Romeo X Julien

by Mary Dumas (Author), Bettina Kurkoski (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 

Synopsis 

Romeo Montague has always been a little awkward. His cousin, Benny, doesn’t help, often tossing him into situations unprepared; like dragging him to a Renaissance Faire in the middle of Wine Country. Julien Capulet, a respected festival promoter, has his own quirks. While dealing with his crazy parents and goofy gay uncles, he holds out hope of meeting the one who’ll see past all the frills. Romeo X Julien is a sexy homage to Will Shakespeare, with more comedy than tragedy. Entertaining and tender, it shows how the course of true love may never be smooth, and that the LGBTQ community has come a long way in a short time. 

Review 

When Romeo meets Julien, sparks will fly.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the comic book story following Julien Capulet, a young man whose parents run a successful Renaissance Fair. Every year they have a big party, where Julien is the belle of the ball.

Romeo is dragged to the party by his cousin, and falls hard for Julien. He's never been with a guy before, but it doesn't matter.

Now they only have to overcome the enmity between their parents...

I thought the artwork was great, I liked the little cartoonish inserts that were dotted throughout.

This story follows our central couple - but also Romeo's cousin Benny; Julien's uncles; both their parents. All of their relationships are given screen time, and it is VERY explicit.

That being said, as well as the hot sex, it managed to be really sweet. Not just the connection between Romeo and Julien, but the relationship they had with their families.

Plotwise... I think there was a lot of missed opportunity.

The source of the 'enmity' between the Montagues and Capulets was quite silly, and was easily cleared up. Not that I ever felt there was a grudge. It just seemed wedged in because it's expected in a Romeo & Juliet retelling.

There were some parts of Romeo and Julien, which hinted at not being perfect, and having some issues. I know the writers don't want this to be a tragedy, but I think it was a shame they weren't explored.

Other than that, there wasn't much plot. There was nothing keeping our lovers apart, and everything went smoothly. This made the story very sweet, but not very exciting.

I enjoyed this comic book, and look forward to more work by this team.

Amazon