I have made the ill-advised decision to attempt to complete a second r/fantasy bingo challenge this year, this one comprised of nothing but comics and graphic novels. I’m really feeling the urge to read more kick in. Anyways, I immediately started hunting for some promising anthologies and I came across this. As with all anthologies, you’ll find some you resonate with more than others, but overall I found this collection to have a disappointing perspective and not as much editorial vision as I would have hoped.
Read if Looking for: uplifting queer vignettes, cute forest critters, a diverse range of art styles
Avoid if Looking For: introspection into what it means to be nonbinary, the dark side of nature, plenty of adult nonbinary representation
Overall Impressions
To the surprise of nobody who read the title of this collection, this anthology focuses on nonbinary characters interacting with sylvan creatures – and nature more generally. Positive connections with nature were the most predominant recurring theme in these stories, and seemed a pretty clear throughline. I think there was also a predominance of child protagonists, which I didn’t quite expect. The few stories with adult protagonists (especially the single one with a protagonist older than 25) were refreshing, but I’d have liked a wider range of nonbinary experiences.
Thematically, there were some missed opportunities to explore the more serious side of nature; the woods are dangerous after all. It also didn’t create space deeper thematic work around nonbinary identities. Characters who happen to be queer are great, but in a collection focused on nonbinary characters, more thematic balance would have been appreciated. This collection just felt safe, overly sweet, and lacking the desire to say much meaningful. Way too many stories where the message was that the scary story is actually friendly if you pet it on the nose.
Highlights of the Collection
The Beast in the Garden – by far the standout of the collection, and it isn’t close. It was the story that showed an understanding of how to establish facts in a single panel, cut out unnecessary transitions, and had a clear point of view and theme. The art was great, the beast appropriately terrifying. Really wonderful story. After taking a look at Ver’s website, they have some short comics out I’m interested in, and a graphic novel that I will absolutely buy when it releases. This creator is one to follow for sure.
This Far – one of the few comics to really sink its teeth into a theme: a young adult is transitioning into a tree, talking with their mother who doesn’t fully support their decision. Simple art, deep themes, focused story.
Return – a Jewish elder returns to the forest they visited as a child, and to the supernatural experiences they had there. Quiet, heartfelt, and brimming with authentic emotion.
Stories I Didn’t Enjoy Much
Honestly, most of the comics I’d put in the category of ‘fine but unambitious’. Lots of pacing issues, trying to cram too many events into the pages without developing character or emotion. Problems introduced one panel and solved the next. However, I really struggled with one comic in particular.
Dear Paloma – The art looked like it was created for my middle school comics course, and the story wasn’t strong enough to carry the rest. I honestly think the author ran out of time and turned in their rough draft for publication.
Conclusion
There’s some good stuff in here, but you’ll need to sift through less interesting work to get there. In general, I wished the authors had put more thought into characters and themes. Plot-focused stories are really hard to do in a small page count, and comics make that an even harder task.
Marked for Plot 