Confusing script and art. I couldn't follow it, the pace was too consulted and I felt I was missing something important. Not for me.

Strange Bedfellows is a wonderfully queer graphic novel with a trans MC, found family, and themes of discovering and finding oneself through the chaos of life. Oberon is a fantastic main character that is extremely relatable and has a powerful growth throughout. It's hard to think this is a oneshot as it packs such a punch with a very unique storyline and setting. The future world the author has created is beautifully inclusive and with stunning art and colors this was a joy to read!

I am not just saying this because I've been a fan of Ariel Slamet Ries since Witchy, but: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS OWNS. YOU GUYS. IT'S REALLY GOOD. DON'T MISS THIS BAD BOY.

Ariel Ries' art and storytelling continues to be beyond reproach. Like hot damn. The art rules, you guys. The color. The textures. The panel composition. It is all tasty as hell. And the story itself hits a great balance between funny and emotional, with really charming, grounded characters—genuinely liked everyone—and a fun mystery, plus friggin' cool worldbuilding to pull it all together. (I especially liked all the slang, and the "in-universe" texts like, ads and group chats and science articles, etcetera.)

I don't think Ries reinvented the wheel here or anything, and it wasn't especially hard to guess where the story was going, but that's not a bad thing. I enjoyed the ride. It was compelling. I am compelled.

Seriously though really funny too. I am going to quote some of my favorite lines out of context below.

1. "i'm just slapping your fish"
2. "boobling"
3. "learn about carcinization, you heathen"
4. "could a hallucination do this?" "YES"
5. "don't say milked"

5/5, thanks again to Harper and NetGalley for the ARC!

Good Gawd! Ariel Slamet Ries knows how to make my knees quake. This was absolutely perfect in every single way imaginable. The quickest way to my heart is to have a lovable queer character as the MC. Then bringing in a found family (as well as a really supportive blood relation family) and a story that mixes highs and lows to keep me on my toes, is definitely a recipe for success, for me at least.

In the future, not too far, but far enough that humans live on a different planet, Oberon wakes up to find out he has powers. Normally, you learn around your 9th birthday if you’ve gained “ghost” powers, but he’s in college. He’s spent his whole life thinking he’s the only child of his parents to be “normal.” So this comes at a surprise, but it’s what he’s always wanted. He’s able to manifest his dreams. Kind of like corporeal illusions, Obi can make his dreams come alive… until he wills them gone again.

How does he find this all out? His childhood crush, Kon, magically appears one day out of the blue. He’s kind of like a wake up call from his loneliness, as well as a realization that he is special. In a weird, and yet beautiful, effect of all of this, he begins to fall in love with his own dream-crush… which I kind of saw coming. But what I didn’t see coming was for that same dream crush to…….. wait! I don’t want to tell you. 😅It’s a spoiler.

Let me start (not actually, because we’re 4 paragraphs in) by telling you that the art for Strange Bedfellows is BREATHTAKING! The author uses such vivid colors in their work and it kept me entranced like the creepy snake from The Jungle Book. I couldn’t look away! I needed to know how the story ended. HOW COULD THEY MAKE THIS WORK?????

It wasn’t until about half of the book was completed until I realized that the MC is trans. I thought he was beautiful before, but the character got scar tattoos under his pectorals to look like top surgery for “long before” (our time). It was such a beautiful sentiment and I couldn’t feel the joy in it. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!

I need more books like this in my life!!! If I could give it more stars than 5, I would.

Strange Bedfellows is a creative and endearing futuristic graphic novel following our MC Oberon as he comes to terms with what he wants to do with his life and grapples with family and societal pressures to have it all figured out. He's been through some tough times recently, and just discovered that he is bringing his dreams to life, starting with a dream version of his old high school crush, Kon. Kon accompanies Oberon as he solves the mystery of the dream creatures and his budding powers. Interspersed throughout this story is snippets into Oberon's family dynamics, friend group, and past experiences that are all weighing heavily on him. I really enjoyed the world building, with this new alient planet complete with extensive terraforming and gardening and the emergence of superpowers as a result of the exodus from Earth centuries ago. The artwork is both whimsical and psychadelic with really interesting looks into Oberon's dreams before they manifest into reality. The relationship between Oberon and Kon is very sweet and the ending was heartwarming! My only gripe, which may only be specific to the digital version, is the font was difficult to read and gave me a headache.

