45 Days Of CCS, #22: Filipa Estrela

Filipa Estrela is an artist who makes the most out of the zine format, turning each one into an art objects as much as it is a comic. Rember Me?, done in conjunction with Shannon Spence and Alex Ahlquist, is a Risograph comic with various characters constructed and drawn in various overlapping ways to create a chaotic, colorful narrative about an angry doll whose body is transformed by way of choose-your-own-adventure flowchart that opens up after the last page of the story is turned. It's a funny, strange experiment that clearly features a lot of back-and-forth between the artists.

Fated Tears is one of the better 24-hour comics I've seen; that particular technique tends to produce comics that are more interesting in theory than in practice. Like diary comics, 24-hour comics are more for the benefit of the artist than the audience. In this case, Estrela once again turns to the Riso to depict the upsetting dreams of a young adult named Fate who is also struggling at her job. She finds herself waking up crying, thanks to the image of a creature feeling trapped and sad. Finding herself in a dream with the creature, she fights for its freedom and then feels free herself for the first time. It's a simple narrative that is expertly executed, from its use of color to the character design. I've been dying for Estrela to do something long-form, given their innovative use of unusual materials and their ability to create affecting, sincere, and exciting narratives. 

Estrelaa's line is strong and expressive, and they remind the reader of this in two short minis, Lately, I've been feeling Ok and I'm ready to be somewhere new. The former is a lovely and cute affirmation of improved health and the latter is about the long journey to growth. Both are quite short but perfectly express their central ideas.

45 Days Of CCS, #41: Meandering Realms

Filipa Estrela has long been a leading proponent of constructed comics made from unconventional materials. Meandering Realms is an anthology that she edited full of such comics. Be it woodcuts, clay figures, cut paper, pyrography on wood, or mixed media, this anthology is a fascinating read for fans of extreme formal experimentation in comics. The anthology has a mix of CCS artists and others; some are well-established in terms of cartooning while others primarily ply their trade in other media. 

Starting with the CCS artists, Issy Manley's pandemic story about taking walks for pleasure was done in cut paper and embroidery. It is a perfect union of form and content, with countless clever formal touches that are all in service to the narrative. Manley's page composition, done mostly in an open-page layout, is beautiful and contains surprising elements. The use of embroidery to depict center lines on roads was an inspired element, especially when they loop around. It all gives context to this meditation on walking when others would prefer to drive. 

Bread Tarleton's facepaint comic literally uses their face for a comic in panel after panel, with paint creating images and lettering. The story is totally absurd, yet Tarleton makes it work so effectively. The story is engaging enough that the gimmick never grows old. 

Allison Bannister's retelling of a Greek myth with a feminist edge was done in layered woodcuts, and this was an incredibly effective way of portraying this kind of story. Stacking and layering the images gave them weight and depth, as though one was looking at a fresco. The sepia tones feel like the reader is looking at something ancient. Bannister's drawing and decorative touches only further this effect, especially the detail on the tree that is so central to the end of this myth about unasked for romantic attention that drives the protagonist to transform into a tree out of defiance. 

Sage Clemmons does a highly expressive story using clay figures and mixed media. It's a story about how a beloved childhood family game was phased out because of the protagonist's brother's sensitivity regarding his teeth, and it evolves into how not understanding others can lead to fractures. 

Estrela contributed two comics. The first was about an elder seed who chose to stay underground, despite being cajoled by the roots around it. It was pyrography on wood, and the burnt tones mimicked sepia hues. The shading gradations being made by altering the intensity of the flame was absolutely ingenious. Once again, while the form was important, it was entirely in the service of content. Her other story was done with needlefelt and wool, and it was about an explorer giving a mushroom sentience and what the mushroom chooses to do afterward. The muted, fuzzy colors create an atmosphere completely different from her first story. 

