Week of 4/28/2025`
In my last update before my hiatus, puns run amok again on The Shapes, I give the usual announcements, and review Bim Eriksson's graphic novel debut Baby Blue.
The Shapes
Filipe of the Philippines
News
Weekend Event Announcements
Today from noon to six, I’m at Everyone Comics selling my books and other merch with JJ Ortega!
And tomorrow from 10 AM-4 PM, you can find me in Port Jefferson, Long Island, tabling at the annual Spring Craft and Vendor Fair. For those who read the past two updates, no need to worry too much about little ol’ me. I found out the location is near an LIRR station. However, I’ll still need to give myself at least a three-hour head start, so don’t be shocked if I’m an hour late!
Sammy the Critic
Baby Blue Review
In a not-too-distant, futuristic Stockholm, human emotions are policed by the state to suppress any negative feelings, creating the illusion of collectivistic happiness. Betty Pott, hard as she tries to fit in, can’t quite ignore her depression, anxiety, and general social alienation. As the authorities take notice of this, they put her under increasing scrutiny, which only makes her feel more confined. While admitted in the hospital, she meets the socially defiant Berina, who takes her to the home of the Resistance, a rogue underworld of individuals rebelling against the repressive state.
The graphic novel debut of Swedish cartoonist Bim Eriksson, Baby Blue is the most psychologically haunting comics work to come out this year so far. Through the use of a chiefly 6-panel page structure and geometrical, clean linework, Eriksson creates a sequential allegory of the societal uniformity depicted in her dystopia. Within the hospital ward scenes, this motif is further emphasized through minimalistic backgrounds emblemizing the sterility that such an oppressive system enables. While the clubbing scene is fancifully detailed, within the story's thematic context, this could be viewed as a foreshadowing catalyst to what ensues afterward, as once we get to the Resistance headquarters, the backgrounds become consistently rich both in natural scenery and interior design almost as if the author herself is liberated by her own artistic confinement.
Betty undergoes a similar character evolution in her arc. She begins docile, forcing herself to mask under the systemic confines, both figuratively and literally, since in this society, many people wear face masks to avoid identification. Nevertheless, when she reaches the Resistance commune, she slowly but surely opens up to Berina, who helps Betty unlearn her internalized mental health stigmas in a very realistic way. Betty initially tries to deny the validity of her issues, stating that they’ll simply go away if she continues to “live right and be a good citizen…” before Berina emphatically deconstructs those notions.
Overall, Baby Blue is an exceptionally sublime release that I see going down as the best of the decade. You can purchase it on the Fantagraphics website or order it from a retailer near you.