Miraculous: Origins by Cheryl Black and Nicole D'Andria

Tales of Lady Bug and Cat Noir #0. Action Lab Entertainment (Nov. 2016) NetGalley

Every story has a beginning. Discover how Marinette and Adrien, two high school students practically like everyone else, became Ladybug and Cat Noir, and why Hawk Moth is their sworn enemy. This is the PERFECT jumping on point for new readers! 

Based on the Animated Series by Zag Entertainment

       

Ladybug and Cat Noir have for some reason been on my tumblr feed from time to time with moments mostly of the budding romance between the two characters. I have no idea where or how to watch this tv series so it's been bugging me that I can't enjoy what everyone else is loving about our two heroes. I was lucky enough to find this comic book and I smiled with triumph.

My first impressions with this story have to do with how the art looks. I'm assuming there wasn't much done with it. The artwork are snaps from the actual show which you can either take or leave depending on your preference. I eventually got used to it but I don't usually like comics from media tie-ins doing that. It feels lazy. It would have been great to get a better flow of the art and story with hand drawn and colored strips. I'm sure more avid fans though might appreciate seeing the characters how they are in the show.

After I got over the artwork I got into the plot where there are these Miraculous little creatures that give their owners powers. Ladybug has the power of creation while Cat Noir has the power of destruction. Clearly, there is a balance between the two. One can't work well without the other. I thought the powers were pretty cool especially since Ladybug could create anything useful she needed like a parachute for example. I would have liked a little more origin in how the Miraculous came to be and more emphasis on what each power can do.

Ladybug is really Marinette who lives in Paris with her mom and dad (baker). She gets bullied by this blond mean girl who wants the seat Marinette is sitting in for Adrien, or Cat Noir, in the classroom. Adrien is a model whose dad does not want him to go to school. He has no friends and is hoping to make new ones at school. The repetition of conversation of him going back and forth about wanting to go to school was a bit much. They get off to a rough start as their normal selves but Cat Noir is in love with Ladybug like the very first minute which I love. It is the reason why I wanted to read this comic after all.

I know it seems like there are a lot of little things I didn't like about this comic but they are just that little things. I was invested in the story before I even read it plus the characters and plot remind me of shows I would watch as a kid (let's be honest I'd watch it in a heartbeat now). If I haven't even watched the show and I like it I'm sure fans will love it. I can also see kids loving this series as a show and a comic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Action Lab Entertainment for providing me with Miraculous: Origins in exchange for an honest review!