[Rec/Review] ShortBox Comics 2024
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booknookThe ShortBox Comics Fair runs every October and features dozens of original comics from different artists/authors. There's a still a few days left in the fair, so I wanted to rec (and review) my favorites that I've read this year. There are far more featured comics, however, much much more than I was able to afford/get to, so do take a look if it piques your interest!
For additional preview images, you can click on the title of each comic which will take you directly to the ShortBox page, where you can find a few pages from each comic.
Title: Impasto
Author: SJ Miller
Genre: horror
Content Warnings: (from the ShortBox website) Contains violence, cannibalism and other potentially disturbing imagery. Reader discretion advised.
Edgar hasn't been working as Lord Sharpe's valet for very long, and while the Lord himself seems kind enough, his walls are hung with strange and gruesome paintings that fill most visitors with unease. This on its own might be easy enough to ignore, were it not for an unsettling experience with one particular painting, which leads to equally unsettling changes to Edgar's body. In order to stop what is happening to him, Edgar must appease the paintings, though their appetites seem to be growing ever more voracious.
I've been reading SJ Miller's comics for some time now, and every one has always been an absolute delight, and Impasto is no different. The story itself has enough mystery to draw you in, while also just being genuinely horrific (big win for body horror fans with this one!). The art is beautiful, the character expressions are so so good (Ambrose in particular has some fantastic expressions), and the use of color (red highlights over black and white) is just incredible.
Just going to repost one of SJ Miller's comments about Impasto here because I can't think of a more apt description: Have you ever wished Downton Abbey had more cannibalism and body horror and murder?
I hadn't, but that's because I've never watched Downton Abbey. However I do love a good period horror and this one delivers. The premise is immediately engaging: eccentric Lord with a manor stuffed with horrific paintings, and when Edgar touches one of them it touches him back. The concept of a painting demanding to be "made real" is also just really cool; definitely horrible, especially in this case, but cool nonetheless.
As the paintings' demand more and more of Edgar, more and more of Edgar's past is revealed, so that, as the story goes on, there's a multi-layered blending between Edgar, the paintings, and Lord Sharpe. Reality itself starts to blend into the mix, unravelling just as much as Edgar. There's a very unique kind of haunting here that is tied to eating, not just to the aforementioned cannibalism, but in the preparation of a meal, which is seen in the gradual escalation (breaking down) of both the tasks required of Edgar and Edgar's own mental state; a kind of "fattening up." (Another food metaphor that came to mind was "marinating.")
There's also a really nice parallel between the internal and the external which is conveyed perfectly in Lord Sharpe's assessment of his relationship to his paintings: They release something in me...Something I think would otherwise be trapped inside. But just what is it that Edgar is releasing? This is of course the question at the center of the story, but the journey there is eerie, disturbing, and lavish in a way you'd expect of the house of a Lord.
I had a lot of fun with this one! The pacing is excellent, and the mystery is also very satisfying. I also personally just really loved all the paintings; SJ Miller's art is always a treat. And no spoilers, but I very much enjoyed the ending :3
Would strongly recommend this one to horror fans, though do mind the content warnings!
Title: Home by the Rotting Sea
Author: Otava Heikkilä
Genre: fantasy
Content Warnings: (from the ShortBox website) violence, sexual themes and imagery, miscarriage, SA
After a transgression by their King, Ilta and Laulu are taken from his harem and offered up as tribute to the Väki, a race of giants that the human women initially find both mysterious and fearsome. Life with a fickle and uncaring king has led them to expect little else from the Väki, however the longer the women remain among them, and the more they learn and are allowed to heal, the more this impression changes.
I really can't do this one justice with a summary. It's beautiful and heart-wrenching and hopeful, and I cannot recommend it enough.
I've read a few comics by Heikkilä before, but I do feel like this one is my favorite; it's certainly got my "the ending made me cry" seal of approval.
I know I just said it two sentences ago, but it bears repeating: this comic is beautiful. The art is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, the story is an aching sort of beautiful. It's the simplest but also most sincere praise I can give.
Most of the story itself centers around Ilta and Laulu, and their slow, believable, journey towards healing. It's one of the central themes of the work, which is complemented by the deep relationship between the two women & between them and the Väki, who are, as one might guess, not nearly as monstrous as they are initially made out. There's additionally an underlying examination of gender that runs through the work which I also loved and felt was very well done.
Ilta and Laulu at the start of the comic are as off-kilter as they can be: uprooted from the world they know and placed among strangers they have been taught to fear. They have only each other, but as they find their place among the Väki, and as old wounds heal (or are reopened), more and more a sense of hope shines through the pervading melancholy. It's also not accidental that this coincides with Ilta and Laulu's closer relationship with/to nature (the comic begins with the accidental burning of Väki lands). Home by the Rotting Sea is a story of growth and rebirth, of healing and hurt, and of finding a place for oneself.
