Benjamin Marra Resets the Clock in What We Mean by Yesterday Vol 2
If in the first volume of What We Mean by Yesterday projected us into a weird odyssey dominated by lysergic mysticism and an almost metaphysical (albeit deconstructed) quest, this second volume completely shatters those expectations.
Published in May 2026 by Fantagraphics, anyone expecting a linear continuation of that atmosphere will be caught off guard: Marra decides to reset the tone of the narrative, radically changing course. And yet, upon closer inspection, an invisible thread connects both works: a blind impulsiveness and a visceral, almost biological desire to escape from one’s own reality.
From Shamanism to the Scam: The Parable of Ninkugel
The gravitational center of this second volume is Ninkugel, an anti-hero who embodies the most petty, opportunistic, and penniless version of human nature. While the protagonist of Vol. 1 fled upward or toward the cosmic unknown, Ninkugel simply flees from the consequences of his own actions.
It all sparks from a sudden impulse: a wage deemed unfair by the overseer Tonkfarr, a sack of gold bars stolen out of pure spite, and a desperate flight into the woods. From that moment on, the story morphs into a perfect picaresque tale on punk steroids. Ninkugel trades the gold for a fetish that turns out to be a living ecological plague (the Schema Beetle), devastates his village’s economy, and, to escape the noose, runs away once more, rebranding himself as a fake demon hunter in the ill-fated community of Oof-Garn.
Ninkugel has no plan, no morals, and learns absolutely nothing from his mistakes. He is driven solely by immediate survival instincts and a craving for respect he doesn’t deserve. He is the ultimate sublimation of irresponsibility.
The Aesthetics of the Daily: The Instagram Format and the Thrill of the “Spoiler”
As Marra himself explains in the book’s introduction, the project originally began as a daily comic strip on his Instagram account. This detail isn’t just a production note; it is the very soul of the comic’s structure. Drawing one page a day, impromptu and without rigid long-term planning, perfectly elevates that very impulsiveness that drives the protagonist.
Marra even suggests a bizarre “user manual” for the reader: devouring the volume all at once risks anesthetizing the element of surprise. The book should ideally be consumed in small doses, covering the next page with a sheet of paper so as not to ruin the next day’s plot twist. It is a comic that thrives on the thrill of the immediate, on graphic improvisations, and on stark black-and-white contrasts that turn fantasy forests into grim, oppressive lo-fi backdrops.
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