THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! Steven Ingram’s ThirdBear Press has become synonymous with its signature anthology series Boxes. A publication which continues to platform emerging and established names in the UK indie scene, giving them a vital spotlight and a chance to build wider audiences. The micropublisher has, though, also brought a number of solo projects to print. Indeed, just recently they put out an open call for submissions for minicomics work. Bruna Martini’s It Comes in Waves is one of those non-antho projects, a one-shot comic that successfully funded on Kickstarter earlier this year.
It Comes in Waves is a deeply resonant reflection on loss and grief with a nuanced and, as incongruous as it sounds, powerful sense of fragility. The comic concentrates on an exploration of the parent-child bond as the central character ponders the relatively recent loss of her mother, their relationship, and considerations on her own role as a mother without a mother. The story jumps back and forth between timeframes as the protagonist’s own childhood is compared and contrasted with her role as a parent in the present.
This is work that fits very neatly into that idea of poetry comics. Haunting, lyrical narration with words that feel so carefully chosen to evoke an emotional response not just in their meaning but in the way they are composed around the page to complement Martini’s haunting imagery. Indeed, lettering and speech balloon placement also plays into this effect with great potency. Martini’s art employs a realism that suits its subject matter but despite that there’s also something almost dreamlike about its pacing and construction, with careful colour choices changing the way the reader interacts with the page on an emotional level.
Packed with symbolism and recurring metaphorical motifs, It Comes in Waves has a strange beauty to its melancholic pages. Another reminder of Steven Ingram’s considered curatorial eye when it comes to the ThirdBear Press line-up.
Bruna Martini (W/A) • ThirdBear Press
Review by Andy Oliver
ThirdBear Press are at Table C4 in the Redshirt 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
