Having been pleasantly surprised by last year’s ShortBox Comics Fair, I returned and purchased 10 more new comics from some of the industry’s rising stars. Hence, ten new, short reviews!
SINKHOLE – Manda Conti
Akin to her comic from last year, Conti’s work here is less of a tried-and-true roundabout narrative but rather a collection of four experimental, smaller narratives: all with unique format and presentations but all revolving around the topics of shape, loneliness, detachment.
Although I’d be lying if I said I necessarily “understood” it all from the first read-through, this one is definitely more about feeling than thinking anyhow. Conti’s willingness to explore different styles, rendering, and presentation make her work here one of the more interesting of the fair as a whole.
Pearl Hunting – Hana Chatani
A returnee, Chatani makes a comeback with another horror-infused tale: as two women harvest oysters by the riverbank, one offers to tell the other a mermaid story. But it’s not the story one quite expects.
As a fan of the relatively niche folk horror genre, I’m glad to see it gaining traction the past couple of years. Chatani is clearly a master of combining horror with themes pulled from traditional Asian folklore, and while I personally felt Pearl Hunting lacked the emotional punch of Give Her Back to Me, it’s still satisfying and with some wonderful art to boot.
Randy and Lee – Angie Kang
Rendered entirely with seven colour pencils – specifically, “seven Prismacolor olive green pencils” – Randy and Lee follows two teenage boys as they amuse themselves on a hot summer afternoon.
It may be one of the shorter comics on this list, and thus I can’t say much more without spoiling it entirely, but I found it very evocative – there’s much left unsaid but it makes the lives and friendship between the protagonists feel all the more real. Kang’s pencil rendering is incredible and feels very nostalgic.
Does Maribella want a Croissant? – Gaia Papoila
Another artist I was introduced to from the last year’s fair, Papoila once again dips her toes into fairy tale re-imaginings, this time with Little Red Riding Hood: a young girl sets off into the deep dark woods with a pile of fresh croissants in her bag to deliver to an ex-lover, coming across an eager hunter and a surprisingly genre-savvy wolf.
Decidedly more humorous and quirky than her previous Princess and the Frog-inspired narrative, Popoila shows that her work still has plenty of charm even if the overall theme isn’t as grand. I loved the little details hidden throughout the panels, and the dynamic between Gianna the croissant-carrier and the wolf is hilarious.
A Three Body Problem – Tan Juan Gee
In a world decidedly inspired by the sci-fi flicks and hard-boiled crime thrillers of the 80s, survey astronaut – and cyborg – Io stumbles upon the corpse of a private eye, a corpse of the same exact make and dimensions as their own. What led this private eye to die in the cold darkness of space, and could Io be connected?
Although I wouldn’t call the story particularly original – not that it necessarily has to be – Gee captures the cyberpunk aesthetic well, and it makes for a solid short story. I can see why Gee has become a rising star in the world of indie comics, even if this particular piece is among the lesser examples of this particular formula.
When Death Comes I Will Follow – Val Wise
In an unnamed fantasy realm, a beaten and battered knight takes refuge in a convent, and becomes embroiled in an effort to prolong the inevitable grasp of death.
While not as heavy on world-building as his previous, Wise has lost none of his sensibilities, and nonetheless constructs a well thought-out tragedy with deeply troubled and complex characters. Again, very reminiscent of an Ursula K. LeGuin novel, only with a far higher amount of disturbing imagery.
Birds of the Storm – Mathilde Laillet
In a near-complete departure from her previous comic, Laillet’s latest takes place upon the backdrop of a fantasy world of folklore and witches. Set on an isolated and stormy island, a witch in emotional turmoil receives a visit from her aunt.
I always love traditionally hand-painted comics and this one was no exception. Birds of the Storm is quiet and understated, yet poignant. It’s one worth reading again and again for the atmosphere alone. I would gladly stare at the watercolour artwork for hours.
World Heist – Linnea Sterte
After stealing a portal into a forgotten realm, two thieves take a stroll through the past.
As a long-time follower of Sterte and her work, this one will definitely appeal to other such fans and those who enjoy a loose fantasy setting as much as I do. The one drawback, though, is that this comic is without a doubt the most unfinished of all the ones I read: as Sterte acknowledges at the end, World Heist is merely an introduction to what will be a full narrative – hopefully sometime in the future.
French Exit – Elle Shivers
Told entirely in the form of an interview with a retired Filipino-American figure skater, French Exit examines and muses upon one woman’s relationship with sport, passports, and being stuck between cultures.
I was initially hesitant about this one – it’s rendered entirely in the format seen above for almost all 46 pages – but Shivers’ writing and the brutal honesty of its protagonist won me over by the end. Though perhaps a little soapbox-y at parts, French Exit toes the line between optimism and cynicism well, and provides a unique take on the typical narrative arc of athletes we’ve grown used to seeing.
Little Eternities – Studio Puffery
Narrated by nine year-old Pui Pui, everyday life in Hong Kong is mundane and as natural as can be to a young girl with little else on her mind besides school, cartoons, and her secret crush. As the region prepares to witness the end of British rule, so must Pui Pui contend with the changes in her life.
I feel like this long-form autobiographical comic was designed to appeal to me specifically: with simplistic yet stylish colouring, fantastic rendering of 90s Hong Kong – a place I still adore – and a tone that is nostalgic without being overtly cloying, Little Eternities captures the feeling of a fleeting childhood perfectly.
The Art Archive 