THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! Waaaay back in 2024, we had the pleasure of reviewing Ellie Durkin’s Seed Part One as part of our inaugural Thought Bubble Month. This one really impressed me and was personally one of my standouts of Thought Bubble that year – but I wanted more! Two years later, my wish has been granted. Several years in the making, Seed is Ellie Durkin’s longest comic to date, with the full story finally being told. And honestly? It’s been well worth the wait.
Let’s remind ourselves of the premise. Seed is set in the fictional world of the Squashed Forest, where all our protagonist Figbert wants to do is practise his magic and revive his marrow plant in time for pickling season. But nothing’s ever quite that easy. When Figbert’s foraging awakens something unexpected, he ends up in quite the pickle himself – one which could also threaten the whole of the Squashed Forest he calls home.
If you’d like a deeper exploration of the storyline itself, we’d suggest checking out our review from 2024. Here, though, we want to concentrate on how the comic has expanded and grown since its first part, and how Durkin has taken an already delightful little world and made it feel even bigger.
The Squashed Forest continues to abound in colour, warmth, whimsy and fun. From Figbert’s duvet of leaves to the wonderfully imaginative environments he finds himself in, there’s so much personality packed into every page. Durkin’s artwork is a real treat, and it’s clear just how much thought has gone into the way the comic is constructed. The line work is clever, using onomatopoeia and specifically shaped panels to draw readers directly into Figbert’s world. The little ‘donk’ as Figbert yawns, stretches his arms and knocks against the panel? Truly delightful. I LOVE how the panels themselves are constructed to reflect Figbert’s environment, making the artwork feel like an extension of the world rather than just a window into it.
The colours are vivid, too, and continue to shift in hue with each chapter, giving the story a lovely sense of visual variety while maintaining its distinctive, colourful identity. There’s a real playfulness throughout, right down to the plentiful butt shots (if you’ve got it, flaunt it, Figbert). You can always tell that every little detail has been considered, but never at the expense of letting things be silly and fun.
It’s not just the artwork that’s grown; the magic system and lore have clearly been built upon since Part One, giving the Squashed Forest a greater sense of depth and history. The expanded story allows Durkin more room to explore the world she’s created, with more to discover, more to get invested in, and more of the wonderfully oddball charm that made the first part such a standout in the first place.
Of course, the signature humour is just as prominent, and this expanded version introduces us to even more of the forest’s inhabitants. There’s Trowl, who is essentially one large beard, the cheeky bird Jessel, and the mysterious Mandelbert. Each helps make the Squashed Forest feel a little bit more lived-in. With such a distinctive cast, there’s plenty here to keep readers entertained as the story unfolds.
And who could forget Figbert himself. Wizardry and onion-shaped head aside, he’s someone who is remarkably easy to identify with, and even easier to root (no pun intended) for. There’s something endearing about a protagonist whose so kind and whose ambitions are so small-scale – he just wants to practise his magic and save his marrow plant! – only to find himself caught up in magical disputes that absolutely do not concern him.
A shout-out also has to go to the hilarious epigraph, a quote from Durkin’s husband, Paul: “I’ve been abandoned by my wife”. Many thanks for your service to the greater good, Paul. We’ve all been dying to delve back into Figbert’s multicoloured world, and we’re delighted that Durkin has brought us along for the ride!
Seed is a wonderfully inventive and charming comic, and seeing it grow from its first part into a much more expansive story has only made me appreciate it more. We look forward to this delightful project making its full-length print debut at Thought Bubble this year!
Ellie Durkin (W/A) • Self-published
Visit Ellie Durkin’s website and store here
Review by Lydia Turner
Pickled Durkin is at Table C15 in the Travelling Man 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