I enjoyed this a lot! The art is gorgeous, obviously, and I found the story really compelling. It did take me a little to get into and fully understand what is happening, as this is not a comic to sit you down and explain everything to you. In the end, though, I think that worked in this book's favor, as it reminds me a lot of dreaming, when you are just thrown into whatever simulation your brain has come up with with no idea what's happening. I felt like the depiction of anxiety and mental health was really well done and relatable. Would definitely recommend!

Beautifully illustrated story about second chances and finding yourself after trauma. Giving this a 4 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I came for the artwork and I stayed for the story. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred, and the art style definitely conveys this fact, which admittedly can be a bit confusing at times. I really identified with the protagonist Oberon as someone who experienced burnout while in school and struggled to find themselves again after the flames settled.

Strange Bedfellows is a gorgeous graphic novel about a boy, Oberon, who develops the power to summon things from his dreams. Kon, his childhood crush who mysteriously disappeared, is one of his hallucinations and helps him control his powers. They live in a different world with many advancements, and we learn a bit about what happened to Earth along the way, as well as details about why Oberon deferred college. The art and world are luscious, and I loved the building connection between Oberon and Kon. I will definitely read Ries' next work. Thanks to HarperAlley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Strange Bedfellows is a beautifully illustrated and engaging graphic novel that immediately pulls you into its world and main Character Oberon! Ariel Slamet Ries has a unique and captivating art style that brings the characters and setting to life, making every panel a visual treat. The story is compelling and the graphics bring it life in a way I enjoyed. The color pallette was beautiful.

That being said, I found myself wishing for more action, self-discovery of the main character by herself, and deeper exploration of the main characters future. While the narrative is strong, I felt that expanding on these aspects could have made the story even more immersive and impactful. I want to know what Oberon is planning to do next!

Overall, Strange Bedfellows is a fantastic read with stunning artwork and a strong foundation. I’d love to see more from this world, especially if it dives further into its themes and characters. I recommend reading!

I loved the art work, but the story itself didn't grasp my attention. Sometimes there was just too much going on or sometimes it felt like it was everywhere. I enjoyed looking at the art. The illustrations are pretty!

A captivating read for young adult readers who crave stories of self-discovery, queer love, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy, making it a perfect fit for fans of character-driven narratives and coming-of-age tales with a touch of magic and adventure.

The artwork was stunning here. The concept was hard to follow at points, but it was so cool overall. I found it charming with great leads. The message was done quite nicely.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I was hooked with the art style and intrigued by the storyline. Strange Bedfellows take place in the not-so-distant future (at the rate we're going). Earth was completely razed of resources and so a group of people chose to embark on a one-way trip to settle on a new planet. Here people lived alongside nature and only used what resources they needed, cutting out overindulgence and waste. everything seemed to be going smoothly, that is until settlers started having children. This new generation of citizens were being born with special abilities, deemed "ghosts" most were discovered to be harmless for the most part. This brings us to one of our MC's, Oberon. Oberon is the only non-ghost child in his family, that is until he wakes up next to an apparition of his long-lost school crush, Kon. This is not the real Kon, however, no Oberon has suddenly developed the ability to pull things from his dream into reality. Kon tries to help Oberon master his new powers all the while the two continue to grow closer, but you can't fall in love with a figment of your imagination, right?
Strange Bedfellows was a sweet, queer romance that also touched on some deeper topics and had an interesting twist towards the end of the story. I did struggle at times following some of the dialogue in the panels, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic novel.

It took me a bit to get into this, as the dreamscape logic is always a struggle for me. I want reasons for magical things to be happening, and at times the logic of the story (and the magical imagery) was hard to follow.

But dangit, I LOVE the parts of this story that center on burnout, decolonization, and the value of rest. I liked exploring the various interpersonal relationships, though I couldn't keep the members of the friend-group straight. And the central relationship, which is an exploration of both romance and friendship, developed in a way that got more interesting as the story unfolded.

I'm still not entirely sure I understand the magical component of this book, and the end was so abrupt that I did three consecutive double-takes. ("Are you sure that's the last page? But are you SURE? *How* sure??") I don't know that I'm the target audience for this particular project given the overly dreamy nature of some of its elements, but the themes and utopian-adjacent space culture reminded me a bit of Blue Delliquanti's "Across a Field of Starlight." I liked enough of the components that I eventually fell into the dream logic of Obi's Ghost abilities. If you like fantastical imagery mixed with real-world concerns of belonging, pressure to perform, and the promise of a gender-inclusive, multicultural future society, have at ye. :)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. In case you missed the memo, this GN was created by the author of "Witchy," which is also pretty great!

The illustrations here were beautiful, and the story seemed super interesting, but I was unable to get half the words to load on the page in the NetGalley Reader so I didn't get the full scope of it.