And I cannot rec it enough! I'd be reccing it just on the strength of the writing alone, but then the art is also stunning (the use of color is phenomenal), and there's also queer romance (poly romance too, which is really nice to see!) I just feel that this story is one that's going to stick with me, and think that other people should read it too :)
Title: Blade of the Fane
Author: Theo Stultz
Genre: fantasy
Content Warnings: n/a
Osric, the heir to a long line of mystics sworn to protect the realm from all manner of evil beasts, is the least suited to take over after his grandmother dies: he has no magic, nor the ability to see the evil he's been charged with fighting; he barely even believes in it. But the Queen has ordered that Osric oversee that year's Culling; rumors abound that a beast more evil than all others prowls the kingdom, and these rumors eerily echo his grandmother's final warning. Fortunately for Osric, the arrival of an old friend means he will not have to face the Culling alone.
First off: the art is beautiful. I really loved the colors in this one, as well as the design of the Fane and the characters; the detail was also really stunning. Despite being the longest of all the comics I read from this year's Fair, I still ended up feeling like I'd love to know more about the world; I'd definitely have been happy to keep reading. The story has a satisfying ending of course, but it's more a testament to my interest in what Stultz was doing with the worldbuilding; you're given a little, but I would have loved to see more.
The story centers around Osric, who is himself a lot of fun as a character: he's an asshole, and he doesn't really ever stop being an asshole, but I'm glad that he doesn't; that's part of his charm :p There's also a lot of draw for me in the whole "just a normal guy facing abnormal circumstances" thing; it's much more interesting that his job requires that he have magic and he doesn't.
Without spoiling things: Aside from Osric dealing (and also very much not dealing) with the seemingly impossible task he's been handed, most of the story is centered around his reunion with his childhood friend Daegal, who is astoundingly loyal, even after the stretch of years between them. Stultz does a good job of balancing their growing relationship with the relatively quick passage of time, and then Daegal himself is also quite endearing; gotta love a guy who's all "I'll burn down the whole world if anyone even looks at you wrong." Just a real fun dynamic there. (I'm being serious: there's a big reveal regarding Daegal that's pretty obvious, but it makes Osric's whole "just a normal dude" deal even better. A++ for that alone.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The characters were fun and the premise was interesting, and the art is beautiful to boot. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy & queer romance.
For additional preview images, you can click on the title of each comic which will take you directly to the ShortBox page, where you can find a few pages from each comic.
Title: Impasto
Author: SJ Miller
Genre: horror
Content Warnings: (from the ShortBox website) Contains violence, cannibalism and other potentially disturbing imagery. Reader discretion advised.
Edgar hasn't been working as Lord Sharpe's valet for very long, and while the Lord himself seems kind enough, his walls are hung with strange and gruesome paintings that fill most visitors with unease. This on its own might be easy enough to ignore, were it not for an unsettling experience with one particular painting, which leads to equally unsettling changes to Edgar's body. In order to stop what is happening to him, Edgar must appease the paintings, though their appetites seem to be growing ever more voracious.
I've been reading SJ Miller's comics for some time now, and every one has always been an absolute delight, and Impasto is no different. The story itself has enough mystery to draw you in, while also just being genuinely horrific (big win for body horror fans with this one!). The art is beautiful, the character expressions are so so good (Ambrose in particular has some fantastic expressions), and the use of color (red highlights over black and white) is just incredible.
Just going to repost one of SJ Miller's comments about Impasto here because I can't think of a more apt description: Have you ever wished Downton Abbey had more cannibalism and body horror and murder?
I hadn't, but that's because I've never watched Downton Abbey. However I do love a good period horror and this one delivers. The premise is immediately engaging: eccentric Lord with a manor stuffed with horrific paintings, and when Edgar touches one of them it touches him back. The concept of a painting demanding to be "made real" is also just really cool; definitely horrible, especially in this case, but cool nonetheless.
As the paintings' demand more and more of Edgar, more and more of Edgar's past is revealed, so that, as the story goes on, there's a multi-layered blending between Edgar, the paintings, and Lord Sharpe. Reality itself starts to blend into the mix, unravelling just as much as Edgar. There's a very unique kind of haunting here that is tied to eating, not just to the aforementioned cannibalism, but in the preparation of a meal, which is seen in the gradual escalation (breaking down) of both the tasks required of Edgar and Edgar's own mental state; a kind of "fattening up." (Another food metaphor that came to mind was "marinating.")
