EXCLUSIVE: Preview the Penultimate Chapter of Webtoon COVID Allegory Planet Divoc-91

The eighth and nearly final chapter of Planet Divoc-91, a Webtoon coronavirus-inspired comic with a rotating cast of writers and artists, is approaching its final destination, and ComicsXF has an exclusive preview.    

“Being part of this innovative project continues to be influential in how I meet ideas creatively,” said South African poet and Chapter 8 writer Phelisa Sikwata in a press release. “Having Planet Divoc-91 (Chapter 8) as my debut in the comic world has been an exciting learning experience, and I am grateful for all the creators who were part of this wonder.”

The series, which began in July, is funded by some of the United Kingdom’s most important research institutions, such as the Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Institute for Health Research, and follows the adventures of two siblings — 23-year-old Sanda Oung and her 19-year-old nonbinary sibling Champo Oung — who are transported to the titular planet on account of Earth staring down an extinction-level event.

Writer Sara Kenney, who’s overseeing the collaborative project that involves both creators and public health experts, said in a July press release that the series is designed to foster discussion about the coronavirus pandemic and how best to address it.

“We realized there was a ton of information and advice about the pandemic out there, but it’s so difficult to know what to believe and who to trust, and there were virtually no young voices in the mix,” Kenney said.

“Chapter 8: Remembering to Return” by Sikwata, artist Rudy Loewe, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and a cover by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, will be available for free next week on Webtoon.

Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.