THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! I’m pretty sure it’s irresistible not to pick up a collection of stories called Peanutman Comics. Especially when the protagonist himself is peanut-shaped! Peanutman Comics, written and illustrated by Salvatore Giommarresi, is a self-published short comic – a collection of three stories (24 pages) presented in a box set that also contains three posters and a sticker (always a bonus!).
Across the three short stories, we follow a peanut-shaped man as he navigates the defining moments and rites of passage that mark the transition into adulthood. Told with warmth and humour, these stories capture the emotional (and odd) nuances of each stage of his journey.
Peanutman Comics is presented in a diary-entry style, with words kept to a minimum and the illustrations doing most of the storytelling. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek, with quick-as-a-flash stories and potty humour to match (yes, Peanutman often produces… peanut-tasting liquids from his orifices). I particularly enjoyed the way each story has its own distinct colour palette: blue and orange for the first, green and orange for the second, and various shades of orange for the third, which is entirely wordless.
There’s a real sense of personality in Giommarresi’s artwork, too. Peanutman is an instantly endearing character, and there’s something rather lovely about watching a simple, almost childlike figure navigate the trials and tribulations of increased responsibility. The visual storytelling is wonderfully expressive, with the changing environments, little details and shifts in colour doing so much of the heavy lifting. Despite the brevity of each story, there’s enough here to give Peanutman’s experiences a sense of significance, and the wordless final instalment is a particularly nice demonstration of just how much can be communicated through pictures alone.
There’s a lot to love about this little collection. Peanutman is silly and surprisingly thoughtful, balancing its bizarre humour with some genuinely tender moments. It’s a quick read, but one with plenty of character and charm, and the extra goodies in the box set make it an especially fun little package. A wonderfully weird addition to this year’s Thought Bubble discoveries!
Salvatore Giommarresi (W/A) Self-published
Review by Lydia Turner
Salvatore Giommarresi is at Table B5 in the 2000 AD Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2026 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
