SMALL HOURS

Originally a webcomic, Minelli’s vignettes ruminate on life, love, and anxiety.

Black-and-white (with the occasional color accent), this anthology collects a series of mostly four-paneled comic strips (with the occasional six- or eight-panel length bits). Populated mainly by an unnamed female character and her similarly unnamed boyfriend, this bitingly observant collection depicts the most mundane aspects of everyday life and relationships—sharing a bed with a partner, feeling anxiety in a world seemingly overwhelmed with unending horrors—through an empathetically humorous lens. Most of the sketches examine more adult problems, however many, like those focusing on self-doubt or finding joy, are universal. In the wordless piece “Thank You,” the unnamed main character sits on her bed in a dark room and cries only to be comforted by the arrival of her dog. In another, “So Cute,” the male character reflects on how adorable his girlfriend is while sleeping—until she farts on him. The foreword by Jonathan Kunz and Elizabeth Pich explains their theory of #sadbutfunny and describes how Minelli strives to impart readers with a sense of hope. With a nod toward introversion, all things comfy, and love of geek culture, expect this to resonate with fans of webcomic “Sarah Scribbles” by Sarah Andersen or Book Love by Debbie Tung (2019). Both unnamed characters are white.

Delightfully snarky existentialism that reads like the millennial descendant of “Love Is.” (Graphic fiction. 14-adult)