There's also a really nice parallel between the internal and the external which is conveyed perfectly in Lord Sharpe's assessment of his relationship to his paintings: They release something in me...Something I think would otherwise be trapped inside. But just what is it that Edgar is releasing? This is of course the question at the center of the story, but the journey there is eerie, disturbing, and lavish in a way you'd expect of the house of a Lord.
I had a lot of fun with this one! The pacing is excellent, and the mystery is also very satisfying. I also personally just really loved all the paintings; SJ Miller's art is always a treat. And no spoilers, but I very much enjoyed the ending :3
Would strongly recommend this one to horror fans, though do mind the content warnings!
Title: Home by the Rotting Sea
Author: Otava Heikkilä
Genre: fantasy
Content Warnings: (from the ShortBox website) violence, sexual themes and imagery, miscarriage, SA
After a transgression by their King, Ilta and Laulu are taken from his harem and offered up as tribute to the Väki, a race of giants that the human women initially find both mysterious and fearsome. Life with a fickle and uncaring king has led them to expect little else from the Väki, however the longer the women remain among them, and the more they learn and are allowed to heal, the more this impression changes.
I really can't do this one justice with a summary. It's beautiful and heart-wrenching and hopeful, and I cannot recommend it enough.
I've read a few comics by Heikkilä before, but I do feel like this one is my favorite; it's certainly got my "the ending made me cry" seal of approval.
I know I just said it two sentences ago, but it bears repeating: this comic is beautiful. The art is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, the story is an aching sort of beautiful. It's the simplest but also most sincere praise I can give.
Most of the story itself centers around Ilta and Laulu, and their slow, believable, journey towards healing. It's one of the central themes of the work, which is complemented by the deep relationship between the two women & between them and the Väki, who are, as one might guess, not nearly as monstrous as they are initially made out. There's additionally an underlying examination of gender that runs through the work which I also loved and felt was very well done.
Ilta and Laulu at the start of the comic are as off-kilter as they can be: uprooted from the world they know and placed among strangers they have been taught to fear. They have only each other, but as they find their place among the Väki, and as old wounds heal (or are reopened), more and more a sense of hope shines through the pervading melancholy. It's also not accidental that this coincides with Ilta and Laulu's closer relationship with/to nature (the comic begins with the accidental burning of Väki lands). Home by the Rotting Sea is a story of growth and rebirth, of healing and hurt, and of finding a place for oneself.
And I cannot rec it enough! I'd be reccing it just on the strength of the writing alone, but then the art is also stunning (the use of color is phenomenal), and there's also queer romance (poly romance too, which is really nice to see!) I just feel that this story is one that's going to stick with me, and think that other people should read it too :)
Title: Blade of the Fane
Author: Theo Stultz
Genre: fantasy
Content Warnings: n/a
Osric, the heir to a long line of mystics sworn to protect the realm from all manner of evil beasts, is the least suited to take over after his grandmother dies: he has no magic, nor the ability to see the evil he's been charged with fighting; he barely even believes in it. But the Queen has ordered that Osric oversee that year's Culling; rumors abound that a beast more evil than all others prowls the kingdom, and these rumors eerily echo his grandmother's final warning. Fortunately for Osric, the arrival of an old friend means he will not have to face the Culling alone.
First off: the art is beautiful. I really loved the colors in this one, as well as the design of the Fane and the characters; the detail was also really stunning. Despite being the longest of all the comics I read from this year's Fair, I still ended up feeling like I'd love to know more about the world; I'd definitely have been happy to keep reading. The story has a satisfying ending of course, but it's more a testament to my interest in what Stultz was doing with the worldbuilding; you're given a little, but I would have loved to see more.
The story centers around Osric, who is himself a lot of fun as a character: he's an asshole, and he doesn't really ever stop being an asshole, but I'm glad that he doesn't; that's part of his charm :p There's also a lot of draw for me in the whole "just a normal guy facing abnormal circumstances" thing; it's much more interesting that his job requires that he have magic and he doesn't.
Without spoiling things: Aside from Osric dealing (and also very much not dealing) with the seemingly impossible task he's been handed, most of the story is centered around his reunion with his childhood friend Daegal, who is astoundingly loyal, even after the stretch of years between them. Stultz does a good job of balancing their growing relationship with the relatively quick passage of time, and then Daegal himself is also quite endearing; gotta love a guy who's all "I'll burn down the whole world if anyone even looks at you wrong." Just a real fun dynamic there. (I'm being serious: there's a big reveal regarding Daegal that's pretty obvious, but it makes Osric's whole "just a normal dude" deal even better. A++ for that alone.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The characters were fun and the premise was interesting, and the art is beautiful to boot. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy & queer romance.