Week Fourteen: The Future of Comics, Trying Human

This week I read Trying Human. To be honest, were it not for the synopsis of the story and its promise of a quirky science fiction storyline, I probably would not have picked it up based solely on art style. While I certainly don't dislike the style, I also don't know if I would have matched it up with a story about aliens, government conspiracy, abduction, and a love story between an alien being and a human girl. The artwork almost feels more appropriate for a comic I'd find at a Scholastic book fair. That being said, I'm glad I did read it. At this point I'm several chapters in and pretty fascinated by the direction of the story; I love the inclusion of the flashback scenes and the related parallels between the old generations and new. I'm interested in the relationship between Hue and Rose, and how the story handles the dynamic between alien beings finding love. The idea of it initially was mostly funny to me, and it still kind of is, but the way the story is structured/told has also pushed me to look at it less as a comical aspect of the story and more so just a very outlandish, interesting one. I mean, it's an interesting question: if we did find aliens, would romantic relationships like the one in the story ever happen? Seems pretty far fetched to me, especially considering that interracial couples are still outrageous in the eyes of some (and race isn't even technically an actual thing-- just a construct), but still.


As an illustrator and storyteller, I was excited by this work, and also just by the overarching reminder that this week's selection offered-- a reminder that webcomics are a thing. I'm certainly interested in starting up my own one day, and am excited to see what comes next as comics continue to grow with technological advances. I love the idea of illustrators and storytellers being able to put their work into the world independently.

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