Shortbox Comics Fair 2024 Faves and More!
Oh October! I have loved this month more since first finding out about Zainab Akhtar’s wonderful innovative online comics fair debuting all-new digital comics from independent artists around the world. It is a perfect time for me to remember why I love comics so much along with supporting several creators at once.
The website for the comics fair shares:
“ShortBox Comics Fair is the innovative digital comics fair showcasing all-new, original comics from artists around the globe!
The aim of the fair is to serve as a creative impetus for artists to make something new; to provide a platform for fresh and unique independent comics, all gathered in one place; and to connect readers with an array of work diverse in style and approach.
ShortBox Comics Fair is an accessible, comics-focused event: artists and comics readers alike can participate online from anywhere in the world (no travel, no con-crud, no lugging suitcases full of comics back and forth!).
The fair takes place annually throughout October.”
Returning for its fourth year, I wanted to again share of of my favorites from my first batch of comics bought and continue to shine a light on comic creators, innovators like Zainab Akhtar and just geek out on really thought provoking, cute, awe-worthy comics we all should be reading before the fair officially ends!
Ballad of Black Cassandra
Words and Art by: Olivia Stephens
Title Design by Shivanna Sookdeo , Font “Los Feliz” by Christian Schwartz
“The sky has a crack on it.
A big gaping wound right there, in the middle.
It’s been leaking on Me and Mine since I can remember.”
Content Warnings: Mild violence and blood/bodily injury.
So this was my most anticipated comic of the entire fair as I had been following the creator’s hints and little illustrations about the comics online leading up to the fair. As a long time fan of Olivia Stephens I knew that I was going to be reminded once again why her comics remain the tour de force in the comics space. Ballad of Black Cassandra follows a group of people who are consistently in danger of a most unique danger: a sky with a crack in it. Rain does fall but it is an acidic kind that pelts the people below sporadically with no end in sight. The group of people feature a side that builds up, communicates with each other and sees the vision of planning for them all.
The other group punish others, tear down what others have built, reject others through communicating. Their saga as a group gets pushed to a climax with a startling development and the ending that could leave readers to any number of interpretations. A few include the consequences of not being engaged in harm reduction and community care, the dangers of ignoring climate change or perhaps an illustrative reason why compassion won’t always save the day.
Stephens’ comic features this gorgeous color scheme that looks like something caught between the heart of a wildfire and the dimming blues of a summer night with a font that stands tall and imposing on the page. I’ve reread Ballad of Black Cassandra exactly seven times now and each time I can pinpoint the horror, disgust, relief and sadness that come forward on each page as I’ve read through it. Reading an Olivia Stephens comic always feels timely and relevant–and this one is whispering the lessons learned to my head and heart that are syncing together in the background noise of my life. Bonus Fun Fact: Stephens made a playlist for the comic (songs she leaned on while working on the comic) that I’m linking here.
Hearth’s Haunting
Words and Art by: Jean Wei
Warning: kid friendly, but there is a little cursing.
Look Shortbox mentioned this comic was wholesome and it still surprised me–in a good way, of course! Jean Wei’s work this year has a simple premise: Ted has just moved into a new place–there’s a beautiful kitchen with lots of space. One problem: the stove in his new place might be haunted?! Ted’s stove is being extra: turning on by itself, everything baked is under cooked or burnt and it is just a nuisance.
The worst part? Once Ted starts looking for help–no one seems to have a clue with more frustration mounting on his end until an emotional break one night. Ted’s quest to figure out what’s wrong with his stove is further complicated by his understanding of what defines a haunting and how he fits in the equation here in this newer place.
Hearth’s Haunting is an accessible yet hopeful story on transitions, grief and the unorthodox ways we make due and deal with the hands of cards we’re dealt with in life. Kitchens are sacred, holy places of communing and preparing food that become the hearts, the hearts of home anywhere and everywhere. I love that Wei makes this room the heart of this comic and uses the stove as a part of the process of starting over, working together and becoming family. The final page leaves me at peace and reminds of the healing work that a comic can provide and why I come back to comics by this particular creator.
On Her Own
Words and Art by winchestermeg
Out of Style was one of my favorite comics of 2023, also created by Dewi Putri Megwati aka winchestermeg. So when I saw Hana, one of the characters from that book on the cover of this comic, I was game. I was eager to see more of Hana’a life and more from this creator. This comic does follow Hana the oldest character from that previous work (she’s 25) and her day to day life as an overworked and perpetually tired corporate worker often buried in work, overtime and tasks probably not included in her original job role listing.
When it comes to comics, winchestermeg was born to thrive in the slice-of-life genre as this newer work does not disappoint: Hana has multitudes within her. Readers get to know the inner workings of her day: her commute, her coworkers, the drain on corporate workers and the plight of being a young adult and wondering if you are cosplaying as an adult. Once the comic reveals Mera (21) Hana’s friend who is juggling being a working college student, their time together is fun to read and absolutely helps keep the horrors at bay.
On her Own features a wide range of facial expressions and body language to help readers cue in on the distress, surprise, exhaustion and happiness Hana experiences. Hana and Mera are embracing the complexity of adult life while finding time and little treats for themselves and each other–a grand lesson for anyone at any age and a sweet reminder for those who love comics, today.
BLEED ANY %
Words and Art: Blue Delliquanti
cw: video game violence, video game death, non-video game police brutality
I’ve read BLEED ANY% a few times and I still remain stunned and impressed to the third degree on how this unraveling and deeply emotional sci-fi world and story was contained in only twenty something pages. Verdict: Blue Delliquanti is just one of those talents of a generation. This comic is set in a world that looks like ours, modern day more so give or take in a few years.
A incredibly niche augmented reality game The Final Nocturne, which immerses the player in its world using nothing but sound and touch has taken the world by storm. Our protagonist who goes by the online alias of Speedrunner Samson859 is here to take this latest challenge in a wildly risky place–a mall. It is a place with no shortage of physical obstacles, police officers and unexpected emotional attachments.
BLEED ANY% stands out as a brilliant comic in this year’s fair as it has a complex narrative that touches upon the creative rebellion of a people living in a society under much hyper surveillance. There is a story within a story here and seeing the two–Samson’s and the world within the script she’s been through before, start merging makes for a thrilling read. Delliquanti’s work is the cyberpunk future that I want to see more of–troublemakers giving authorities the slip and navigating the world on their own terms and–seeing to justice in their own hands.
There’s enough commentary within the pages on how quickly police brutality can present itself in public and how we make the digital world our own in BLEED ANY%. Here is a gorgeously illustrated comic with layers to the artwork with assistance to a unique color scheme that helps differentiate between the VR world and the world populated by real life people.
One part True Crime, One part Sci-fi and Two equal parts cyber punk and near future dystopian with a dash of hope, this was my favorite of this first batch of comics bought from the fair of the sci-fiction genre and one I’m sure to revisit. Last thing: I LOVE the cover–it is giving old school video game cover (Super Nintendo?) influence which is a lovely way to introduce the VR game aspect of the comic at first glance.
ShortBox Comics Fair is the innovative digital comics fair showcasing all-new, original comics from artists around the globe!
Carrie McClain is an Californian native who navigates the world as writer, editor, and media scholar who firmly believes that we can and we should critique the media we consume. She once aided Cindi Mayweather in avoiding capture. See more of her on Twitter (X) and a few other places she can be found online.
