COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology

A wide variety of creators explore the Covid-19 pandemic in this impassioned and impressive anthology, with stories seen through the eyes of frustrated children, exhausted doctors, bereaved sons, and myriad others. Diversity, both of topic and in form, is the volume’s greatest strength: monochrome meditations upon presidential malfeasance sit comfortably alongside pastel satires of virtual schooling. But not every entry is a winner. Weaker comics bury static drawings in paragraphs of tiny text, which do little more than recite dry facts. Still, the anthology’s high points eclipse these missteps. Brenna Thummler’s “Sort of Together & Mostly Apart” is a particular standout, offering jewel-toned glimpses of canceled proms, retail drudgery, and hospital heartbreak. Lee Marrs’s candy-colored portrait of one community coming together to sing in the streets for comfort and, in time, for justice amid 2020’s protests is similarly affecting, balancing pathos with a bubbly cartoon aesthetic. Carried by the stronger pieces, the anthology captures the anxiety, courage, and surreality of the current era with a visceral quality that lingers. (Feb.)