ish

by Adam de Souza

An evocative and contemplative collection of short comics from cartoonist Adam de Souza, ish explores the complicated nature of grief through a series of loosely connected vignettes. Each brief glimpse brings another layer to the nuances of healing--from the deep muck of despair to unexpected joys--all told with care and thoughtfulness that shows through the page.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Mental Health, Ebooks

56 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2022

About the author

My name is Adam de Souza and I am based in the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia. I write and draw comics, illustrate children’s books, and have worked as a freelance designer in animation.

My first graphic novel The Gulf released through Tundra Books in March 2024. I’m currently working on a few unannounced projects as well as my on-going and award-winning comic strip Blind Alley. You can also read the first chapter of my comic strip Brambles online.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

this short graphic novel collects three of the author's previously published zines. i did enjoy this, though it didn't strike me as particularly memorable.

de souza perfectly captures a haunting sense of undefined childhood doom. you don't understand exactly what's happening, but you know that something is deeply wrong. there is profound sadness here, unapologetic yet unsentimental. the loss of childhood comforts, the eternal calling out unanswered for the love you need. also, the horror of realizing that heartache and beauty exist concurrently. fallibility of memories, and losing one thing at a time, precious and bittersweet.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of comics short shorts, poems, in various styles, and different formats and moods, on grief, loss. Sketchy, elliptical, lyrical, more just reflective than sad.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poetic gibberish and doodles about grief. Meh.

[Ryan Mandelbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly my favourite graphic novel read of the year so far from, very likely, my new favourite writer/artist. Something about this collection of short stories, poems, and vignettes connected with me on an incredibly personal level, and left me feeling deeply grounded in a way I can’t quite convey. De Souza taps into something so profoundly human in his writing, not to mention his utterly delicate treatment of form and space, and the way it all comes together left me feeling a real sense of connection to him, and also in the strangest way...to everything? These stories don’t just feel like a conversation with a friend, but one of those especially paradigm shifting conversations that only happen a few times in ones lifetime, when you just happen to be in just the right space with just the right people. It’s books like this that remind me the immeasurable value of art in that, much like those conversations, it can strive to connect us in a way we never could otherwise.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story told in little pieces, like a swiss cheese narrative. It means to communicate feelings instead of a concrete plot, and at that it does amazingly well. It paints how awkward and foreign life feels when you are experiencing grief. How it becomes a bit of a journey of finding yourself, or at least replacing part of yourself because a part of yourself is now gone. Really simple, elegant and lovely.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful morsel of a book, demonstrating how comics can tell a story unlike any medium. Through just a few spare lines, we see an erotic scene, or the crushing confusion of grief. The palette runs from pencil to black and white to bursts of color pages, that can be a refuge. I only wish it was longer to stay longer in the atmosphere of de Souza's art.

[Averil *rat emoji* · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am afraid I am beginning to forget or I already have and all I have left are memories of memories or unacknowledged absences
I long for my mothers arms
A flutter of early love
My dog
Those fortresses of love
It all feels so bleak
I don’t want to be a mother in this world
But I want to give love and feel it to my core
Exhume grace
Grace
Grace.”

“Landmarks unfazed by their inclusions in memory”
“And isn’t recalling an act of praise?”

[Lệ Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only when I read ‘ish’, this collection of short comics, that I remember finding Adam’s work at the earlier time before Blind Alley. It brought me back to the time when I was studying in Toronto and was so involved in the art scene there. I can see the traces of what he had done back then and how it has been evolving through time and getting better.
A Christmas gift from my partner. The last read on New Year’s Eve to reflect and bid farewell to 2025.

[nicole ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beautiful, but it's hard to follow. The art is gorgeous and reminiscent of Picasso at times, almost? Primarily, I would say, De Souza is an amazing artist. The stories/vignettes themselves were a bit scattered and difficult to follow. The feelings the vignettes evoked tended to contemplative, but not much else. I know there was supposed to be more, but there just wasn't.

[Axolotl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Certain pages were very interesting to me, where I liked the words and the drawing, such as the last page, or the part near the beginning where she looks at her dad's deflated shoulders after getting a call that is presumably about his wife being near death. Most of it though was too vague for me. But I've also never experienced loss before, so maybe there's something there I'm not getting.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t find it particularly good. Both art and story are original in a certain way, but they lack proper style, depth in the depiction of grief and the art wasn’t really my style. I wouldn’t recommend it.

[Holly Letson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this at all. It's confusing to the point of being annoying. It seemed to jump all over the place. Everytime it had anything resembling a plot, it would jump into something else instead, seemingly on purpose. It's headache-inducing.

[Ayn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, bittersweet read on life, grief, memory, and time. This graphic novel feels like a friend taking your hand and saying nothing in a tough moment, just holding it and being there with you in comforting, understanding silence. Beautifully done and honest.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like a little poem, or collection of poems, set to more abstract comic art. Some cool pages, I liked the variety in the artwork. I think I might have liked the surreal aspects just for their sake.

[el · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool to look at, but too abstract and poetic for my tastes.

[Larakaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, thought provoking, grappling, free flow and contemplative musings about grief

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly loosely styled comics about fairly deep topics. Feels at points amateurish and Other points astounding. An interesting quick read with little edges that might stick into you for the duration

[Kit Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply gorgeous.

[Cail Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing and recalling as an act of praise. Poetic short-form comics collecting three of Adam’s zines. Recommended.

[Aglaé · Rating 4 out of 5]

it made me want to cry.

[M Aghazarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 -- it was ok. I liked the words and typography best.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why the blurb calls it a collection of short comics- it is all one story. Showing grief in a graphic and wordless way, sometimes the only way it can be expressed/understood.

[Joshua Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Artsy AND fartsy. Not my thing.

[John Stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the read, and the author is Indigenous from Vancouver!

[chi · Rating 5 out of 5]

gentle, generous, meandering, patient, understated, moving

[Imet · Rating 3 out of 5]

short graphic novel exploring grief and ways it can be overcome(kinda?). I liked the color pages!!

[okaysio · Rating 5 out of 5]

introspection, grief & joy! cannot recommend enough

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

squiggles made me feel stuff. graphic medicine review forthcoming.