Rescue Party
Raw emotion mixes with fantastical dreams in Rescue Party, creating a snapshot of a world constantly on the edge of 
uncertainty. Reading the whole anthology cover to cover was an emotional trip that took me through the familiar hope, despair, humor, and regret that so many people experienced in a time that seems both uncomfortably recent and impossibly ancient.
In April 2020, shortly after the pandemic forced him to close his alternative comic and zine store, editor Gabe Fowler put out a call for comics on Instagram. He asked that each comic conform to a nine panel layout and envision the artist’s ideal future. Over 250 entries from at least 50 countries were submitted to the project and posted online, resulting in an eclectic mix of experiences and views. This anthology contains over 140 comics that were noted by Fowler as particularly impactful.
To say that the art of Rescue Party is diverse is an understatement. Every single artist has a unique style and medium, such as drawing, painting, and collage. Entries vary from soft and straight forward to abstract and surreal. Some messages are reflected literally, others poetically, and with some it was as if line and color were exposed nerves spread across the page. Most readers are likely to find comics here that resonate with them, and I personally found a lot to love, but it was impossible for me to connect with every single one.
While the project’s directive asked for the ideal; pain, isolation, frustration and cynicism sometimes leak through and project dystopian presents and futures. This occasionally made it a heavy read, but I felt the rawness and honesty of these particular entries accurately expressed the reality of living through early Covid and lockdown. Idealism wasn’t always within reach. As contributor Promona Sengupta writes at the end of her uncomfortable narrative, “Anyway, I was supposed to tell you a positive pandemic story. This came out instead. Mea Culpa”.
As distinctive as the contributors and their art are, certain themes tie many of the entries together. Isolation features prominently and is frequently depicted through a desperate yearning for human touch and connection, and a wish to have every important friend and relative in one, tangible place. Sometimes quarantine is seen as a relief and a break from the exhausting world and broken systems laid bare by the pandemic.
Other artists expressed their wishes for the planet and played on themes of climate change and how the earth transforms without us. In some stories we succeed in making the earth safe and whole, in others we fail. And sometimes what we leave behind fuses with nature to create something new. In Rescue Party, there are as many possible futures as there are people.
I often struggled with readability as I moved through this collection. Along with the diversity in art comes a lot of variation in lettering, and some of the handwriting in particular proved difficult for me to decipher. I was provided with a digital review copy, where zooming in was possible and helpful, but I find myself wondering if a print copy would present an accessibility issue for some readers. Other content that might be challenging includes nudity, discussions of mental health and, of course, extreme isolation. Rescue Party is best shelved in an adult-focused graphic novel collection.
I did not follow the Rescue Party project on Instagram as it was happening, but having read this anthology, I truly wish I had. I think I would have found connection and solidarity in the moment. Reading it now, it takes me back to not just the news-worthy developments in early 2020, but the deep and nuanced emotions I personally felt at the time. Seeing some of the more optimistic comics leaves me with a coulda, woulda, shoulda feeling, but it’s a reminder that even in our worst moments, we can envision better futures.
Rescue Party A Graphic Anthology of COVID Lockdown
By Gabe Fowler
Pantheon, 2024
ISBN: 9780593316801
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
