bellisk's review against another edition
5.0
If it’s possible, I loved this book even more than the first Beyond anthology. The stories and art span a vast array of moods and settings: from carefree adventure to matters of life or death; from subtle, almost wordless sequences of characters wandering through a changed natural world, to bustling urban tales filled with energy and visual jokes. Although I pre-ordered the book during its kickstarter, I only got around to reading it now, in a Pride month that’s been a bit more difficult than usual. It’s restorative to read such a broad collection of stories that feature queer people front and centre, with no unnecessary justifications.
My favourite story was Karana by Bishakh Som, the vignette of a group of space-travelling hijras made truly special by the fine characterisation in Som’s art. I also loved The Core by Jenelle Elizabeth and Danae Wilding, a sweet depiction of friendship as well as the intersection of online dating and magical summoning. Really, though, it feels wrong to choose favourites when everything was so good!
This is a book I’ll reread and lend out time and again, whenever my friends and I need the magic of a good story or of knowing we’re not alone in the world.
My favourite story was Karana by Bishakh Som, the vignette of a group of space-travelling hijras made truly special by the fine characterisation in Som’s art. I also loved The Core by Jenelle Elizabeth and Danae Wilding, a sweet depiction of friendship as well as the intersection of online dating and magical summoning. Really, though, it feels wrong to choose favourites when everything was so good!
This is a book I’ll reread and lend out time and again, whenever my friends and I need the magic of a good story or of knowing we’re not alone in the world.
oworthyfool's review against another edition
5.0
A uniquely hopeful take on the post-apocalyptic genre, Beyond II collects some masterful tales into a cohesive showcase of queer storytelling.
hoatzin's review against another edition
Again, also Kickstarted this one but hadn't read it until now. Even better than the first one! So many cute stories and good ideas, and absolutely wonderful art. The July Fashion Issue was super cute. Quarantine and Sleeping Giant had nice worldbuilding. My favorite part of these stories is that often the worldbuilding is secondary -it's about the love, and the normal life people lead, even with magic and/or post-apocalyptic conditions.
ETA: On second thought, I realized what I liked the most: most if not all of these stories had happy endings. I'm so used to queer stories ending uphappily that I didn't even know what it felt like to have them all be happy.
ETA: On second thought, I realized what I liked the most: most if not all of these stories had happy endings. I'm so used to queer stories ending uphappily that I didn't even know what it felt like to have them all be happy.
eozya's review against another edition
5.0
This is !! The most important thing. The creation of community after tragedies is very queer, and every single comic in this book was so well done. There are so many dark and gritty post-apocalyptic/urban fantasy stories and this subverted everything in the best way. "Dear Wife" by Reed Black, about a woman who goes to do some shopping for her wife and gets held up by a fairytale-esque creature who forced her to complete three tasks, and "Daisycakes" by J. Doyle and U. Wood, where three strangers discuss a story they heard while waiting for the acid rain to stop, were probably the biggest standouts, but I loved all of them dearly. Favorite comic of 2019, I think!
epochellipse's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent anthology of short comics by and for queer people. It does seem to be out of print, so I was very lucky in being able to borrow a copy. I love the representation, and the different art styles and stories.
I particularly liked "Stardust & Feathers" and "Karana", and the art styles of "Pilot Light", "Void", and "The Courier".
I particularly liked "Stardust & Feathers" and "Karana", and the art styles of "Pilot Light", "Void", and "The Courier".
littlebutton's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Like all anthologies, it’s a mixed bag. There are some that I’d love a full graphic novel of, and others that were clearly trying to say something deep but I just didn’t get. On the whole though, this is really really lovely. The art styles vary a lot, and while there were some that I wasn’t a fan of, the vast majority were stunningly gorgeous.
If you’re looking for some queer stories, I can’t recommend this highly enough.
If you’re looking for some queer stories, I can’t recommend this highly enough.
rivqa's review
4.0
As with most anthologies, I didn't love every story, but this book contains some beautiful art and delightful stories. These short comics err on the lighter side of their chosen genres, with adorable urban fantasy and hopeful post-apocalyptic tales. A worthy successor to the first volume.
kelldel's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
eozya's review
5.0
This is !! The most important thing. The creation of community after tragedies is very queer, and every single comic in this book was so well done. There are so many dark and gritty post-apocalyptic/urban fantasy stories and this subverted everything in the best way. "Dear Wife" by Reed Black, about a woman who goes to do some shopping for her wife and gets held up by a fairytale-esque creature who forced her to complete three tasks, and "Daisycakes" by J. Doyle and U. Wood, where three strangers discuss a story they heard while waiting for the acid rain to stop, were probably the biggest standouts, but I loved all of them dearly. Favorite comic of 2019, I think!
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