This was a phenomenal graphic novel by the creator of Witchy about a planet where the children of recent refugees sometimes develop powers. After the stress of deferring college, Oberon's dreams start coming to life--literally, the things he dreams manifest in the real world. One frequent player in his dreams? His high school crush. But is Kon just a manifestation of Oberon's desires or part of a deeper problem? I occasionally had trouble following the dream illustrations, but the artwork was so gorgeous it made up for it. I'd definitely recommend this graphic novel to anyone who enjoys YA / New Adult SFF graphic novels, especially when they mix sci-fi and a dash of romance.

{ Strange Bedfellows }
by Ariel Slamet Ries

★ ★ ★ ★
Length: 288p
Source: ARC - NetGalley, HarperAlley
Release Date: March 4, 2025

•••••••
So Oberon’s life is spinning out of control until one day he wakes up and he now has the ability to conjure his dreams into reality. It turns out, he’s a late bloomer and a Ghost! Naturally, Oberon conjures his old crush, Kon, who disappeared 3 years before. As unbelievable as it all is, Oberon must navigate nightmarish creatures while finding his way back to the reality he once knew.

This was a surprisingly HEAVY graphic novel. Full of every member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s a story of grief, peer pressure, depression, anxiety, and above all hope. Oberon was a complex, brutally sad character. Multi-faceted and flawed until the end, I really adored his development.

And when we learn the truth of Kon? Wow. WOW. Such a spectacular twist that kept me glued to the pages. Add in the gorgeous COLOR artistry and I’m leaving this one feeling drained but happy.

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
🌙 queer ya fantasy
💤 color graphic novel
🌙 mental health rep
💤 twists galore
🌙 lgbtq+ rep

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}
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I will also be posting on StoryGraph and Amazon.

Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries is a graphic novel set to release March 4, 2025. NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an eARC for an honest review. I would rate this 4.75 stars out of five because at some points it was hard to follow the panels, but other than that the plot, art, and character development were solid. I fell in love Obi (the main character) and felt seen as he experienced panic attacks and struggled to open up to people in his life. Then add developing new powers at a fast rate and conjuring up his old high school crush, Kon, into that mix further complicates things for him. The twist at the end was spectacularly done! I was NOT expecting that and the slow build had me lowering my defenses along with Obi. I would definitely recommend checking this graphic novel out when it releases.

It's the not-too-distant future, a utopia where humanity lives after escaping a dying Earth. Here is where we meet Oberon Afolayan, who had a very public panic attack and has been hiding from the world ever since. After years of living under the pressure of being more because he's the only non-skilled or Ghost in the family, he one day wakes up to realize that he can manifest his dreams. Primarily in the form of his former crush, Kon, whom he hasn't seen in years. It's Kon's mission to help Oberon figure out his powers and his life, but will doing that mean giving up those dreams? And what is Kon not telling Oberon?

It's a very deep story wrapped up in pastel swirls and a nearly perfect society. People are mostly free to be themselves and find what makes them tick without the pressures of money and the typical rat race. There are still things everyone has to face, but it feels manageable. Dropping Oberon into this world with all his anxiety and worrywart personality makes for an interesting contrast, especially when flashbacks reveal that he's actually a super positive and cheerful guy. I'm impressed with how well the difficult topics of mental health, pressure to succeed, family obligations, and just all-around figuring out life translate into a story that's cozy and sweet even while dealing with everything.

Loved the art! The color palette is so pretty and works wonders when we're inside Oberon's dream world. I also really like how there's a play on light and darkness for the more emotional moments.

Overall, it's a great read that gets better by the page. My one tiny complaint would be that the lettering is too small for my old eyes at times.

I'd also love to read just a history of how things got to be how they are in that world because what little we get is fascinating.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and HarperAlley for the wonderful early read!

Strange Bedfellows follows Oberon, a normal person who develops powers after a mental health crisis. And he might end up in love with one of the musings his newfound powers conjure up.

I loved the summary and the queer aspect of this sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel. The art was by far the most outstanding part. If it's beautiful in its digital form, you know it is going to be stunning in the print copy.

The reader is quickly overwhelmed by the story. So many names, unneeded world-building, unexplained back story, and confusing dynamics. There are confusing expositions that aren't needed or plot points that are not fully vetted. Speech bubbles were hard to follow. Which leads to a disconnect between the reader and the characters. Which was disappointing, but I was impressed by how beautifully this was illustrated.

I wish this had been a short book instead of a graphic novel, just to let Ries's world shine.