Nothing Special Vol 2: Concerning Wings by Katie Cook

I love so much how this book features a cute guy named Declan, giving me further excuse to think of my kids’ future stepdad Declan Rice (not that I really need any excuses, lol.)

Anyway, Declan Hickey is the focal point of the second volume of the long-running web comic Nothing Special. He and our heroine Callie Benson have graduated high school and have started working at her father’s magical antique store with Lasser, the friend they picked up on their last big adventure through the magical world. Working with her dad is Callie’s dream come true, and having her half-human, half-fairy boyfriend Declan work with her is icing on the cake. Dad still does most of the sourcing of goods for the shop — and Lasser most of the actual shopkeeping when he isn’t busy immersing himself in romance novels — but Callie and Declan play important roles in growing both the business and each other’s recently discovered magical abilities.

Dad is actually away on a work trip when Declan’s injured fairy wing starts shooting off sparks, causing him to collapse with pain. Callie, Lasser and Radish (the vegetable spirit who is Callie’s constant companion) shut down the store and take Declan into the magical world in an attempt to find a fairy healer. What should be a simple enough four-day journey to a fairy enclave soon turns into a deeper exploration of who both Callie and Declan really are.

Idk why I’m not a big fan of Callie. She has her moments, but there are also bits where I could cheerfully strangle her for being self-absorbed and annoying. I imagine that, as with many web comics, this is indicative of the main character’s personal growth arc. I’m just hoping she does a lot more growing sooner than later!

I’m quite a fan of her supporting cast tho, and only wish there were more women in it. Oh, hunh, maybe that’s why I mislike her: Callie gives off big “other girls don’t like me” energy. I don’t think that’s done on purpose but it still weirds me out, and is hopefully addressed in future books. Lol, I just looked up my review of Vol 1, and see that I complained about this there, too.

The art is gorgeous, as usual, tho I feel that the layouts get messier as the book goes on, especially with the dialog bubbles not necessarily falling in a natural progression. I did very much love the little bits of humor sprinkled throughout the backgrounds, even if some of the smaller scribbled jokes were a challenge for me to read: one advantage reading on the web has over a physical book! The extra material in the back was also a nice touch, even if I disagree that the reworked stuff was necessarily better than the original art as it appeared on Webtoons.

This is a solid second installment of the series that furthers the overall plot with several interesting digressions. It definitely shouldn’t be read on its own, but is a mostly charming volume that series fans will adore.

Nothing Special Vol 2: Concerning Wings by Katie Cook was published October 22 2024 by Ten Speed Graphic and is available from all good booksellers, including