Ahead of its appearance at WonderCon 2026, Fanbase Press has announced a new middle grade Graphic Medicine series, Shrub, and The Beat has all the details.
Shrub, an eight-issue series that will soon launch on Kickstarter, is written by Shane Portman, illustrated by Andy Alves, colored by Sophia Du and Celia FitzGerald, lettered by Oceano Ransford, and with consultation from comics librarian Moni Barrette. The story follows the titular Shrub on a cross-country roadtrip with his brother and sister as they process grief and attempt to reconnect with each other.
“In the footsteps of ET or Wall-E, Shrub and their insatiable awe for everything they come in contact with—people, birds, cows, even vending machines—is the open-hearted catalyst of this story,” said Portman. “Their compassionate connection to each character is a living example of the empathy that we all need and deserve.
“I can’t wait for readers to meet Shrub, to laugh with and feel for these characters, and maybe even find some kinship along the way,” Portman concluded.
“We were immediately taken by Shrub‘s thrilling road trip adventure, but what truly made the story stand out was the compassionate way in which it engaged the reader in an empathetic conversation about how we grieve,” said Fanbase Press co-founder and editor-in-chief Barbra Dillon. “Given that so many of our community members of all ages have known great loss, we hope that Shrub’s story will foster a sense of collective support.”
According to Fanbase Press, Shrub explores various ways of processing and existing alongside grief, inspired by Portman’s experience with the loss of his father. The eight-issue series includes the essay series “Letting Grief Take Root,” which features work by individuals with personal and/or professional connections to grief. Essayists include Portman and his family, grief doula Kat Primeau, and licensed marriage and family therapist Ariel Landrum.
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