Strange Bedfellows
Cartoonist: Ariel Slamet Ries
Publisher: Harper Alley
Publication Date: March 2025
On the distant planet of Meridian, humans have created a fair and benevolent society. Advanced technology is freely available to everyone, as are education and healthcare. There are no barriers constructed by differences in race, gender, sexuality, or family structure. Humans celebrate the diversity of cultures that the older generations brought from earth, maintaining their linguistic and religious heritage with joy and pride. Soaring architecture and refreshing green spaces fill the cities, and everyone has a place to live. Still, even in a world with no externally-imposed conflicts, human nature is still beautifully complicated.
Strange Dreams, the newest graphic novel by Ariel Slamet Ries, is a sweet and gentle love story that plays out against the pastel-colored backdrop of a solarpunk world. Meridian was only settled several dozen years ago, and the third generation of children born on the planet are now reaching adulthood. Many of these children are “ghosts” who exhibit small-scale psychic powers. In keeping with the story’s optimistic tone, ghosts are not shamed or monitored by the government, but fully accepted and integrated into society.
Oberon never manifested ghost powers, so he was always “the clever one” in his family. When he got to college, the dazzling range of choices overwhelmed him, and he decided to take a leave of absence and move back in with his family. This was a huge blow to Oberon’s self-esteem, and he’s started to suffer from severe headaches. He’s also been having unusually realistic dreams about Kon, a boy he briefly dated in high school.
One morning, Kon doesn’t disappear after Oberon wakes up. To his dismay, other elements of his dreams begin to manifest in the real world, from mermaid scales to a giant floating tardigrade. It seems Oberon is a ghost after all, and he must learn to control his powers while haunted by the psychic manifestation of his high school crush.
Kon is clearly more than a manifestation of a dream, and Oberon can be forgiven for being overwhelmed and making questionable decisions. Thankfully, he’s surrounded by a large cast of supporting characters who help him understand that it’s okay to make mistakes and ask questions. All of the secondary characters are organically integrated into the weave of the story, coming and going as they deal with issues that tangentially intersect Oberon’s adventures.
I’m especially charmed by Oberon’s boss, Fior, who arrived on Meridian with the first spaceship and now manages a small garden maintenance service. At first, Fior seems unconcerned with social propriety and simply tolerates Oberon. As their relationship deepens, Fior opens up and begins to share the wisdom they’ve gained while living on Meridian. In one of their more impactful conversations, Fior speculates on why Oberon’s second-generation immigrant parents want him to be happy yet still push him to be “successful.” Even if everyone can agree on fundamental ideological principles, Fior explains, there will still be major differences in lived experience.
Despite its college-age characters, Strange Bedfellows is appropriate for younger readers, and the psychic powers common on Meridian never confront anyone with physical harm. Even as the romance between Kon and Oberon deepens, the characters are completely chaste, even in their dreams.
In addition, like the shojo manga that inspired its magical boys, Strange Bedfellows takes special care to model realistic behavior in social situations. What does a panic attack feel like? How do you take a breather from an overwhelming friend group? How do you ask your crush about his mastectomy scars during a day out at the beach?
Strange Bedfellows also draws inspiration from solarpunk, an underground artistic movement that attempts to envision a green and hopeful future free from the constraints imposed by the pressure to be constantly productive. Meridian is far from a utopia, however, as it takes a great deal of work to maintain environmental stability while also providing for the needs of a human population. As several characters close to Oberon and Kon know from firsthand experience, not even the best of intentions can guarantee success.
Still, even though everyone works hard to contribute to society, Meridian is a place that allows ample room for joy – and for dreams. Above all, Strange Bedfellows is a character drama that focuses on Oberon’s slow but steady emotional development, but Ries’s art shines during the kinetic action scenes in which Oberon learns to use his newfound psychic powers. The dream scenes are also a treat, and it’s great fun to watch as Oberon and Kon traverse vivid dreamscapes adorned with talking animals, underwater trains, and wizard towers. Ries’s continually evolving bright pastel color palette is nothing short of dreamy.
Hardship comes to everyone, and romance isn’t always easy. The soft and hopeful message of Oberon’s story is that the flaws and complications in human ambitions are what make our lives interesting and beautiful. Strange Bedfellows assures the reader that, while we may not ever live in a perfect utopia, we don’t have to give up on our dreams of a kinder and greener future.
Strange Bedfellows is available now
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