BUSY LITTLE BEES #1, available from Blue Fox Comics soon on Kickstarter, follows a dysfunctional brother and sister bound by the sister’s institutionalization in an asylum and possible possession by… something. When Sebastian visits his sister, Myna, during the night of an unprecedented meteor shower, her condition is revealed to be much more than it seems.
The Details
- Written By: Marielle Bouleau
- Art By: Emiliano Correa
- Colors By: Willi Roberts
- Letters By: Rob Jones
- Cover Art By: Emiliano Correa
- Cover Price: TBD on Kickstarter
- Release Date: April/May 2021 (estimated)
Was It Good?
Yes. It’s atmospheric and filled with coiled energy from start to finish. Almost the entire issue takes place in the asylum where Myna lives and you can’t help but feel someone (or something) is going to snap at any moment.
The art compliments the storytelling beautifully, particularly in the use of darkness and shadow. The overall issue is very dark to set the mood, but the shadows are mostly reserved for the backgrounds and setting. The characters are muted but bright enough to see clearly with expressive faces and body language.
It’s a tense story with excellent art.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Myna is a troubled woman under constant psychiatric supervision. She hears whispers… noises coming from all around her. Every creaking floorboard or rustle of the leaves assaults her sense painfully.
The opening scenes use Myna’s monologue to express a kind of manic obsession. The tension builds quickly as you feel Myna’s desperate need to block out the deafening noise.
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Sebastian is Myna’s brother and the only family member that makes time to visit her. Sebastian and Myna come from a wealthy family, and it’s their family that owns the asylum where Myna resides.
Sebastian’s introduction during the drive to the asylum plays up the looming sense of dread. He talks through his feelings of doubt and worries that Myna’s “condition” may be a family trait that could consume him one day.
One night, on the night of an unprecedented meteor shower, Sebastian comes for his regular visit in conjunction with Myna’s caseworker, Ms. Fumero. They meet inside a caged room because Myna is known for random and violent outbursts.
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Jason, a kindly orderly is sent to fetch Myna from her room to meet her visitors. It’s clear that Jason is filled with deep empathy for the patients by refusing to accept they will never come back from their ailments. He talks with Myna and gently convinces her to leave her room for the session with Sebastian and Ms. Fumero.
When Myna arrives at the caged room, she quickly becomes agitated. A small band of orderlies has to restrain her in a chair. Myna feels like a small bomb ready to explode at the slightest nudge and it casts the entire scene in an air of anticipation.
Sebastian calms Myna down with music via a harpsichord they would both play when they were younger. The soothing music works for a time until Myna suddenly turns on her brother, strangling him. Suddenly, the meteor shower begins and everything changes.
Without spoiling the ending, the lights begin to speak, everyone goes a little crazy, and Myna snaps her fingers.
Final Thoughts
BUSY LITTLE BEES #1, available from Blue Fox Comics soon on Kickstarter, captures the essence of insanity ready to explode at any moment. The art presents dread in an amazingly dramatic fashion, and the unexpected ending will leave you itching to find out what happens next.
Score: 8.5/10
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