Comic Review: ‘Before We Sail’ by Yacolca and Lino

Before We Sail

Before We Sail, written by Carlos Yacolca with art by Michelle Lino, is a poignant portrayal not just of an apocalypse and the people surviving it, but also of their struggle with the mental weight of meaning in a crumbling world. Published by Aces Weekly in serialized format, each chapter presents a new moment in the journey of Jonathan and Kath as they seek safety. As in apocalyptic stories such as The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, Yacolca and Lino show that the greatest feat in survival is overcoming the internal threats rather than the external ones.

Before We Sail opens with a man writing a letter behind his barricaded apartment door, knowing his end is coming and not knowing whether anyone would ever read what he is writing. He reflects that even in writing it, part of him is desperate to put off the inevitable, but ultimately his end is an infinite happiness and a salvation from the torment of trying to survive. Jonathan reads the letter with deep reflection, but he shares little of it with Kath, who is far more pragmatic than philosophical about their persistence.

The letter-writing continues as a motif throughout Before We Sail, with Jonathan and later Kath journaling to maintain their sanity. The world is infected by a strange zombifying plague that has led to social collapse. Their goal is to find a yacht with suitable supplies and escape to the tranquility of the sea. Doing so is increasingly difficult, however, as a warlord works to expand his control over the few survivors, hoarding boats, weapons, food, and medicine to keep his organization dependent upon him.

As Kath plans to steal enough to get away with what they need, Jonathan continues to collect letters and notes by the people who have passed on, to add to his own, witnessing all the humanity left in just a few scratches on scraps of paper.

Shadowy Unknowns

Lino’s art in Before We Sail sets a perfect vibe for the story. Her characters and backgrounds are heavily inked, with extensive shadows suitable for a world passing into oblivion. Mike Mignola uses similar techniques in his works to hint at the deep unknown, but Lino presents a haunting realism rather than abstract horror. This world feels very real, with characters discussing towns and neighborhoods or digging through apartments that are believably already picked-over and rarely have genuinely useful things at all. Even the sea, which could be a promise of bright future, is shadowy and full of unknowns.

Because Before We Sail explores the psychology of survival, the story does not end simply with the heroes escaping. They take account of their supplies and make plans for fishing to keep them going longer, but the question remains: Why? Real life has no truly perfectly wrapped ending, and even when we die we leave behind things and people we have touched with our actions—and especially with our thoughts, if we have written them down.