Comics Features

REVIEW: Cafe Suada

Welcome to the intoxicating aroma of Cafe Suada. Join us as we indulge in the sights and sounds of the love life of Geraldine Grey, a quirky tea house owner who simply loves tea. So sit down and if you wish even pour yourself a cup of tea as we see our heroine Miss Grey try to save not only her quite little shop but her heart from the clutches of the Dark Moon coffee house and its charming new owner.

Geraldine Grey lives such a simple life her love for tea may touch on the borderline of obsession but who could ever hate someone who is this passionate about tea? I certainly cannot. So who would ever want to disconnect this simple love affair between women and tea? I present to you Dark Moon Coffee House. On the grand opening of this “filthy tastless mud” serving establishment, Geraldine’s rage and hatred turns into lust and love as the battle of the beverages has truly begun.  As the competition between the two business owners begins to pick up pace we find ourselves becoming either team Geraldine or team Ewan and Dark Moon! Which side will your loyalties lie? The quirky small Piyo Piyo tea house or the smooth sleek Dark Moon? Personally I love the little guy and those cakes in Cafe Suada look too good to be put out of business so I’m backing Geraldine to kick some butt. Besides the women even has a sidekick! A Kola Bear, how can you not love that and if Miss Grey’s favourite tea isn’t Earl Grey I am going to be disappointed. (Sorry for the bad pun!)

Suada

So as things hit boiling point we see both our buzzing entrepreneurs pull out their secret weapons and with the introduction of Aunt Pam it starts to get interesting. Throughout the plot you get the sense there is something brewing in the background and we finally find out that the not-so-lovely ‘Cream’ aka Aunt Pam is actually the owner of both Piyo Piyo and Dark Moon. Is there any other meaning to this or is it all just fun and games for the super rich and super bonkers owner? Watching two desperate and passionate people be pitted off against each other? Will Geraldine and Ewan’s love and business ambitions be to much for either one to handle? As the power mad Cream continues to rampage we are introduced to a couple of new characters including Rosie, the owner of the local bookshop who has just kindly been donated the services of both Piyo and Dark Moon.

Jade Sarson does an amazing job capturing Geraldine’s kooky world with some vibrant strokes and colours. Everything falls perfectly into place with not one page overcrowded, and some smart lettering formatted in some pretty cool pop-art style. This just heightens the frustration, jubilation and overall fruity universe of Cafe Suada, although this style may not suit everyone’s taste. The overall feel to the comic, although a web-based issue, is that it was created using a old technique like old tea bags to add colouring and smell to the blank pages. Always with a trick or two up her sleeve, Jade keeps the storyline fresh, gives you a bad guy to hate, goofballs to love and a romantic spark you want to see come together. With just that little something extra that makes this not just your standard comic, Jade really is an up-and-coming talent, and it’s no surprise she was a nominee for the British Comic Awards.

So that’s it, four cups of Cafe Suada gulped down, hope you had time to finish your tea! A seemingly charming storyline that suits any fan of rom-coms, but for the modest neutral still a pleasant enough plot and aesthetically eye catching artwork. Cup 5 is coming soon, and we’re all eagerly anticipating it! As always let us know what your views are in the comments section or send us your thoughts on Twitter!

About the author

James Ugalde