LDCOMICS ONLINE COMICS FAIR 2025! There’s always a special thrill in discovering a fresh new voice in the world of comics, especially when that debut is as curious and intriguing as The Red Spot Mystery. London-based creator Aylish Wood makes a bold entrance with her first full-length graphic novel (go, Aylish!), crafting a story that’s equal parts satire, social commentary, and page-turning suspense. Wood has a clear passion for the magic that happens when words and pictures combine, and here, they do so with striking clarity and purpose.
Let’s set the scene. The UK is under siege. From what, you may ask? Well, from people hurling spots of red paint, of course! Mysterious splashes of crimson are appearing in public spaces, seemingly hurled by a rogue activist group known only as Spot HQ. What starts as an absurd nuisance quickly escalates into something far darker. Enter Emer, a sharp yet quietly unsettled protagonist who begins pulling at loose threads others are too afraid to notice. As she digs deeper, Emer finds herself in a tangled mess of surveillance, manipulation, and deception. And at the centre of it all? Her best friend Bev, who might not be as innocent, or uninvolved, as she claims…
Visually, The Red Spot Mystery echoes the eerie minimalism of George Wylesol’s Curses, using deceptively simple layouts to heighten tension and disorientation. The use of subtle shifts in panels help pace the narrative like a thriller, with moments of intrigue lingering long after a page is turned.
The story builds momentum with a recurring sense of unease. Conspiracy theories spiral, alliances shift, and the truth feels just out of reach until the very end. Without giving too much away, let’s just say readers should expect the unexpected.
If you’d like to have a go at cracking the case yourself before all is revealed in the last pages of the comic, The Red Spot Mystery is available for the rest of July from LDComics Fair.
Aylish Wood (W/A) • LDComics Online Comics Fair, £6.50
Review by Lydia Turner
The LDComics Online Comics Fair runs across the month of July. Read all our coverage of the comics on offer here at BF.
