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The Hard Tomorrow by Eleanor Davis
5.0

This book is an emotional distillation of the hopes and fears of our current climate, authored by one of the major talents working in comics today. Set in a near future America in which Zuckerberg is President, human-rights violations have increased, and paranoia about surveillance is at an all time high, the lead characters are dreamers fighting for a better future. Hannah and Josh live on a small plot of land, hoping to build their own house, plant a garden, and start a family. Hannah is a hospice worker and an activist, part of a group called Humans Against All Violence, which is protesting the use of chemical weapons. Josh is a stoner who just can't quite get any of his optimistic, sustainable-living projects started. They've been trying to get pregnant for a while, a decision that Hannah's activist friend/crush Gabby doesn't understand. The story climaxes when a protest march is met with police violence, putting Hannah's friends in legal and physical danger. She and Josh each separately have an intense experience of the constant nearness of mortality. Davis' art is alive with details, both of the natural world and the expressive body language of the characters. No one draws like her, and it is a painful joy to live in her world for a little while.