Description
by ohuton. Published November / December 2024 by Glacier Bay Books.
Speech balloons, or balloons for short, are objects that appear once spoken, showing the speaker’s exact words right near them. Balloons and the language they show are controlled by the black towers. There exist approximately 6900 in the world, and within them…
Their newest work, ohuton’s SEASIDE BETA is a contemporary coming of age / Sci-Fi comic inspired by the Sci-Fi classic Flatland. Seaside Beta is story about a story within a story that is unraveled within itself. The quest for “color”, and the obsessive search for “an escape” into the “real”.
A startling work that glimmers with the depiction of childish youth and the occult. A physics mystery about individuals’ attempt to escape from the very pages of the comic itself.
ISBN 978-1-953629-37-1
Translation by rkp
Lettering by Lauren Eldon
Editing and Design by emuh ruh
Specifications
- Sewn binding
- French (gatefold) flap cover
- Deluxe paper stock for cover and internal text block
- Spot ink cover printing with partial relief varnish
- Monochrome and color page interior printing
- Approx. 260 pages
Nominated for 2025 ‘Best Publication Design’ at the Japan Society x AnimeNYC American Manga Awards
“This is truly an achievement in minimalist book design. Although mainly a stark white cover with a small art panel broken with clouds and empty speech balloons, all parts of the design hint at the metanarrative present in the story. Art inside the panel is black and white while art outside the panel is bright blue. Speech balloons are physical objects which are cleverly referenced in the design of the author’s bio in the back french flap. Best of all however is the rain of binary ones and zeros which cover the entire cover but only in spot gloss. This subtle effect is delicious and gives a lovely shine to the book while referencing the central mystery of the “black and white world” hidden in the binary. An edition that champions the physical object with subtle details you can only appreciate while holding the book in-person.”
– Carina Taylor
“With its cryptic cover of binary digits—zeroes and ones—interwoven with hidden words, Seaside Beta creates a sense of intimate discovery right from the outset. This meticulous layering extends throughout the work, with a finely tuned interplay between illustration, color schemes, lettering, and panel composition. Every element aligns harmoniously with the narrative’s tone, creating a holistic design that feels personally tailored to the reader. It’s a subtle yet emotionally resonant piece—compact in scale, but expansive in depth.”
– Shigekazu Watanabe
