Boundary- a new comic by Emily Cowan

I am so excited that Vancouver artist, Emily Cowan, has now launched her extraordinary comic BOUNDARY online!

BOUNDARY is a long-form comic about being stuck, difficult families, changing friendships and the different kinds of boundaries in our lives. Mostly though, it’s about adolescent frustration and the unbearable tragedy that is being fifteen.

The worst part of being fifteen is the monotony. That’s what Paige thinks anyway. Doing the same things, seeing the same faces, hearing the same opinions and going to the same places: day in, day out, forever – it’s driving her crazy! Add a teacher’s strike that completely stalls the school year, friends who don’t seem to think monotony is a problem, and parents who think EVERYTHING is a problem and Paige feels ready to tear her hair out from the restlessness. She can’t wait for a few more years to pass so she can finally DO SOMETHING – because after all, once you grow up you can finally make things happen for yourself.

…Right?

Emily Cowan has a sharp and insightful approach to both life and her art. I have been lucky enough to watch Emily’s creative process in person. Each panel is meticulously rendered with a sure hand and the drawings reflect the dry wit and teenage angst that is the heart of the comic perfectly. The landscape, both exterior and interior, are so welcoming, familiar and accurate. I love the sparseness of the text, allowing the story to truly speak- authentically. And the characters have that look- what we call in Sweden: halvslutna ögon- that half mast eyed “sigh” look of the anxious and fatigued- yet ALIVE, living life one beautiful step at a time.

And OH MY GOD- it’s just so GOOOOOOOD!

Check out panels 1 and 2 and make sure to catch new posts online!

Boundary updates on Mondays.