Of the non-CCS cartoonists, Bryn Ziegler's re-telling of the story of Orpheus (done with paint markers on acetate) is the most successful. The sharpness of the colors go hand-in-hand with the dramatic content, creating an achingly beautiful set of images. Kriota Willberg's story, done with embroidery on painted fabric, is right in her wheelhouse. It's about an account of a medical procedure after an attempted murder in the 16th century. Willberg nails the medieval tapestry look. Roshan Ganu's "Chappal Diary" combines a leather sandal and photography; this one is more a novelty than a coherent narrative. D.T. Burns also uses cut paper, and while it's less sophisticated than some of the other stories, there's a solid gag at the end. Keren Katz's use of cut paper and wire sculpture to depict a scene at an art museum is not only beautifully constructed, it's also a compelling character study. The other pieces tended to be either too wordy or lacking in substance beyond formal play. Overall, the misses were just as important as the hits. This is one of the rare anthologies where the formal constraints are just as important as the narrative content, and the pieces that nailed both made for boldly distinctive and innovative comics. 

45 Days Of CCS, #37: Filipa Estrela and Allison Bannister

Filipa Estrela is one of the more fascinating graduates of CCS due to their interest in what they refer to as "unconventional material comics" or "crafted comics." These are comics made in whole or part with materials other than traditional pen or pencil. This includes photos, mixed media, felting, clay, woodcuts, etc, as they outline in their very useful mini Building Realms. This is a companion piece to Meandering Realms, the anthology they edited (and which I will be reviewing in a few more days), as well as a guide. Estrela lists some of their preferred supplies, how to plan and set intentions for such a comic, post-production tips, and much more--all with delightful crafted creations in the background. Estrela's specialty is felt and thread, and you could see them playing around with this here. 

Estrela is also quite adept at more traditional cartooning and risograph printing. Dream Of A Brighter Tomorrow, like much of Estrela's work, is aspirational. Using bold and cute figures along with bright and vivid colors, Estrela makes a claim and a wish for a better world, one where needs are attended to, radical acceptance is the norm, and collaborations are the standard. It's a lovely sentiment, and Estrela's imaginative character design brings a playfulness to the comic that prevents it from simply being a polemic. 

Little Friend, Big Feelings is the sort of delicate Risographed comic that is directly in Estrela's wheelhouse. Using bright pinks and darker blues and a cute character design style, Estrela talks about the "little one" that accompanies us all (a little fuzzy creature) that reflects our emotions, be they joy, grief, rage, fear, or even boredom. Whatever the feelings, the little one is grateful to feel them, no matter what. This is a beautiful sentiment and one that's a consistent theme throughout all of Estrela's work: feeling our feelings in a direct manner is essential to our health. 

Allison Bannister is currently working on a long-form comic called At The Inn, and she sent me the first 12 pages (the prelude and first chapter). This is an excellent example of world-building meeting character-driven narratives right in the middle, as she creates a rich environment and several memorable characters in the span of just a few pages. This is a fantasy narrative about an inn owned by a woman named Minerva who comes across a young wizard who steals food. Recognizing a proud but scared runaway when she sees one, she offers the adept (named Andreja) a job and passage to the city. While the dialogue in some of the talking heads scenes gets a bit thick, Bannister balances that with several pages that have minimal text. With a mixture of body language and knowing hints in the dialogue, Bannister imparts a great deal of information to the reader about these characters without being overly direct; the plot details are less important than the characters and what we see as their basic motivations to start with. Bannister's use of color is also tasteful and intentional, adding even more information to the narrative while also establishing beautiful, lush backgrounds. 

45 Days Of CCS, #29: Comox and Ionosphere

Comox is an odd little video game-themed anthology with an interesting gimmick: it's a flip book were two artists do the "flip-side" of the other story. Filipa Estrela and Kevin Fitzpatrick are both in it, and both of their stories are very amusing. Each chapter is two pages and focuses on a type of game: horror, RPG, fighter, etc. Estrela gets "simulation," and she approaches an Animal Crossing type of game with the concept of, "what if the farmer was actually kind of a lunatic?" The frenzy of activity following the farmer (including underground rock-breaking) is perfect for Estrela's cute character design, and the fluidity of motion (even on pages crammed with panels) allows the reader to fly right through. Their partner, Emily Wigglesworth, tells the story from the point of view of everyone else in the village who is slightly alarmed by the farmer. 

