Naked Reading 2023 VI

I've updated my Naked Reading 2023 page with my latest comic read, a one-shot called A.R.C..

The titular A.R.C. is the Animal Rights Collective, a group of anti-poaching vigilantes. Set in southern Africa in a tale spanning multiple nations, the scope of this story feels bigger than this single issue could contain. But it still managed to champion protecting the natural world, and shines a spotlight on the very real brutality of the trade in exotic animal parts, including a nuanced look at who the victims are in that trade, highlighting things like child soldiers and poverty that drives people to desperate and terrible acts. A lot of those terrible acts are depicted in what is a much more violent comic than my usual tastes. But I did enjoy someone using this format of story telling to highlight a real issue, and having the motivation in-story for characters to actually care about protecting nature in a way we normally only see in heroic acts to save people and nations.

That's my mini-review, but I've also written more extensive thoughts on my book review blog.

Plus again as a little bonus for my Patreon supporters, I've shared an alternate take of this self-portrait there.