I really love it when a comic takes a chance on something artistically or narratively and breaks free of the tropes that dictate what everyone thinks a comic should be about. Every October, ShortBox Comics Fair serves this idea up in spades. It’s an online comic sale featuring dozens of independent creators, each showcasing an original digital comic. There are over 100 comics here, so it’s likely that a lot of the titles won’t land for you. I know most didn’t pique my interest, but there were three that grabbed me, each for different reasons
There Comes For You a Day – Artyom Trakhanov
This story is unsettling and hypnotizing in all the right ways, eschewing traditional story structures while leaning into Trakhanov’s idiosyncratic style (you might know him from 7 Deadly Sins or First Knife). The Chairman has died, and a council is convened to determine his replacement, but that is less the story and more the conceit that frames three smaller narratives, stories told by soldiers on leave from a nameless war in a nameless bar.
Beneath these intertwined stories is the sense of a world bent out of shape by the vulgar caprice of rapacious power mongers and the malevolent influence of occult powers. At fewer than 20 pages, There Comes For You a Day is less about the stories told and more about the vibe, and I’m here for it.
Trakhanov’s expressionistic style suits his story like a glove. His winters aren’t just cold, they’re frigid. His battlefields aren’t just empty, they’re desolate. And you can practically smell the cigarettes and leather of his dark boardroom. He’s made a shattered world haunted by the living, and I want more of it.
There Comes For You a Day
Puca – Travis Chen
Puca is a diminutive orc who works as a blacksmith. The only problem is, his work is too pretty for his barbarous kin, so he’s tossed out of the community with only his “dog” for company. What’s an out-of-work orc blacksmith to do? Join the Blacksmith Guild in the city on the mountain, of course. Although Chen’s story lacks any written dialogue, the beats are dead-simple to follow, and it explores themes of bigotry, compassion, and found families.
Artistically, Puca has echoes of Bone with both its cute characters and the way it makes you feel space. When he’s not making comics, Chen is a storyboard artist for Dreamworks, and his mastery of showing the story rather than telling it shines through.
Although the plot of Puca is straightforward and its themes aren’t challenging, Chen’s created a cozy world that I would gladly return to. I’m sure he’s plenty busy with his day job, but this is the kind of story I would put on my pull list just so I could pore over its pages with my daughter.
Puca
War and the Maiden – Riotbones
What if, at the end of the world, War and History were all that was left; what would they have to say to each other? Those are the turbulent waters on the surface of this story, while underneath is a hidden history of magic, ambition, and folly. All of this is conveyed via the dialogue between History and War, and while it’s interesting from a philosophical point of view, it doesn’t quite succeed as a “story,” although there are some beautiful moments.
Speaking of beauty, Riotbones’ illustration is absolutely gorgeous. It has a similar vibe to Batman: The Animated Series in that the colors seem to sit on top of a black canvas rather than a white one. The line work is impeccable and bold, eschewing the black outlines so common in the medium for red, gold, and brown. Riotbones masterfully jumps between pages brimming with their detailed illustrations to pages devoid of all but mottled black, heavy in their emptiness.
There’s a lot I like about War and the Maiden, but I think what hooked me the most is the texture of it. War’s laurels seem to be gilded from gold leaf. There are no solid colors; everything has the look of ink dried on coarse paper. It feels organic and vibrant, like something you can touch, and I want more of this style.
War and the Maiden
Get your comics before they’re gone
The ShortBox Comics Fair only runs until October 31st; after that, who knows if the creators will make them available again any time soon. You may not find anything you like, but it’s worth taking a peek if you’re getting sick of looking at supes every week.