Fitzpatrick's story is a fantasy RPG, something he's quite adept at in his usual comics. While maintaining some trappings of the game environment (like a health meter), Fitzpatrick wisely steers away from the clutter of a typical video game screen (something that hurt several other stories) and sticks to the layout of a typical adventure. The story follows a hero looking for their young companion in a cave, fighting a monster, and being saved by their friend at the last second. Fitzpatrick is so clever in composing his pages, seamlessly fitting together 14 panels on one page at odd angles in a way that felt both fluid and exciting. The flip story, by Mica Liesenfeld, is told from the point of view of the younger companion. The non-CCS highlight of the anthology was Shoona Browning's first-person shooter story where the bored protagonist, after saving humanity from the zombie horde, restarts the game--much to the chagrin of their companion. 

Speaking of anthologies, Masha Zhdanova edited a very good science-fiction anthology called Ionosphere. It's not a surprise that the best pieces were by her and standout CCS alum Ivy Lynn Allie, but there were a couple of other good pieces as well. Zhdanova's story "This World Still Locked Within A Dream" is a variant take on time loop stories such as Groundhog Day. The story follows a young woman named Perilla who one day realizes she is in a time loop, but her life is so boring and routine that she only realizes it when she notices that the event banner on a phone game hasn't changed. A glamorous character from the game named Gigi Galore tells her she was selected as a time loop beta tester, and for a fee, she would be sent back to her normal life. When Perilla refuses, that creates a long series of loops with some surprising emotional connections, a long meditation on depression and loneliness, and just how hard it is to break out of routines. Zhdanova effectively combines the sparkly video game character with an extremely mundane environment. The story is also available as a stand-alone minicomic. 

Allie's story, "Playthings," is a fascinating account of how adult concerns and the concerns of children are often at such odds that there is a vast disconnection of how reality is perceived. The story takes place on another world, as a girl named Rissy tramps around while her parents feverishly work on a project that will flood a local create in order to grow oxygen-creating algae. Unbeknownst to them, Rissy has discovered a race of tiny aliens that she refers to as fairies, and her parents don't realize that in trying to reassure her about what they think are imaginary friends, they have missed out entirely on the ramifications of what they're about to do. Allie adds greater complexity when she completely misinterprets the actions of the aliens, thinking they've destroyed her robot chicken friend, and she lashes out at them in violence and anger. Allie's pages are so smooth and orderly, built around lurking misery and the creeping feeling that something bad is always about to happen. 

The other notable entries in the anthology are from Akira B. and Zab R., who spin a beautiful-looking story about a space explorer letting in a highly unwelcome visitor to his ship by accident; and Torc, whose story about the ramifications of asking a freed creature for help is emotionally resonant and highly disturbing because of the emotional connection between the characters.  

31 Days Of CCS, #29: Filipa Estrela

Filipa Estrela crafts (and I do mean crafts) delightful, multi-media minicomics, often using materials like felt and then photographing it to create a narrative. For example, Find mixes paint, cut-out figures and yarn to tell a brief, poignant story about connection in the face of darkness. The yarn is used to create the lettering, and the cut-outs are posed and drawn upon in different ways to create the figures. It's an ingenious, painstaking method that's also emotionally affecting. Acceptance is a story about a young woman climbing a mountain in order to talk to a dragon about grief, and it's done entirely in intense watercolors. There's no linework at all, as Estrela instead delineates figures with big brushstrokes. 

Joy won a MICE mini-grant in 2021, and this comic is entirely made of felted figures and backgrounds, with sewing lines deliberately made visible to emphasize the constructed quality of the comic. It's incredibly complex in its construction, and Estrela takes great pain to create movement in this story of some friends getting together for a tea party and snuggling under a blanket after a rainstorm. The expressiveness of her figures is what makes this so much fun to read, even as Estrela once again is less interested in a complex story than she is in invoking a certain kind of feeling. 

Sparkle In The Fog uses assorted craft decorations to support the narrative of being a "scattered mess," as the pile is stirred up and rearranged in order to try to create something new, only to remain a mess. But the search itself is worth it, Estrela argues. My Mother's Garden sees a pivot: exquisitely rendered and printed drawings of flowers on cards with gold-ink lettering, all to the end of highlighting the flowers found in her mother's garden. It's made all the more poignant with the reveal that the garden has fallen into disarray, representing her absence; however, the persistence of the blooms provides evidence of her hand for all time. This is a superb merging of craft, artistry, and feeling. 

