Wandering

Cartoonist and animator Jonathan Djob Nkondo (Scavenger’s Reign) weaves a visionary story following the wandering paths of two men, each shaped by their respective environments—one in the arid wastelands above, and one in the urban sprawl below the surface. Though they never meet, their lives mirror and resonate with each other, creating a haunting sense of synchronicity and missed connection. Set in a world where the surface has become a vast, arid desert dotted with strange geometric creatures and billabongs, Wandering imagines a society that has retreated underground. Beneath the scorched crust, life continues in sprawling subterranean complexes—theaters, malls, food courts, and highway interchanges—forming a claustrophobic echo of the world above. Themes of alienation, routine, freedom, and the trappings of modern life turn this textless, nonlinear, and atmospheric graphic novel into an unsettling contemplation of the trappings we choose to surround ourselves with.