Musings & Manifestos

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Shortbox Comics Review: Endearing Ecologies

Lucero’s new comic, “Endearing Ecologies,” is everything it promises and more. Endearing indeed, this short story follows two siblings on a research assignment to the arctic in the future after the “21st century glacial collapse.” A mysterious creature has been released by the melting ice, and they try to figure out what it’s deal is as they reconnect after some time working apart. I was struck most by how accurate the sibling relationship is in its portrayal; that loving (yet sometimes annoyed) feeling of comfort with someone who knows you very well (and yet you’re still somehow learning new things about them after spending a literal lifetime together).

Here's Peregrine, the brother, saying to Tochin, 'you were the one who signed us up for this' with an exasperated expression. In the larger panel Tochin responds, 'yeah, i know.'

The art style is also delicious - the little creatures that dance around the pages and the cool-neon color scheme create a vibe that is both otherworldly and comforting, like glow-in-the-dark ceiling stars.

Here's Tochin gazing towards the reader, a small ethereal horse floating near her head. The lighting includes a colorful lens flare, creating a dream-like effect.

I also loved Tochin’s characterization – any robot character is always going to steal my heart, and I loved the little text-emoticon expressions (especially the :-) when they first see the horses). I could see the Murderbot inspiration here for sure with the dry wit of the characters and the neither-dystopian-nor-utopian futuristic setting that is established through hints and references that create a sense of lived-in normalcy for the characters and intrigue for the reader. Anyone who is a fan of Wells’ books would definitely enjoy this comic (and probably recognize Lucero’s art style from their amazing fanart)!

There’s so much packed into these relatively few pages that it is clear that a ton of love and thought went into it; it also leaves the reader with lots to chew on and play with after reading. I wish I could go hang out with the whole crew and explore this world myself! I hope this universe continues to expand; already, there’s a lot of fun extra art on Lucero’s website to check out. A great choice at Shortbox Comics this year, and only available for one more week!