ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Emanata wishes to acknowledge and thank the following: Natalie Reyes for our lush cover.
Brooke “Bear” Granger for our first ever poster design.
Our graphic designer Victor Romanko for the effort and dedication he put into putting this volume together.
Our alumni for their continued support and participation in our organization.
Our contributors for sharing their immense talent and passion for comics with us, as well as giving us their support and creating an amazing community throughout the year.
Our editors for volunteering their time to make sure this volume is as high-quality as it can possibly be.
Our staff for their attention to detail and strive to make Emanata better and better every year.
And VCU’s Student Media Center, for giving us the tools and resources to make many amazing things happen every year
Mark Jeffries Creative Media Manager mjeffries@vcu.edu
Jessica Clary Director of Student Media claryj@vcu.edu
FOREWORD
Dear Readers,
Are you looking for a new hyper-fixation? A new thing to obsess over for the summer and then have it consume you and all your time next school year?
Well, you’ve picked up the right anthology. Welcome to Emanata volume 12, Obsession.
Inside, you’ll find all sorts of things we obsess over, from OCs to online games to even dirt, we’ve got all that you could ever want.
It’s no secret that in the last few years, our numbers have grown exponentially. We’ve gone from 14 comics to 79, 102 pages to nearly 400. We’ve gained attention and traction that wouldn’t have been possible without all of you beautiful people.
Our theme this year reflects all of the hard work and effort we’ve all put into the book this year. The sleepless nights, the tight deadlines, all the attention you’ve given this publication.
We can’t thank you enough.
I remember picking up my first Emanata volume in 2021. I remember the feeling of awe and the inspiration that struck me as I stood in Monroe Park. I remember looking at the staff and thinking to myself, “I want that to be me.” Four years later, I’m the first non-art major to be Emanata’s Editor-in-Chief.
Guess you could say I’ve been pretty obsessed over the past few years.
Hopefully Obsession inspires you the same way I was all those years ago.
-Gabe Carlson
About the Cover
This year’s cover is loosely based on the Greco-Roman myth of Echo and Narcissus, in which obsessive vanity and onesided love leads to self destruction.
Natalie Reyes is a Comm Arts VCU alum and former EditorIn-Chief of Emanata. Natalie is an independent artist and game developer currently working on her studio’s debut title.
She can be found on Instagram as @onedaymacie or at studioureka.com
About the Poster
Brooke “Bear” Granger is a recent VCU alum who graduated from CommArts in 2023. Bear is currently working as a freelance artist and accepting commissions for a wide range of work, from designs for DnD Characters to posters for local businesses. They are working towards earning a Tattoo Apprenticeship.
They can be found on instagram @Bigranger12, and contacted at Bigranger1203@gmail.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dragon’s Quarry - Katie Pline ...................................................................
Apothecary - Hannah Perlow ....................................................................
Singularity - Tori Chapel .............................................................................
Deduction - M. Pham
My Dearest Parasite - Tess Versprille
Crimson Heart - Lilly Mahaney
Take - C. Laba ..................................................................................................
Shopaholic Shenanigans - Eliyahu Shu’al .............................................
The Roommate - Danielle Murphy ..........................................................
Ad Aspera Per Astra - Tessa Coleman ....................................................
The Single Twitch - Beck Kallenburg .....................................................
Obscurity Now! - Katie Marshall .............................................................
Love Notes - Nicki Baumgart
The Journey Begins - Cici Eltermann
He’s Mine - Rachel Farzan ..........................................................................
Beware! - Jakaiyah Rumedon .....................................................................
Somatheosis - Zachary Taylor ...................................................................
Blinding Light - Anne Wu .........................................................................
Space Trip - Gabriella Denney ...................................................................
Whirlwind - Viktoria Soriano ...................................................................
Obsession - Amanda Easterling
Desdemona - Luis Espinosa
Rollerbound - Ashli Rodriguez and Natalie Auandee
An Obsession With Power - Marley Trimble .......................................
God’s Failings - Lauryn Baynes .................................................................
Eye of the Tiger - Kassandra Londoño ....................................................
God Killer - Morgan Lee ..................................................................................
Cat-oholic - Kimberly Easterling ...................................................................
Crush - Dasani Johnson ....................................................................................
Let Me Show You a Dream - Anthony Duong
The Ghost of You - Gabe Carlson
I Finally Have an Excuse to Write About My OC! - Emily Belson ...
The Ballad of the Lost Princess - Amber Hashmi ...................................
Constriction - Bridget Sadler ..........................................................................
Hot Boyz - Karina Achico ................................................................................
The Truest Portrait - Bear Granger ...............................................................
Luminescence - Noah Hush ...........................................................................
OCPD - Dawn Gonzales & Frank VanV.
Of My Eye - Cam DiVenere
A Very Gouda Case - Jordyn Johnson
Saints Do Not Move - August Roberson .....................................................
Merge Madness - Isaac Harmon ....................................................................
Merge a Dozen - Cassidy Davis .....................................................................
Merge Mayhem - Reese Cilley .......................................................................
MERGED!!! - Alex Lawson .............................................................................
Merge Me - Grayson Gayvert .........................................................................
Astronomy Club - Love Wilson
Bunny - Aidan Doyle
Guardian - Ana Pierowski ...............................................................................
