Accept by Andy Leuenberger (Mini Kus! #140)

Accept opens with urgency, using garish red and green and black and white colors reminiscent of Christmas that fluidly ebb and flow with power and balance. Leuenberger eschews the use of words in the story and showcases a playful format for the page layouts that have action extending beyond the confines of the panel borders, at times in an almost recursive grid. The vibe of the experimentation feels irreverent in the best way, not disrespectful or flaunting its abilities, but challenging the norms of what is possible in the medium. The two figures continue contending, eventually pulling back to reveal they’re playing a sort of 3-dimensional strategic simulation game, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see 24 panels nicely fit into the diminutive size of this mini-comic! The figures continue to morph into near-skeletal visages by the end, their battle ultimately either breaking the field of game play or destroying each other and accepting their eventual fate. The open-ended resolution allows readers to interpret what happened, what’s next, and the ultimate meaning.