I will pick up the actual trade this week, but how often do I read things in single issues?! SO. GOOD.

23rd January 2021:
I read the entirety of the first volume and it is as interesting as the teaser chapter alluded to, more interesting even.

What I thought would be a simple, steamy romance type of story is not at all what I got. Intrigue, remote cultures, murder, shamanism, secret organizations and a heavy-handed government are all packed in this volume.

Fast-paced with beautiful artwork, I enjoyed this comic.

4/5 - I definitely want to read the next volume.

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Just the first chapter:
- beautiful artwork
- intriguing story (Big Brother type of society)
- some steamy bits

4/5 - I definitely want to read the full works

I picked this up for the art, and got all of that and a story that would make JD Robb fans swoon. I am looking forward the next volume.

Originally an Italian comic, Unnatural is a dystopian fable that follows Leslie, an attractive pig woman, as she struggles with a government whose main goal is to control the reproductive lives and habits of its citizens, dreams about eatherial sex with a wolf that turn into creepy ritual nightmares, a slimy alligator boss at her job as a waitress, and some hooded figure that seems to be everywhere she is. She’s just trying to feed her dragon cat and live her life, but this is the year she’s turning 25, and that means she’s automatically enrolled in a dating (mating?) program..

Unnatural is sexy and calls out how sexualized people are when institutions (in Leslie’s case, there may also be a cult*) invade their autonomy. The process before the dating program is especially harsh, but society in general seems to be obsessed with the shape and size of her body.

*this thread seems to be the series-long arc, volume 2 will be out next year

For Fans of: Dystopia + animal characters = Animal Farm but there is a lot more lingerie stuff going on, and the figures are anthropomorphized.

Art: Andolfo’s pages all have a bustling feeling to them - even the bookstore Trish goes to in search of answers about her roommate’s strange dreams. There’s a mysterious bookseller panda, and I’m inclined to think that’s great.

Sell it: To manga readers. It’s a very different comic, but this work is in the same vein as Monstress as far as the East/West balance of layout and art style.

If you watch my YouTube videos then you know I have talked about this graphic novel quite a bit after as I received it. Thanks to Izzie from Izziesbusyreading, I was able to pick up this steamy mysterious graphic novel.

If you're unaware what Unnatural is about, keep reading! In this world, characters are all anthropomorphic animals (animals with human like traits: walking on two feet, talking, working a job ex: Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Zootopia).

We are following Leslie Blair, a female pig with blue hair, a love for sushi, and passionate hate for her job. They live with a government that gets involved in its' citizen's personal lives. They get so involved that they control who you are romantically involved with! If you're caught being with someone of a different species than you, you are considered unnatural and can be punished by being arrested, going through conversation therapy (?,) or death.

Leslie has always felt this control over who she is with is ridiculous. What if someone wanted to be with someone else? How do you just stop how you feel? Now that her birthday is coming up, she's dreading the government's annual celebration of putting her into the dating pool with other pigs. However, that is not the only thing happening. A reoccurring dream starts to occur more often and become more vivid. At first it seems like a coincidence but soon these things seem to be tied together...

I was not expecting the story to go the way it did and I'm glad it did because it only made it more exciting for me to read. I was intrigued by the government making such personal decisions for citizens and how people reacted, who this mystery man in her dreams was and how they would eventually meet. I was also anticipating some sexual tension to happen between the two when they met.. to maybe even grow as the characters started to learn more about each other. But I guess we will find out in the next few volumes.

Mirka Andolfo does some fast and strange world building in Volume 1 of Unnatural, mostly to good affect. The world she creates feels fully realized but she sometimes rushes plot details to the point where character development is lost in the name of exposition and I kept wondering if this would have been a six issue collection instead of four if the story would have been more fully realized. On the flip side her art is next level and strangely erotic.

LORDY!!!! This was awesome. Leslie is an amazing girl. The art is beautiful and striking. I can't wait to see where this is going.

This is such a unique series that echos a lot of modern day biases through animal form (similar to Maus or Zootopia), with a touch of mysterious fantasy. I’ve had a lot of outbursts/feelings reading this so far and can’t get enough of this story.
It’s a little out there, but that’s why it’s so charming. Love recommending this to anyone who is interested in a new comic!