Comics You're Not Reading - Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter

In this new, most likely irregular feature, I'll be looking at comics I suspect you (meaning anyone reading my blog) won't be reading, or perhaps even have heard of. Rather than delve into the tangled mess that is Marvel and DC, I'll be looking at creator-owned comics, or those from small presses.

After staying up an hour or so to read the whole collection, I decided that the first comic shall be Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter by Marc Ellerby, published by Great Beast Comics, a small UK press founded by himself and Adam Cadwell (who coloured at least one story in this collection). The digital omnibus, which I purchased, contains an introduction, some concept sketches and a few other goodies on top of the four currently available issues.

And, truth be told, I was going to write a long post about HOW AMAZING IT IS, but my brain is broken so words is hard. I'll try to explain why you should buy the digital omnibus, though, if not the print editions. Basically, Chloe Noonan is what would happen if Buffy was English, red-headed, more 'alternative' and, well, more human. She makes mistakes, she trips and falls, she gets angry over stupid little things - she's almost your typical teen. Her best friend, Zoe, is rather naive and a bit slow, yet has occasional moments of insight and intelligence. Together they're a pretty good team, and definitely one that is fun to read.

Marc Ellerby also fills the pages with jokes, British culture references, parodies of existing cult series and even real-world situations and places (such as a closing-down Woolworths store in the background of one issue). These may mean more to British readers than those abroad, but even those who aren't fully clued in with our whimsical ways should still find something to appreciate here. Despite all this, there are a few moments where the humour fades and we see glimpses of a darker, more serious story at times, and if the introduction is anything to go by, this will be expanded in future instalments of Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter.

And, to finish, here's the end of one issue, showing that Zoe hasn't grasped the fact she's sat on a monster.

 

The issues of Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter are available from a variety of UK comic shops, including Travelling Man, or they can be purchased from Great Beast Comics' online store.