DOUGHNUTS AND DOOM TP/ Story and Art by BALAZS LORINCZI/ Published by TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS

Margot Grapes is a stressed-out witch trying to pass her exams and get her potion-brewing business off the ground. Elena Rogers is an struggling rock star, waiting for a big break while working in a doughnut shop. A chance encounter on a bad day leads to an accidental curse that draws the two young women together. Could this be the start of more bad luck for them both? Or the beginning of something magical?

Doughnuts and Doom is a startling premiere work. Creator Balazs Lorinczi has been working in animation and cartooning for years, but Doughnuts and Doom is his first full-length graphic novel. You would never know it, however, as the quality is fantastic and rivals that of more experienced mangaka.

The story is a typical meet-cute romance, but Lorinczi’s setting and the complications caused by magic make Doughnuts and Doom stand out. The characters are immediately sympathetic and the reader will find themselves rooting for Elena and Margot in their respective challenges. While there’s little doubt the awkward friendship between the two women will grow into something more, the journey to the finale is anything but predictable!

The artwork is equally impressive. Lorinczi has an animated style and a true gift for rendering memorable expressions. Every panel of this book has a dynamic quality to it, with a constant sense of motion even in the static scenes of the characters just talking.

Fans of queer romance and young adult drama will enjoy Doughnuts and Doom the most. However, the characters and story are universally relatable and the artwork is simply amazing. I’d recommend this book to any comic reader seeking to expand their horizons.

Doughnuts and Doom releases on September 6, 2022.