Gender Clown is done in a more traditional line form, only all black lines have been flipped with white and everything is surrounded by cotton candy colors. It's an interesting and personal take on gender, as Estrela eschews any particular role, preferring to embrace all of them all at once. Like a clown wearing multiple outfits, Estrela prefers to "dress in layers" with regard to gender and gender performance, and this little confection of a comic firmly establishes this idea in an inviting manner. 

Spy/Spa Day is much more conventional in terms of narrative; it's a cute story about an anthropomorphic frog and turtle who go on a "spy" day together instead of a spa; they listen in on others, sneak around, and then eventually actually go to a spa. Estrela certainly has the chops to do kids' comics if she wants; she has the rhythm and style down pat. Date Night has more of a YA vibe, and it's just as good. This is the most conventional of the comics in this collection, but Estrela's cartooning is simple, expressive, and goes in some interesting technical directions, especially when you look at line weights and the use of color in flashback and current scenes. The comic is about two childhood friends briefly reunited for a day as adults, and they find their feelings are the same as always but have evolved into something else. The moment-in-time quality of their interactions give this comic a particular poignancy and longing, just as much of Estrela's work does.

31 Days Of CCS, #33: Fantology Issue 2

The second issue of Kristen Shull and Emily Zea's Fantology arrived just under the gun for inclusion in this feature. Unsurprisingly, this issue was generally superior to the first, often in surprising ways. For editors figuring out how best to assemble an anthology, the second issue is the one where all the kinks are generally hammered out in terms of process and production. In an anthology where very little is at stake in terms of money but a lot is at stake in terms of editorial credibility, young editors have to take risks on the kind of work they accept. There were a few newcomers in this issue and the returns were fairly positive on them; indeed, some of these stories were the best in the whole volume. 

One of the more surprising and delightful aspects of this volume is that the shared-world conceit of the first volume not only carried over here, but that some artists used the creations of other artists from the first volume to strong effect. This is another similarity to the Cartozia Tales series edited by Isaac Cates, only without the OuBaPo-style rigidity with regard to rules and switching every issue. This felt like a relaxed and fun one for artists to play together in the same world. Speaking of relaxed, the issue's theme of "Flora & Fauna" struck a nice balance between having no theme and having one that produced too much of the same thing. Each artist was simply compelled to come up with a new animal or plant during the course of their story. Some of them were incidental, and some of them drove the plot. 

While fantasy stories often devolve into world-building exercises, it was clear that Fantology's artists were generally far more interested in character-building. The characters drove the plots, and in the cases where they were returning characters, the stories served to expand on their histories and personalities. All of this is also tightened up by the anthology's narrator and gimmick Bartlebee the Bard, who not only informed the readers as to the anthology's theme, but also introduced each story and served as a natural piece of interstitial material. Unfortunately, one thing that got by the editors was matching up page numbers and the table of contents, which only had a passing resemblance to each other for many entries. 

The continuing adventures of several characters were certainly highlights. Shull's own saga of Sabi and Kata (the elf and the wizard) once again had an episode that was not only entirely satisfying on its own merits but also moved along the larger plot. It even hooked in a character from a group introduced by Leise Hook in the first issue. Given that the main characteristic of the character was his lusciousness, this was right up Shull's alley. Catalina Rufin's continuing adventures of Brono and Satu, the barbarian and his child, continued to be pitch-perfect. While retaining a rough fantasy aesthetic, the gentle quality of the story belied its concept. Filipa Estrela's gentle saga of Frill and Frond, the mushroom person and goblin who became partners in the first issue, is expanded here as the parameters and boundaries of their relationship are tested. Indeed, this is less a fantasy comic than it is a comic about relationships with fantasy trappings, although Estrela made those trappings delightful. Emily Zea's "Troubled Waters" continues the adventures of Princess Trudy and pirate captain Troub. It's a funny and compelling story, as it's made clear that Troub is more closely connected to Trudy than she first let on. Zea's linework here seems considerably more rushed in this issue than the first, however. Alex Washburn's story about a group of dysfunctional explorers maintained its humor thanks to Washburn's thick line and irreverent storytelling. 

