The City on the Other Side

The City on the Other Side

By Mairghead Scott and Robin Robinson

Published by First Second

Summary:
There is a war in the fairy world between the Seelie and Unseelie involving this week's macguffin, a powerful amulet, created as a weapon by the Unseelie. Due to a lot of things, it falls into the the hands of our main character Isabel, a quiet girl from San Francisco who lived through the great earthquake. With the help of a Mushroom named Button and another human named Benjie, they must work to establish balance in the fae world, and depose the evil king of the Unseelie.

Art:
The art is playful and imaginative, with very nice colors and design work. It is pretty simplistic at times, often with inconsistent levels of detail. It can look jumbled at times. Character work is great. All of the fairies are unique and very well designed. The human characters are expressive and work well enough.

Characters:
The characters are okay. The main character is thrust into the story, merely following along with what the other characters tell her to do. The antagonist's motivation seems unclear at first, though it does make sense at the end. I liked the supporting cast. They could be funny and interesting, if one note.

Setting:
The setting is wonderful. It isn't just generic fairy forests, it has whole modern cities of fairies, and takes designs and ideas from cultures all around the world. It is hugely varied and interesting. The central tension of the world is pretty generic (light vs dark) but it has an interesting spin put on it. Over all, the setting is one of the better parts of the story.

Plot:
The plot's okay. It meanders a bit, characters often reacting instead of acting. It does what it set out to do, hitting all the necessary beats. It does get a bit muddled at times, but over all it's okay.

TL;DR:
The City on the Other side is a pleasant story with a great setting and art. It's plot is lacking, but it's still a pleasant read.
7/10