ARC FESTIVAL 2026! Originally published digitally via the ShortBox Comics Fair, Alas, has the kind of premise for a comic that you could only expect from Sajan Rai. We’re thrown into the story in media res as an alien Grey, a gnome and Shakespeare are considering their plight as cellmates in a mysterious prison complex. What follows is a tale of slapstick violence/humour and silly Shakesperean wordplay, as the trio begin their bizarrely executed breakout attempt.
On the way they encounter psychic guards, spellcasting hijinks and the sentient Blind Wall of Justice. Gnome (or “G’Nome” with a hard G as he insists it is pronounced) is the contrary and curmudgeonly star of the show with all the best moments in terms of ridiculous humour. But the whole affair is a constant procession of brutal silliness and rapid-fire banter.
This is work that is deceptive in its overt over-the-top farce because while it tries very hard to make us think it’s unsophisticated in delivery and construction it’s anything but. Rai knows all too well how to work a page in terms of guiding the reader’s eye and making most effective use of comedic pacing. There are some very clever things going on her in terms of layouts and, especially, with little meta flourishes – like characters’ psychic powers being projected from one panel and then winding their way through the gutters to other panels further down the page. The whole thing finishes on a cracking punchline too.
Rai is, as fans of his work will know, extremely capable when it comes to absurdist narrative. Especially when, like with Alas,, it seems to exist for no other reason that to be gloriously preposterous. There’s no pretentions here of it being anything other than a ridiculous romp which reads like it was created as much for the cartoonist’s amusement as it was for the readers’.
Which is really rather splendid when you think about it.
Sajan Rai • Self-published
Review by Andy Oliver
Sajan Rai will be tabling at the ARC Festival comics fair on July 11th-12th. For the full details on everything ARC has to offer check out their website here.
Poster by Lando
