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Elements: Fire

Elements: Fire is an anthology of short comics by creators of color. All of the art is in black and white, with red accents. The result is visually striking and gives the anthology cohesion while also demonstrating a variety of art styles. All of the stories involve speculative fiction, including non-European-based fantasy and some “smash the dystopia” style science fiction.

The best thing about this anthology is that it showcases so many artists and writers. There are twenty-three stories, and all of the writers and artists were new to me. The stories are rich in visual and artistic storytelling, and intensely empowering. Most of the protagonists are women. Not all involve romance, but several do.

Unfortunately, all of the stories are just a few pages long. It was hard for me to get involved in any one story because by the time I got into it I was done. Standouts included “Breathe” by Kiku Hughes, “A Burner of Sins,” by Jy Yang, the very funny “‘D’ is for Dunkin’ and Doughnuts,” by Orunmilla Williams, and the sweetly romantic “Red Light,” by Aatmaja Pandya.

Even though the stories were too short to get me emotionally invested in them individually, the anthology as a whole was a great starting point for me in terms of expanding my reading. I expect to return to it often, looking for new artists to follow!

– Carrie S

ELEMENTS: Fire is a comics anthology of 23 stories by creators of color from around the globe. With stories featuring peaceful warriors, blossoming brujas, godly hackers, and a fire-breathing dragon boy, we are the main characters of our own stories, not the sidekicks or token characters. This is an anthology that is full of our passions, magic, and inner fire because our diversity is not just a buzzword: it’s our reality!