The most interesting artists that were new to me were Tao Tao Jones and Chelsi Fiore. The former wrote a compelling story about the Pea from the "Princess and the Pea" becoming a cherished heirloom to a family of servants, until one of them broke away and created her own country based around the pea's growth. Jones' line is thin and scribbly, which suits the material, although I found myself wishing her script was a bit larger. Fiore's story about a desert traveler encountering a fuzzy little potato-like animal was imaginatively drawn and worked well with its short length. It was not just a story about reuniting a child with their family but also about an explorer who respected the environment they traveled in. 

This anthology was filled with pleasant interactions in this particular world, proving that not every fantasy story has to be about conflict. Eddie O'Neill and Kay Brand told a story about a couple going hunting for eggs and herbs so they could have brunch together; the plot was thin, but it was all about fleshing out their dynamic as a couple. Emily Bradfield's story had a little more action, but it was about a witch and a new witch wishing to be her friend and work comrade and how routine can often prevent us from making connections. Rainer Kannenstine's story is a send-up of boastful fantasy tropes. Kat Ghastly offered up more of a psychedelic bit of lore than a story, but it worked as a visually impactful opener. 

There were three stories that particularly stood out. Keren Katz's detailing of how the coin-people introduced in the first issue reversed their process and undid everything that was purchased with them was both conceptually fascinating and heart-rending. In terms of style, there's no one who draws with her level of detail and conceptual power. Kevin Fitzpatrick's meaty story about a potions-master and his imprisonment was full of fascinating character details, ethically thorny dilemmas, and extensive mastery of light and dark contacts. Emil Wilson's story about hunters discovering a bear with an orange tree growing on it not only had an exciting blend of naturalism and weirdness, it also was emotionally complex and touching. 

At 252 pages, the volume felt a little bloated. There were several stories that were had to parse or process visually that could have been eliminated. While the slighter stories were enjoyable, this issue felt unbalanced in that direction. The more complex stories really stood out in this volume, but their tone was subdued by the lighter fare in some of the other stories. Creating a balance in an open-call anthology is extremely difficult, but it's a credit to Shull and Zea that they were able to sequence things in such a way that they were nearly able to pull it off. 

31 Days Of CCS, #26: Fantology

Every year, someone from CCS always seems to step up to do the work of editing and publishing an anthology. It's a time-tradition that has produced some excellent comics, including Sundays, Irene, Maple Key Comics, and most recently Brainworm. This time around, it's Fantology Volume 1: Origins, edited by Kristen Shull and Emily Zea. It's a straight-up fantasy anthology that makes no apologies for its subject matter and celebrates it with gusto. Not everyone in the book is a CCS student or grad, so for the purposes of this review, I will mostly focus on the CCS contingent.

While there are some solid entries in this anthology, the care that editors Shull and Zea put into make it greater than the sum of its parts. From Tess Scilipoti's simple but eye-catching cover design to the interstitial rhymes of Bartlebee the Bard to the choice of paper stock, this is a cohesive-looking and attractive book. Shull and Zea also chose to put these stories in a shared world (similar to what Isaac Cates did in Cartozia Tales), with a map at the beginning giving readers a rough understanding of that world and where the stories take place. It's a clever device that helps draw together a number of disparate styles and as well as skill levels.

Catalina Rufin's "The Quest" is one of the highlights of the anthology. Rufin went all-in on a thick line weight and spotting blacks and it works well with her relatively simple but expressive character design. It's an interesting contrast, because fantasy art with this kind of line usually tends to be more naturalistic and dramatic, but with the story's actual emotional narrative arc, that contrast between dramatic and pared-down made sense. The story follows a warrior and a young apprentice magician sidekick, and his supposed quest against a powerful witch. Rufin touchingly and hilariously subverts this trope in a way that still makes sense within the genre but also makes fun of warrior-types who can't express their feelings.

Filipa Estrela's "Discovery" is another delightful, warm story about a goblin who happens upon an island inhabited by mushroom people called Mycelia. Estrela cleverly sets the entire paradigm of an explorer on its ear, as Frond the Goblin realizes that she can't report her discovery of the island to anyone, lest it be despoiled by invaders. There's a delightful romance between Frond and Frill, the Mycelium who greets her on the island, and it leaves off on a note that implies that there could be future stories featuring this couple. The one problem with this story is that Estrela's line is light to the point of illegibility at times; it looks more like detailed thumbnails rather than a completed story. The story is also highly text-heavy, and there's some awkwardness with word-balloon placement. This was also a story that fairly cried out for color to add some weight to its pages, but the anthology was of course in black and white. 

