Mol, Phoebe – Fish Out Of Water

June 5, 2025

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Fish Out Of Water

I don’t like to use more than one page for a sample image, but since everything was a double page spread, I had to go with two pages. But hey, if a few of you buy her comic, I won’t feel guilty about it! Birdcage Bottom Books describes this as her debut comic, and if that’s the case it’s a hell of an impressive debut. Judging by her website she’s made several comics since and she’s working in several different artistic fields. Still, that’s all clear from her website, what’s the actual comic about? It starts off with a question I’ve thought about plenty: how far back can you go in your own memory? Is it an event of just vagueness, something indefinable? Then we get a couple fishing out on a lake, talking about dreams, followed by one of them catching a truly disgusting fish. That doesn’t stop them from eating it, which is when the comic really opens up. Eating the fish gives them a connection to something primal, which all of the swirling colors and floating text really emphasizes. It’s a ride I’d rather not spoil, but the whole thing felt like an unheard song to me. No, that won’t make sense to most of you, but if you read the comic and read this review again, maybe you’ll get there. It raised all kinds of questions about the nature of existence and memory, with the feeling of a haunting but somehow comforting song fading out. If you’re still wondering, yes, I’d recommend giving this one a shot. $10


Davis, Christopher – Fish Out Of Water

April 23, 2010

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Fish Out Of Water Now Available! $1.50

Ah, the silent mini comic. This is where I usually ramble a bit, as there’s never a whole lot to say about something that’s this short and this silent (although this particular issue does have a poem following the story). And this time? No exception. This is the story of the last moments of life for a fish, as it’s apparently caught, gutted and thrown back into the water. I did enjoy the poem at the end, which is a rarity for me, and perhaps the whole thing would have been better if Christopher had done stanza by stanza panels instead of leaving it silent and placing the poem at the end, almost as an afterthought. But, and especially when it comes to poetry, what do I know anyway? $1.50