California Dreams (comic) by Jennie Lee Schade: A review

Writer: Jennie Lee Schade
Artist: SednaStudio-LWJ

Reviewed by: Troy

Categories
F/m, female domination, kink, bondage, cunnilingus, sensual, oral sex, vaginal sex, kidnapping, gagging, D/s, gentle femdom

 Summary

Shane, a California surfer-boy, indulges in a fantasy kidnapping at the hands of Ava, an exotic young woman he’s been dating, in the waning days of summer. A deserted private beach is the perfect place…and Ava wants to play. In fact, she seems to know exactly what to do. Caught up in the game, Shane is able to suspend his disbelief and fall into a state of feeling as if he’d truly been abducted. The expected results of their stirring game and the actual outcome, however, may be two different things.

This sensuous, dreamlike tale has recently been adapted into comic form by Interweb Comics.




Length of comic
15 pages+cover

Review
California Dreams is a beautiful comic adapted from Jennie Lee Schade's short story. There have been a few changes from the original story (such as it being full on consensual), but the core storyline is still the same. Shane meets Ava, a dominant woman who unlocks his secret desire to be kidnapped and bound, and to be free through bondage.

Having already read the original, which I was floored by the intimacy and sensuality of the story and depiction of the kink, I had high expectations for the comic, and it really delivers.

Story
California Dreams is much more than just an erotica. Writing from Shane, a blond American's perspective, Schade successfully explores the mindset of a submissive male who has been beaten down with conventional expectations of being a man, figuring out his own sexual identity and his desire to sexually surrender control.
Shane finds Ava, dubbed "half Indonesian, half American, full goddess" who helps him explore and enjoy the beauty of bondage and male submission. The story is mainly set on the beach itself, though there are other various places such as the cabin.

The language leaves much for the imagination, as Schade invokes a lot of imagery that ties into the theme and setting of the story (in this case, being kidnapped on the beach).
It's easy to tell that Ava cares very much for Shane, and is supportive and patient with his kinks and fantasies. It's not a surprise when I found myself yearning for a Domme myself and fantasising about similar scenarios.

Schade has great descriptions of sensation and sex, which makes it easy for readers to project themselves onto the characters as well as appreciate the writing.

On top of that, the story itself also depicts more than just a kink; it also depicts a healthy relationship and emphasises on consent, which is a rarity amongst erotica. It helps young kinksters explore themselves and set boundaries at the same time despite the 'kidnapping', while managing to make everything look sexy at the same time.


Art
The comic was extremely well drawn and colored.
The art style fits the story well, and the rendering was lovely, with great backgrounds that sets in with the characters and fit like set pieces in the story. Both Shane and Ava are beautiful, the perspectives and their poses are well drawn, and their realistic anatomy and poses invoke erotic desire.

The colors used are soft and warm, bringing in a a comforting, relaxed and personal ambience, fitting the mood of the sensual, deeply intimate story.

The placement of the panels also flow well with the art and story, and the art shows the imagery that Schade has described vividly.

There are a few instances, however, where the faces of the characters are on the uncanny valley side, where it can't decide on whether it wants to be hyper realistic or cartoon realistic; but those instances are few and far between and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the comic at all.

All in all, the art is beautiful, sexy and does the story a lot of justice.


Erotic content

The comic is incredibly sensual and hot. Thanks to the stunning character design and artwork, both Shane and Ava are eye candy, inclusive to many readers who enjoy this genre.
The comic balances out both sensual and sexual elements, sensual being the descriptive writing and sexual being the enticing art and poses.

All in all, the comic and story is definitely a wonderful addition to the F/m bondage/kink community.

Rating
Kink Level: 4 stars
Art: 4.5 stars
Story: 5 stars
Language: 5 stars
Quality: 5 stars

You can get California Dreams (comic) on:
Bondage Fan Comics

You can also get the original California Dreams on:
Amazon | Excessica