Through the Looking Glass review - KitsuneArt's stylish anti-AI sci-fi comic

How about an anti-AI stance comic delivered with style and venom in a beautifully artistic way? Wrapped in a sci-fi and (very, very) loose retelling of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There dressing? Fall into the ether with Through The Looking Glass by KitsuneArt.

Lucia, aka KitsuneArt, is a comic artist and illustrator based in London. Known for creating comics with a strong emotional core and queer themes. Her previous works include Midnight Heart, Knight & King (featured in Queer Knights Anthology), Starlit Lovers, Mandy The Monster Hunter, and Carmilla (Dreadfully Yours Zine). She has also contributed pages for Boxes Anthology from Third Bear Press and Pierre Andoine Francois The Sassy Cat. Ideally illustrious illustrator introduced, review time.

So, let's start with the art. KitsuneArt makes stylish art with a beautiful dualistic quality. It's at once whimsical and yet edgy, cute yet full of venom. Like a scorpion wearing a Crocheted kitten ear beanie.

The character work is nothing short of fabulous, elevated further by exceptional screentone and colour work. The art of Through The Looking Glass delivers on all fronts. It combines those mentioned elements with very clever layout choices and delightfully imaginative lettering. KitsuneArt delivers delicious art in a minimalist palette and conservative lines.

There's a deliberateness to the art that shows a deep level of care and thought put into every edge of its artful presentation. This is coupled with an energy of emotion and anger to its subject matter. It ends in a sense of catharsis that felt almost tangible. Stylish, serrated, emotion sculpting art to beguile and sting.

Story time then. KitsuneArt's Through The Looking Glass is a short sci-fi adventure into AI. It runs alongside the loosest of retellings of Lewis Carroll's second novel on the adventures of Alice. To be fair, even to say this is a loose retelling is a bit of an understatement. It shares a few elements and beautifully uses some text and passages. But the idea here is more rooted in a deeper sci-fi inspiration. Along with valid fears and a cathartic rant against AI articulated in a beautiful way, visually and narratively.

KitsuneArt delivers a rallying call for our evolutionary right to fail. That is, to fail in the pursuit of knowledge and thereby learn and improve ourselves. It's the importance of natural growth. That only comes from the act of struggle and our pure bliss and nectar in the "Eureka" moment. Technology has many uses and wondrous, helpful tools. However, it also has an undeniable inherent hand in the erosion of our ability to think for ourselves, and a new learning curve is coming with AI.

Maybe you're old enough to remember healthy debates in friends kitchens and living rooms regarding pop culture knowledge. Or that special game of "Guess Who" had with a parent that went "Oh whose that singer/actor/person of note you like, you know thingy, they was in that thing". Anyway, my point being the pocket computer we call the phone stole those moments. And only time will tell what we could lose to AI. I have to agree with KatsunArt that what may be at stake is a higher level in our freedom to have that vital human element that is struggle. Through The Looking Glass does a resounding job of reminding us of the importance of, well, us, and what that takes while dressed as a beautiful, fun and venomous with a twist sci-fi story. Very, very enjoyable stuff.

For fans of sci-fi, raging against the machine, beautiful stories presented beautifully, anti AI feelings expressed with powerful poetic prophecy backed with neon splashed palette and whimsical yet venomous edged art that will charm you, queens of heart, stories that make you think and art in every part of your comic support real art with Through The Looking Glass.

To get your copy, and in fact all things beautifully crafted by this incredibly impressive artist, check out kitsuneart.net. More specifically, the shop here. Not only will you find all manner of art delights, but all the relevant socials on the about me page, so you can keep up to date with all things KitsuneArt.

Review: 5/5