WWACommendations: I Think Our Son is Gay, Demon Days, Shubeik Lubeik and More

Indie & Small Press Reviews Comics Manga
Alenka Figa
WWACommendations title banner by Nola Pfau

Well hello there! I don’t know about you, but my January felt like it was a thousand years long. Regardless of how your year kicked off, we’ve made it to the end of February, which means WWACommendations is back with new recommendations just for you!

This month we’ve got an interesting mix of indie/small press comics, wholesome manga and some seriously high-concept, innovative work. There’s a good genre mix, too – I’ve got a rare sci fi rec for you, Kayleigh’s here with some wildly reimagined mythology, and Carrie just wants to warm your heart with some slice-of-life. Jump in!

Alenka Figa: Ophelia, a new comic by Remus Jackson, takes place “at the end of the world,” in the world’s first self-sustaining theater. The floor of the stage is made of special material that generates energy when the performers step on it. Some of the performers are content to have an endless outlet for their art, and to keep art alive at the end of the world. Theo King is not. They have come to see the theater mainly as a venue for exploitation, but as an actor in what they deem to be a lesser role — initially, they are cast as Horatio in Hamlet — they believe they don’t have the power to change the situation. Theo directs their vitriol at Cara Solis, who is cast as Hamlet and is simply happy to perform and be liked. Shake-ups in the casting and in Theo’s faith in their ability to make change cause even greater strife. Hamlet is a play in which those who see truth go mad while others fabricate madness to expose truth, but come close to descending into true madness. Theo sees themself as a truth-seer, but does that have any real meaning? Does it allow them to use power well, to do something for the good of all the actors? Or is it just a path to madness?

This is a really beautiful comic. The cover is lushly illustrated in full color, but the comic itself is black, white, gray, with bright, neon green spot color — the green of the lights of the theater, which suck energy from the movement of the actors on stage. Jackson’s line work feels very loose and free. In contrast, kinetic, heavy shading and grainy dotwork box in the characters, emphasizing how inescapable the theater is for them. That vibrant, energetic green is always taking from them; it’s an ever-present, vampiric force. Ophelia left me with a lot to think about in regards to art, exploitation, and mental health, but it’s also just so visually cool! Thankfully, Jackson notes at the end they made it with the goal of not getting bogged down by a drive to make something “perfect,” and I think the fun they had comes across as well as the grad school burnout! You can get it digitally on itch for now, but Jackson said on their podcast, Drawing a Dialogue, that plans for physical copies are in the works.

Kayleigh Hearn: The Marvel Universe is transformed into a new world of gods and monsters in the beautiful and riveting Demon Days from Peach Momoko, adapted into English by Zack Davisson. The story centers Mariko Yashida, a high school girl who has grown up reading about spirits and magic – like the legend of the purple-haired warrior woman Sai and her canine companion Logan, who saved a village from Venom, an evil snake god. Plagued by visions and hunted by mystical creatures, Mariko learns the legends of her childhood are true. To save what’s left of her family, she must battle the demons of her past – in more ways than one.

If you only know superstar artist and Marvel Stormbreaker Peach Momoko from her variant covers, seek this book out – she’s a sensational storyteller. Recently released in a trade paperback collecting the interconnected one-shots Demon Days: X-Men, Mariko, Cursed Web, Rising Storm, and Blood Feud, the series reimagines Marvel’s heroes and villains – including Psylocke, Jubilee, Black Widow, Hulk, and Storm, to name a few — as figures in Japanese mythology. Momoko’s interior art is both kinetic and stunningly creative but, best of all, Demon Days finally puts Mariko Yashida – long relegated to the role of Wolverine’s doomed love interest – into the center of her own story.

Carrie McClain: Wholesome manga fans, raise your hands! I have found our newest series to behold, read and love! Okura’s I Think Our Son Is Gay is a worthy title, focusing on the point of view of a mom of two sons, the oldest of whom she thinks is probably gay. The mother is a doting parent who realizes her oldest son Hiroki, now in high school, is growing up fast and going through the motions of being a teenager. He’s a curious child who is now thinking more about romance, body image, gender roles, and relationships.

I’m only two volumes in but I truly love this slice-of-life-esque series that focuses on a queer accepting mom and her very confused yet very lovable son. Mom is considerate, respectful of boundaries and gently guides her son to alternative lines of thought when outdated opinions about gender enter the chat. Heartwarming, yes! Hilarious, yes! Honest-to-goodness manga created by a mangaka who. in between the first and second volumes of this series, used his work to come out to his mother? Yes!

Some of the last panels of the first volume, written in the mom’s narration as she gazes happily at her son and monologues: “I think our son is probably gay. He’s also, quite simply…a precious member of our family” really struck me, and I’m happier to see more LGBTQIA+ AND family friendly manga. I Think Our Son Is Gay is heart-warming and really just works well because of its honesty and simplicity. It is a super charming read with a pretty cute art style that I know that I’m going to reread several times once I eventually finish the series.

Masha Zhdanova: I finally finished Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed and it’s SO GOOD! I’ve been following Mohamed on Tumblr since high school, so I was thrilled to hear she’d made a whole book. Shubeik Lubeik is about a world where people can buy and sell wishes of different quality: third-class wishes that misinterpret the speaker’s desire, second-class wishes only powerful enough to accomplish some things, and first-class wishes that can change people’s lives, but are rare and expensive. The three connected stories explore what happens when three different people: a grieving widow, a privileged college student with depression, and the shopkeeper who sold them the wishes in the first place, get their hands on first-class wishes, and what they choose to wish for and how. The world-building is very well thought out, and how society would develop with the existence of wishes is well considered. The art style is fun and appealing, and the visual representations of different concepts in the story like the wish-granting genies and the characters’ mental states are creative and elegant. It’s a thoughtful, interesting story and I really recommend it!

Rosie Knight: In case you didn’t already know, I think that Black Josei Press is the best and most exciting publisher in comics right now. Jamila Rowser has created a space for exhilarating personal and consistently fantastic titles, the newest of which is Gordita: Built Like This by Daisy “Draizys” Ruiz, this absolutely wonderful autobiographical comic that comes in a stunning magazine size printing with a lovely shiny cardstock cover. Ruiz’s art and design are so pleasing, opening this comic feels like peering into the past. A coming-of-age story about body image, the expectations put on young Latina women, and the power of anime and fanfic, this is a book that’ll send you straight back to the candy-hued horror of teenagehood while reminding you that there’s hope to be found in female friendship and self-acceptance. Both intimate and universal, this is indie comics at its best. With colors that pop and a cute yet raw art style, I cannot wait to see what Ruiz does next and as always I’ll be waiting with baited breath for the next Black Josei Press release.

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Alenka Figa

Alenka Figa

Alenka is a queer librarian and intense cat parent. When not librarian-ing they spend their days reading zines and indie comics and listening to D&D podcasts. Find them on Bluesky @uprightgarfield.
figaalen@gmail.com
Alenka Figa

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