and bubbles vary in design and color, making them stand out on each page. As for the onomatopoeia, it keeps each scene lively and kinetic, enveloping the reader in what’s going on.

Final Thoughts

While not perfect, Sam Humphries’ “Cassie” is a funny and horrifying ride from start to finish. From the fantastic artwork and lettering to the dark humor and queerness, this book will be loved by anyone just wanting a fun read. Perhaps not a classic, but definitely worth more than a single read.

Overall Grade: 8/10

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Comments

Were you able to check out “Cassie”? If so, what’d you think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!