Maryanne describes this on her website as “an allegorical tale of the sun and the moon,” and wow is it ever tempting to leave it at that. Not for negative reasons, but because this comic takes you on a real journey with a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, and picking apart at the details is the kind of thing that lessens the joy of discovering them all for yourself. Huh, sounds like I just talked myself out of a reviewing gig. Well, before I vanish is a puff of smoke at my own irrelevance, this one starts off with an image of a whale in a boat. Yes, I said “in,” so right away the reader is off guard and a little confused. From there we’re told that a bird is inside the whale, and that bird is the moon. So three pages in, it should be clear to everybody both that this is an allegory and that you should be ready for anything. Next she takes us back to an older story, about a time when a spirit and an inkling were sailing together on a sea of stones. If you have a problem with this tale, take it up with the monkey with the silver tail. I can be as cranky and cynical as anybody, but it’s always a joy to just be carried away by a story like this. Good to see that Maryanne is still making comics (It’s at least 10 years since I first saw her stuff, maybe 15) and she’s at the top of her game with this one. $3
