The Consumption

See that cover to the left of this text? It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? It’s an illustration by the ridiculously talented Joy Ang, an ACAD grad and occasional Fast Forward contributor (she did one of my favourite cover illustrations while I was an editor there) who, in her spare time, put together a wonderfully bound compilation of independent comics (alongside co-editor and equally talented illustrator Nick Thornborrow). It’s something like Image’s Flight series, with an assortment of vastly different art and storytelling styles that still somehow complement each other, and for a first, entirely independent book, it’s pretty unbelievable.

Stories include absurdist sci-fi yarns, a Western-flavoured retelling of A Christmas Carol, fairy tales and wordless adventures, running the stylistic gamut from cute to profound to downright ridiculous. The one thing they share is the beautiful execution, no matter how disparate they get.

If that string of superlatives intrigues you, check out the book and keep an eye out for the inevitable sequel, which looks like it’s slated to feature about twice as many artists.

Previous best things:
Dominion