Everyone will have their ‘go-to’ comic for chilling out and relaxing. For some of my friends, they love horror. Others will crawl into volumes of manga. My goal is to always have something to lift me up rather than kick me while I’m down. Each of these suggestions fit the bill. This is truly a world of superheroes and all it entails. With each short story, we glimpse into alternate lives of superheroes and the lives of those around them. The nostalgic art also harkens to dreams of a better albeit alternative future and gives the whole book a relaxing optimistic vibe. If the world has been feeling a little too dystopian-future, take a breather and relax with this awesome series. BTW: If you can’t get your hands on the earliest issues, check out former Book Rioter Marcy Cook and her review of Astro City #16 for its 2015 Eisner Award. Once done there, come back and join the fan club while we read The Promise; a continuation from the end of the series with a story about Zuko and Earth King Kuei. Avatar has never shied from real-life serious issues but it addresses them with an emotional maturity missing from the last four years. The comic books are no different, especially with Gurihiru capturing the art so perfectly. The whole series of comics are brilliant but this one is worthy of our chill-out list. BTW: if you are looking for more Avatar comics, keep an eye out for Avatar: The Last Airbender: Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy, scheduled for release in February 2021. Written by Faith Erin Hicks and Peter Wartman, and illustrated by Adele Matera, this new issue is prize Toph at her best. McCay was lauded as a comic genius for his time. He loved to experiment with visual layouts. He was also well respected for his understanding of psychedelic dream experiences. However, McCay also featured many ethnic stereotypes throughout his storytelling. Certain characters do not transfer well into modern settings. This is where the recent inspiration proves to be a better read. In 2014, Shanower and Rodríguez returned to Slumberland with a new playmate: a boy with the middle name of Nemo. Except this Nemo is not interested in being the Princess’s playmate and has no idea what is going on with his ‘dream travelling’. Shanower does a great job of capturing McCay’s storytelling techniques and reviving original characters from the weekly strips. But it is Rodríguez’s illustrations which will fill your dreams. The same whimsical fantastical imagery creates artwork I want to tear out and plaster all over my walls. This is a delightful read, and definitely worth relaxing with before the upcoming Netflix series Slumberland (release date yet to be announced). Now it’s time to put my feet up and grab more comics to relax with.
