Beast and the Flower
Comic zine, Adam Aylard, 16 pgs, adamaylard.com, PDF available for free online
In Beast and the Flower, the beast wears his hair in a bun and there is no particular mention of a flower. This zine, as you can imagine, is a study in contradictions. The comic is reminiscent of an Adventure Time character aesthetic set in a Mad Max Fury Road-esque landscape. The cover is bright pink while the story palate is all oranges and reds with hits of blue.
The short story is told by stand-alone images combined with sets of dialogue between a wandering protagonist and a small group of villagers. A round object wrapped in chains slung over shoulder, the protagonist is looking for a mighty adventure, for an opportunity to play the hero. The villagers, though, have no foes to offer and would prefer, actually, to remain undisturbed.
What follows is an unfortunate incident with the aforementioned round object and the inevitable continuance of the protagonist’s wanderings. The story would have benefitted from a smidge of subtlety – the self-proclaimed hero is large and seemingly unintelligent while the villagers are squat and easily duped. Having said that, I’m curious where our bun-wearing hero will end up next – I’ll keep my eye out for part two. If you are looking for a short, in your face, allegory about ego and self-importance, or simply a smartly hand-drawn trip to another world, this is the comic for you. (CJ Blennerhassett)