I reviewed Alexander Washburn's "Clan Zargs" last year, as he submitted it as a separate feature. It's a nice fit in the anthology, as his anthropomorphic animal character design, thick line weight, and use of negative space allow the pages to breathe while he tells his silly and funny story about a newly-formed group of treasure hunters. I also reviewed Shull's "Thirsty" in her entry this year for CCS, and it perfectly encapsulated the best of fantasy fiction. It's not just telling a fantastical story, but introducing characters who are trying to tell their own story and create their own identity. 

Rainer Kannenstine's "The Apotheosis Of Jahk" is a well-realized story of a fisherman and a malevolent being named Titanis who at first offers friendship and wisdom to Jahk and those around him, but later inspires bloodlust and conquest. It's a story of a seemingly impossible moral problem and how Jahk failed it. Kannenstine's bold use of black and white contrasts matches his simple line nicely; it's a good example of creating a powerful set of images without overrendering.

Zea closed the anthology with "Seas The Day," a delightful coming-of-age fantasy story about a young princess who wants to be a warrior like her older brothers and the pirate who raids their city. Zea's sketchy pencil drawings and spare but powerful inking make each drawing pop off the page without losing any of their expressive power. 

Natalie Wardlaw and L.S. Hook both contributed short pieces. Wardlaw's was a silent story about finding a fairy with torn wings and mending them. It's simple, sweet, and drawn in Wardlaw's signature elegant line. Hook's contribution isn't so much a comic as it is a series of hunky drawings of men on an island that so enchanted the explorer that they chose to remain there. Both are the kind of short, intermediary pieces that provide flavor in anthologies like this. Amy Burns' "When The Gods Grew Bored" is a powerful creation myth for a particular group of people that's well designed and cartooned. Burns' attempt at a naturalistic approach didn't quite land because her character design was too crude; her lettering was also all over the place, which was distracting. 

Other interesting contributions included Jared Beerman's highly atmospheric fumetti photos of miniatures telling a story, Eliot Crow and Keren Katz's haunting story of a people turned into currency in the desert and what ultimately happens to them; Emily Bradfield's story of an official trying to thwart poachers and its surprising outcome; and Tay James' funny story of a young potion-maker trying to decide her future. 

Another volume of this anthology has been produced, and I'll be curious to see what kind of a jump the dedicated creators, as well as the editors, made. The second volume of an anthology tends to be the one where the editors figure out how to fix the errors they made in the first volume, so I'm eager to see what kind of leap they all make. 

31 Days Of CCS, #15: Filipa Estrela

Filipa Estrela sent me a lot of comics last year for this feature, and it was clear that she was developing a number of interesting ideas all at once. Her entries for this year are further developed versions of several of her better original ideas that show off not only her ability as a cartoonist, but also as a crafter and graphic designer. 

Grow is a fascinating art object. Tucked away inside a cover with a velcro seal and the title letters laid out in glitter and glue, this is a reboot of a project about a magician who gives sentience to a beautiful mushroom, which in turn decides to become a sort of mushroom farmer. However, instead of the comic being drawn, it was done entirely by way of needlefelt and then photographed. The effect is astonishing, creating a fuzzy, magical aura on each page. Estrela maintained a rock-solid hold on the cartooning aspect in every panel in order to establish clarity and also was careful to balance aspects of the page like the relationship of bodies to each other in space. That was the most impressive thing, because it could have easily looked like things hanging in space. Instead, Estrela even introduces foregrounds and backgrounds in a number of panels without compromising the reading experience. The only thing that would have improved the experience was for the pages to be bigger and slicker, to let the colors really shine. I could easily see Estrela pursuing something like this as a hardcover in the future. 

Rioteens! is a magazine-size expansion on her Rioteens characters that she introduced in minicomics. They were actually born as characters she invented for a superhero role-playing game, but they were clearly so much fun to think about that she invented a teen magazine for them to inhabit. If the Rioteens were characters that could have appeared in the old Action Girl anthology comic, then this magazine is the sort of thing that Sarah Dyer would have delightfully reported on in her old zine. 

