UM

Buttercup (Real Realm) weaves edgy social commentary into a playful time warp in this enchanting and vivacious first volume of their ongoing Afrodiasporic sci-fi/fantasy webcomic. Eugenne, a nonbinary apprentice midwife, brings their new partner, Albertx, to meet another pair of lovers and complete their ambitions for a polycule. As a bonus, they lay out chamomile tea, blunts, and candles for a moon worship ritual. At the gathering, Eugenne has a vision of a group of midwives from 3,000 years ago donning armor to protect a village under attack while a woman gives birth. Thus begins a series of visions Eugenne exeriences over the following days, all of ancient warrior midwives. After a complicated delivery with their own patient, a trans man, a distraught Eugenne begins to find they can tap into a cosmic force and “warp the umbra,” manipulating the physical world (and ultimately people’s emotional reality) by changing objects’ volume/density and place in time and space when faced with threats, mainly from cisgender men. A mysterious figure monitors Eugenne and their partners as they question this awakening, hinting at plot points to unfold in future volumes. Buttercup assembles a delightfully diverse cast of queer characters, who chatter in dialogue truncated like chat messages (complete with emoji). The muted color palette, transportive wordless sequences, and realistic midwifery details blend into an adventure that’s equal parts authentic and mystical. Fans of the magical girl genre will be seduced by this mash-up of Sailor Moon and Nnedi Okorafor. (Sept.)