<< 75.2 Spring 2026
Guest Edited Comics

Birds in the Dark

by August Park
A drawing shows a mother bird looking over the nest she built on an exit sign under a light. Her chicks sit within. It is black and white aside from the red letters. The text reads, "When I was in college, a bird built her nest outside my dorm. It was right below a light that was on 24/7"
This shows another angle of the next, a short haired human watching the birds, a large shadow behind them. The text says, "I WOULD PASS IT EVERY DAY AND WONDER IF THE CONSTANT artificial LIGHT WAS BAD FOR THE BABY BIRDS AND HOW THEY'D REACT TO EXPERIENCING NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME."
A small drawing in the center of the page shows a graffitied trailer reading "Drain the swamp!" It is black and white, aside from the red of a large Confederate flag. The text reads, "THIS WAS CENTRAL FLORIDA IN 2021, THE ROT THAT THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BROUGHT NATIONWIDE WAS ALREADY IN FULL SWING THERE. IT DISTURBED ME, BUT NOT DEEPLY. I COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO SEE IT AS A PRECURSOR, ONLY AN ABERRATION."
This shows many squares, each with a different human. Some show the figures’ faces, while others only depict their hair from behind. One is a close-up of an infant in someone’s arms. They are all different. It says, "I HAD NO REASON TO THINK OTHERWISE. I WAS BORN IN 2000 AND RAISED IN LI BERAL STRONGHOLD CITIES ACROSS THE NORTHEAST. MY ADOLESCENCE TOOK PLACE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF SOME OF THE LARGEST GAINS FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS AND ACCEPTANCE IN AMERICAN HISTORY. WHEN I CAME OUT AND TRANSITIONED, I WAS VERY AWARE THAT MY EXPERIENCE WAS RADICALLY DIFFERENT THAN GENERATIONS BEFORE ME."
Now, the screen is all gray. A line of empty, white squares runs horizontally across the page. It says, "I THOUGHT OF PROGRESS AS LINEAR AND INFINITE BACK THEN"
This shows three drawings of the same person in different positions, signifying motion. It is black and white, except for the outline of a large, red bird in the person's hands. The text reads, "LATELY, I HAVE BEEN FEELING LIKE ONE OF THOSE BIRDS, UNPREPARED FOR THE WORLD I GREW UP INTO."
This only shows one person in black and white. The text says, "I SPEND MORE TIME THAN I SHOULD RUMINATING:" and underneath, text bubbles surround them in black and red, saying, "MAYBE I SHOULD LEAVE THIS COUNTRY. AND ABANDON YOUR COMMUNITY? THIS IS CRAZY! THIS IS CRAZY! THIS ISN'T PRODUCTIVE! NOW'S THE TIME TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND– AND PANIC? AND ACТ! THAT'S TOO HARD, CAN'T SOMEONE TELL ME EXACTLY HOW TO FLY THIS? NO! OR BETTER YET, I'LL DO NOTHING AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO FIX IT!"
The text is entirely red now. The character frowns at the bottom of the page. The top shows several birds in squares, drawn in red, text next to them, saying "WE'RE DOOMED! MAYBE IF I IGNORE IT, THINGS WILL STOP HAPPENING... WE'RE DOOMED! STOP TRYING! GIVE UP ALL HOPE! FORGET EVERYONE ELSE! HUNKER DOWN! NO, RUN ACTUALLY, RUN!"
One baby bird opens its mouth, seemingly distressed as it looks up. A dark shadow surrounds it. In red, it says, IT'S DARK! WHERE DID THE LIGHT GO? WILL IT COME BACK? IM SCARED... HELP! H E L P!
In an inset box with a downward view, a small bird lies on the pavement, red Converse sneakers next to it. In another scene beneath that, the character peers down at the ground. There is grass around them and a large light overhead. The text reads, "THERE WERE TWO BIRDS IN THAT NEST. I FOUND ONE DEAD AND BURIED ITS TINY BODY IN THE PARKING LOT."
The only art on this page is one small red bird, flying away. The text says, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER ONE. I HOPE IT FIGURED IT OUT"

August Park is a cartoonist and artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Their work explores the often messy intersections of the Korean-American diaspora and trans identity via memoir.

FROM Volume 75, Number 2

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