There's a ten-page adventure comic, wherein Kitty Swipe tries to raise money for her non-binary sister Bubblegum Hop. There are word searches, fake ads, paper dolls to cut out, question and answer sessions with the stars of the book, drawing exercises, fan art, an advice column, and extended bios for all of the characters. Estrela went all-out and did the entire thing in color, which made her characters just jump off the page. Her character designs were already clever and varied; for example, Kitty Swipe is a fat character, and this is presented in an entirely matter-of-fact way. BH is still the best, as he's a sentient black hole who wears a yellow hoodie, and he keeps his hands in it most of the time. Estrela's comics all have a delightfully upbeat quality to them that's still rooted in real-life concerns. 

31 Days Of CCS #21: Filipa Estrela

Filipa Estrela is a first-year student at CCS and is the classic example of a motivated, hard-working cartoonist who doesn't quite know what kind of cartoonist they want to be just yet. Estrela's work is all over the place as she's put out work at a furious pace to see what might stick. After reading this big stack of comics, the most evident thing about her is that CCS is helping her to focus her talent and refine it. Where she will go with it is still a mystery, as I can easily see her focusing on YA work, memoir, or fantasy fiction. She may well pull an Eleanor Davis and do all of these things. Let's take a look at her collection of short works.

She did a bunch of eight-page micro-mini comics. Most of them were jokes or very brief narratives. What Did The Electrician Say To The Dentist? represents her most throwaway version of this sort of thing. Why I Am Still Awake @ 2:33 AM is done entirely with thought balloons, as she illustrates her restlessness. She did a Magical Girl origin story, a scribbly mini about the somatic effects of her anxiety and how she deals with it, unpredictable New England weather, and a list of personal characteristics titled Identity. Magic Shroom and The Unicorn And The Cat both stand out as having the core concepts and images for longer work, especially the former. In this comic, a wizard walks by and gives a mushroom sentience, and it then proceeds to be a farmer that grows more mushrooms. There's something pure about all of these comics, as they feel like they were done under some kind of time restraint. They're all short, scribbly, and expressive.

Rioteens! #1 and We Are The Rioteens! are the kind of things that might have appeared in Action Girl Comics twenty years ago. The characters are so fully realized in part because Estrela designed them for a role-playing game, and that level of detail made it easy to instantly understand and recognize each character. The character who is a black hole wearing a hoodie is an especially clever bit of character design, but the whole flavor of the concept is a nice blend of cute and edgy. A more refined version of this feels like a good fit for Estrela's first long-form project.

Companion is an inspired take on the Ed Emberley assignment, where one uses his method of basic, simple shapes to make drawings. On glossy cardstock with bright, saturated colors, Estrela told of a creator who made a witch character who rejected all scenarios and sidekicks. Not until the creator entered the strip in the form of a cat was the witch happy. It's a clever idea, one that I could easily see expanded into a kid's board book. Estrela likes harpies, and her Harpies Of New England combined a bird-watcher's guide with different kinds of female magical creatures. Two of them appeared in Estrela's take on Aesop, Sparrow & Crow. It's a funny take on the moral "Birds of a feather flock together," but the pacing was awkward in this story. The other problem was that the figures had so many decorative features that they looked stiff; for a story that depended on characters interacting in space, it disturbed a lot of the subtler aspects of the story.

Ona's Parade is much better in this regard, with a similar level of decorative details but a greater focus on balancing physical bodies in space. How To Make A Shoople is an interesting accomplishment, as it focuses on Estrela as a maker as well as a cartoonist. The comic is about making a creature, and it's crafted as much as it's drawn, with crepe' paper and other items used on the page to create images along with drawings. It's more of an experiment than a real comic, but it's a technique she could use elsewhere. I've only seen this used for long-form comics a few times, and there's a world of potential there. Finally, Catharsis is a personal comic about grieving her mother, depression, and anxiety. It's roughly-crafted at points, but it also features some of Estrela's most spontaneous and expressive drawings. She was willing to spill some ink here and it showed. That bodes well for her future, and I will be curious to see how she develops as she finds her own style.