Shrub

SYNOPSIS:
In this 8-issue middle grade adventure, readers will join Shrub who is, well… a shrub… for a cross-country road trip to Hollywood! Join Shrub and a grieving brother and sister as they head out in search of connection. On their journey, pit stops, wacky plant enthusiasts, uprooting, and re-routing abound.

Shrub was inspired by writer Shane Portman’s experience with the loss of his father. The Graphic Medicine series features “Letting Grief Take Root” essays written by individuals with a personal and/or professional connection to grief who relate Shrub’s story to their own lived experience. Essayists include Shane Portman and his family, as well as grief doula Kat Primeau and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Ariel Landrum (Geek Therapy).

Striving to destigmatize loss and promote understanding of the diverse ways that people of all ages grieve, the expanded print edition will also feature a study guide by literacy advocate Creators, Assemble! Inc., an informational essay by clinical psychologist and media consultant Dr. Drea Letamendi, and more.

Shrub will release digitally every month through Hoopla and Comics Plus starting in June 2026.  The collected print edition will be crowdfunded on Kickstarter later this year.

CREATORS
Written and Created by: Shane Portman (Tumble Leaf, Shape Island)
Illustrated by: Andy Alves (Cosmic Cadets)
Colored by: Sophia Du and Celia FitzGerald
Lettered by: Oceano Ransford (Rikki, Ripple Effects)
Consultation by: Moni Barrette

Genres: Adventure, Graphic Medicine, Fantasy
Audience: 12 and up
ISBN: 979-8-9891120-2-9