Artist and animator Liz Climo knows how to make us smile. For the better part of a decade, we’ve admired her sweet comics revolving around the tender world of animal friends.
Together, this crew – consisting of a bear, a snake, sloth, pig and rabbit – shows the meaning of love and companionship as they support each other through the good and the bad that come their way.
The beauty of Climo’s work is the fine line she walks between applying human characteristics to her characters while also realizing the fact that they are actually animals. In some cases, the characters have very human conversations, but the core of the comic is rooted in their creaturedom.
An example of this is one of Climo’s latest dual-panel pieces. The first panel shows a bear approaching a small rodent hanging from a tree branch. “You okay?” asked the bear. “I’m barely hanging on,” the creature replies. This is something two (human) friends can say to each other.
But in the final panel, Climo gives the joke by reminding us that they are animals; the bear walks up to the rodent and offers the top of its head, helping the little creature to relax. This act is literal and metaphorical and represents the different ways we can show our loved ones.
If you like Climo’s comics as much as we do, make sure you check out her growing book collections, including her latest one titled “You’re Dad”.
Artist Liz Climo creates sweet animal comics about friendship that will make you smile.
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