While you may not know his name, you most certainly know the work of Jonathan Djob Nkondo. In recent years, he’s contributed animation and character designs to Marvel Snap, a recent Gorillaz music video, and, perhaps most noteworthy of all, Scavengers Reign and Love, Death & Robots. Now, with the launch of a new Kickstarter, Nkondo is set to release the U.S. editions of two equally dazzling graphic novels.
In Peaceful Transmission, we follow Marlène and Jerry Nomo, who after years of marriage face an impasse due to “Marlène’s simmering frustration with Jerry’s passivity.” From there, cracks form in their marriage when Jerry’s obsession with some mysterious discovery leaves Marlène as his only caretaker. While the story explores its themes “through a futuristic lens,” that core interest in “conjugal fatigue, silent devotion, and the illusion of tranquility” is practically universal at this point.
Meanwhile, in Wandering, we follow two men on a “vast, arid desert dotted with strange geometric creatures and billabongs.” One occupies the harsh world above the surface, and the other lives among the “sprawling subterranean complexes” (with malls and highway interchanges). Here, Nkondo has fostered a “haunting sense of synchronicity and missed connection” as he deftly explores the true ins and outs of “alienation, routine, freedom, and the trappings of modern life.”
If you came because of projects like Scavengers Reign, Nkondo’s work quickly outpaces those parameters and expectations. In Peaceful Remission, for instance, he deftly balances dialogue and “silent observation,” using that negative space as a visual analogy for emotional distance. And while Wandering is completely text-free, it fosters not a sense of “calm” but instead an “unsettling contemplation of the trappings we choose to surround ourselves with.” No matter the technique, or what book you may hover toward over the other, Nkondo makes sci-fi that balances both the personal, political, and social in a way that’s undeniably affective.
The Kickstarter for both books currently runs through Thursday, March 19. (The campaign achieved its $7,500 goal within just 30 minutes, FYI.) Both titles will be released as 6.5×9” greyscale graphic novels, as well as a limited edition box set with, among other goodies, a signed bookplate and 48-page art book from Nkondo. In the lead up to the campaign’s final days, we caught up with Nkondo via email to ask about both books, their “connection” to Scavengers, and a couple other topics and tidbits.
AIPT: I think a lot of people are going to come to these books from the excellent Scavengers Reign. Do either Peaceful Remission and/or Wandering connect in any way to the show (even just in terms of general influences and vibes)?
Jonathan Djob Nkondo: Unfortunately, there aren’t that many connections to Scavengers Reign. Peaceful Remission takes place in space, so there is that in common and that’s about it. The themes developed in those books are different.
I liked working on Scavengers, it was a lot of fun but this isn’t my creation. The things that I develop on my own are different.
AIPT: In the same vein as that last question, how (if at all) do Peaceful Remission and Wandering connect to one another? Is there one book that maybe you feel resonates with you more personally, or “stands out” compared to its sibling?
JDN: I realized later on that those three stories speak a lot about loneliness. Either the type of loneliness one can experience around strangers or a loved one or the deep loneliness without anybody around.
I feel like I resonate to those stories with the same intensity but for different reasons.
AIPT: Peaceful Remission focuses on Marlène and Jerry Nomo, who are clearly having some issues after a long-time together. What interested you in that deeply personal story amid a rather futuristic setting?
JDN: They are having some issues, but it is only words at the end. They are still together, they are still taking care of each other. I was interested in the dynamic we can find in certain couples, who show love with actions and their presence. I could have done it in a more actual setting but I don’t know, I think the sci-fi aspect to it adds to their isolation.
From Peaceful Transmission. Courtesy of Jonathan Djob Nkondo.
AIPT: With Peaceful Remission, I feel like so much of the story is told in the silent moments compared to the (quite compelling) dialogue. How do you decide when they should talk and when it makes sense to let the rest of the story “speak,” as it were?
JDN: I think it makes sense in those stories to let the actions speak. Marlène is a talkative person, she needs to let it out. It informs us about her character but what she has to say doesn’t lead us to understand what is actually going on. So there is a balance to find between silence and dialogue.
From Peaceful Transmission. Courtesy of Jonathan Djob Nkondo.
AIPT: I love the creature and world designs across the massive desert of Wandering. Where do you draw inspiration from design wise, and do you have any “goals” you try to accomplish in creating these rich worlds?
JDN: Design-wise, I think my background as a graffiti artist adds a lot. I used to play with letters in a way that forced me to focus on the harmony between unrecognizable shapes. It made me feel more comfortable with the notion of abstraction. I would say I like the idea of creating worlds that feel “mine,” but calling it a goal would be too strong.
From Wandering. Courtesy of Jonathan Djob Nkondo.
AIPT: Wandering focuses on two men “shaped by their respective environments—one in the arid wastelands above, and one in the urban sprawl below the surface.” What was the interest in that narrative path, and what do you think you’re trying to say with it?
JDN: The idea came up with the location first. It is very inspired by the Kowloon walled city. The design of this place could make you feel like it would be easier to live above, on the roof, for me at least. So I was interested in the idea of depicting loneliness but also the similitude of human conditions despite the difference of environments. There are pros and cons in both situations.
From Wandering. Courtesy of Jonathan Djob Nkondo.
AIPT: Is there anything else we should know about Peaceful Remission and Wandering, sci-fi comics, your work, the future, etc.?
JDN: Yes, regarding the first story of Peaceful Remission. The character of Marlène came up in reaction to the publishing of the first book, Wandering. Because Wandering was a silent book, I wanted to challenge myself to create another story with a talkative character. The idea of opposing her to a silent husband came up later. And the location, the fact that they live in asteroids, was inspired by a song written by the rapper Edan called “Promised Land.”
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