THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! One of our last features for last year’s Thought Bubble Month at Broken Frontier was this extensive interview with 2025 BF ‘Six to Watch’ artist Beatrijs Brouwer, aka Beastly Worlds. Back then she spoke about her love of fantasy storytelling saying: “I think there’s a lot to be amazed by in everyday life. But for me, when it comes to stories, adding a magical element can really highlight these everyday wonders.” That enchanting element to her work has carved out her place as a truly exciting emerging talent in comics, as seen in our reviews of comics like Fox Flight Market Night and Shimmer Paths. It’s no surprise to us then that she recently announced on Instagram that both comics have been picked up for publication by Fantagraphics and Ediciones La Cúpula. You can read more about that here at BF.
Brouwer’s latest project is different from previous comics reviewed at Broken Frontier in a number of ways. Firstly, Tree Dwellers is the first part of a serialised ongoing story. Secondly, rather than being presented in her trademark use of considered, vibrant colour it’s instead laid out in monochromatic but absorbing shades of greys. What remains a constant, though, is her trademark world-building skills, creating a gradually revealed environment with its own rules and backstory that the reader instantly finds themselves an integral part of.
Tree Dwellers is the story of Rowan, a diminutive humanoid who lives in a society who have made the branches of trees their villages, hence the comic’s title. Rowan and friend Maple’s lives are about to change forever. An important rite of passage in their forest home is a mission to the ground below for the very first time. This first issue follows the preparations for that momentous occasion which are not going to plan, especially when a mischievous squirrel gets involved…
Visually this is peak Brouwer, giving her imagination free rein and immersing her audience in an escapist fantasy with a feelgood tone. The 72 pages proceed at such a breezy pace that this first chapter is over before the reader realises, with a cliffhanger that ensures they will be there for the next instalment and enough questions posed to keep us invested. Character designs are endearing while double-page layouts are always inventive and clever, really focussing on the magical nature of this whimsical locale.
Tree Dwellers serves to underline just why Beastly Worlds is on the cusp of finding a whole new readership courtesy of those aforementioned international publishers. If you aren’t aware of her work as yet then Thought Bubble provides you with the opportunity to discover its sparkle for yourselves.
Beatrijs Brouwer/Beastly Worlds (W/A) • Self-published, £12.00
Review by Andy Oliver
Beatrijs Brouwer/Beastly Worlds is at Table C46 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.
