The Webcomics Weekly continues down the list of Eisner nominations with a look at “Spores”, not to be confused with the 2008 game Spore.
Spores
Pages 1-31
Complete
Created by Joshua Barkman
Reviewed by Mel Lake
Let’s continue our Eisner nominee coverage! This week we have “Spores,” a comic about nature and communication from the artist who brings you charming and irreverent bird content under the title “False Knees.”
If you’ve spent any amount of time on Tumblr, the social media site that defies categorization and multiple attempts to kill it, you’ve probably seen one of the “False Knees” comics. They usually feature birds, though bugs and raccoons also appear. Sometimes they are deep, meaningful ruminations on life and nature. They often feature birds saying funny (or rude) things. This type of irreverent and offbeat humor is perfect for Tumblr, which is also inscrutable, sometimes deep, and often rude. One of my favorites is of Bird1 telling Bird2, “You can’t always fly away from your problems.” Bird2 peaces out, hopping off a branch, leaving Bird1 totally shook. I hadn’t realized how many of these comics I’ve come across on the Internet without knowing who created them, and I’m glad the Eisner nominees prompted me to rectify that. Even though this review is specifically of “Spores,” I highly recommend checking out a few of the regular “False Knees” comics as well. They’re great!
“False Knees” is usually a self-contained four-panel comic where each page can be read independently. But “Spores” is a sequential story about a meteorite that crashes to earth and briefly changes the lives of the animals in the forest that encounter it. A mysterious red fungus spreads from the meteorite and when the birds, mice, and other animals that eat or otherwise come into contact with the spores, they can understand each other’s speech. Like a reverse tower of Babel, the spores facilitate communication between creatures who otherwise would be predators and prey. A mouse who narrowly escaped being eaten by an owl is given a voice to communicate its displeasure at being eaten, and even gets a platform on which to complain—the back of a giant moose. Woodpeckers learn that chickadees have given them nicknames and a beetle reminds them that they are all part of the cycle of nature. The beetles may be eaten by the birds today but when they die, they’ll decompose and be consumed by the beetles in turn. Even though the magic spores don’t last forever, the moose and the owl form a quiet friendship. And they grant the wish of the little loud mouse, bringing it a gift—a pine cone from a tree that, for the mouse, is very far away.
Everything in “Spores” is black and white, except the spores themselves, which are red. In a fun bit of meta humor, the birds comment on how red is usually a sign for bad in nature, as in, don’t eat this! But when they do, the sarcastic birds get to actually talk to the chickadees they make fun of. The different personalities of the animals are what make this story so fun and fresh, in addition to the thoughtful and resonant message about the unifying force of nature. There’s just something so fun about a wise-ass woodpecker recommending “slamming your head against bark.” The clean lines and black-and-white artwork makes it so that your eye isn’t distracted while reading and the focus of each panel is made clear. Barkman is able to give each bird a distinct personality, which is amazing in such a short work. These birds are realistic-looking and expressive at the same time because of the way their faces and eyes are drawn—Barkman is an incredibly skilled artist.
In addition to the impressive animal artwork, this comic is both funny and profound. I mentioned the irreverent birds of “False Knees” earlier, and a similar type of subtle humor is present in “Spores.” While the beetle is making a profound speech about the connectedness of all life, one of the birds just can’t stop thinking about eating it. “Spores” strikes the right balance between feel-good nature documentary messaging and sly humor.
“Spores” is a relatively short comic about animals and communication that’s well worth reading. And if you have a bird watcher in your life, “False Knees” should definitely be on their to-read list.