The Goddess - Zahraa Hadi ..............................................................................
My Mother - Ruth Reed ..................................................................................
Girlism - Betty ....................................................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Creating Eden - Sarah Harvey
Skullduggery - Lydia Wallace ....................................................................
That’s a Stupid Title - Alexa “Tig” Harriss ..............................................
Heartstrings - Carter Lydon ......................................................................
Laura is Dead - Casper ................................................................................
Secret Obsession - Amari Louviere ........................................................
Maggats - Anonymous ................................................................................
Sparring With a Mirror - Eyram Kpotivi
Avarice - Callisto West
Exit Stage Right - Autumn Winters
Dismorphophobia - Nicole DiSalvo ........................................................
Cordem Replere - Andrea Gonzalez ........................................................
Hiqd - KCV Duong ........................................................................................
City of Salt - Dylan Smith ...........................................................................
One Track Mind - Finch Malin ................................................................
Fresh Blood - Janie Wright .........................................................................
Cycle. - O’Connor
Good Dog - Nathan Umbrell
Oh, Worm - Ollie Hoffmaster ....................................................................
Can I Have a Mint? - Aiden Dvalidze .....................................................
1:34 - Mason Bleadingheiser .......................................................................
Town Hero - Yeala Grimes .........................................................................
Tabi - Stephen Askew ...................................................................................
Broken Record - ScorpiGoat ......................................................................
Star - Viktoria Fisher
Orchard - Levi Flournoy
4:00 AM - Malia Achico
Merge Mayhem
By Reese Cilley
City of Salt
I NOW WALK INTO THE ABYSS
SENIOR STAFF
Gabe Carlson is a senior nursing major with a minor in psychology. He acts as the first-ever non-art major student to be Emanata’s EIC. Gabe grew up reading superhero comics, but has a current passion for sci-fi, horror, and queer stories in his own work. He hopes to continue working on comics in his spare time when he’s not working in the hospital.
Hannah is a junior majoring in Comm Arts and Political Science. She loves art, crocheting, and bugs. Hannah acted as our communications manager this year, keeping contributors up-to-date and in the loop, and is excited to lead Emanata as the next Editor in Chief! She is excited to be working with the SMC again next year and will work hard to make Emanata great.
Jordan Kalafut is a junior Social Work major with hopes for a profession in hospital social work. While not an artist, Jordan is enthusiastic about the editing process and loves seeing the contributors’ comics develop throughout pencils, inks, and tones. Outside of Emanata, Jordan enjoys finding new music, hanging out with friends at the Student Media Center, and interacting with the local Richmond art scene.
Malia Achico is currently a sophomore CommArts major, studying and pursuing her hopes to become a comic book artist. She holds the current position as Emanata’s Social Media Manager, in addition to contributing and editing with Emanata for the first time this year! Malia appreciates the new experiences that Emanata has provided and continues to work towards achieving the comic dream with much anticipation!
Gabe Carlson
Jordan Kalafut
Malia Achico
Hannah Perlow
EDITORS
Karina Achico
Edited for: Love Notes, Whirlwind
Malia Achico
Edited for: Can I Have a Mint?, Deduction, Girlism, The Single Twitch
Nicki Baumgart - ArtStation: @espeonage
Edited for: Guardian, Of My Eye, Obsession, Somatheosis
Lauryn Baynes - Instagram: @magic.inkwell
Edited for: Cat-oholic, God Killer, Star,
Emily Belson - Instagram: @kimcat3120
Edited for: The Goddess, One Track Mind, Orchard, Tabi
Gabe Carlson - Instagram: @lukass_kick.s X: @Lukass-Kicks
Edited for: Apothecary, The Ballad of the Lost Princess, Good Dog, Heartstrings
Aidan Doyle - Instagram: @tunestonestudios
Edited for: Constriction, An Obsession With Power, Sparring With a Mirror
Kimberly Easterling - Instagram: @kittenlover888 TikTok: @kimberlycatyt
Edited for: 1:34, MERGED!!!, Secret Obsession, Space Trip
Cici Eltermann - Instagram: @berry_the_fly
Edited for: Beware!, City of Salt, Hiqd, Rollerbound, Saints Do Not Move
Rachel Farzan
Edited for: Avarice, Hot Boyz, Skullduggery
Shannon Fritz - Instagram: @dream_something_big
Edited for: Dragon’s Quarry, The Ghost of You, OCPD
Dawn Gonzales - Instagram: @d.marie120
Edited for: Astronomy Club, Cycle, Eye of the Tiger
EDITORS
Ollie Hoffmaster - Instagram: @inanolivetree
Edited for: A Very Gouda Case
Apollo Hurley
Edited for: Broken Record, God’s Failings, Merge Mayhem, Take
Jordan Kalafut Instagram: @jskalafut
Edited for: Dismorphophobia, I Finally Have an Excuse to Write About My OC!
Morgan Miller
Edited for: My Dearest Parasite, My Mother
Hannah Perlow - Instagram: @kiptopie
Edited for: Crimson Heart, Desdemona, Luminescence, Shopaholic Shenanigans
Emma Pettit - Instagram: @petitepurin X: @petitepurin
Edited for: Ad Aspera Per Astra, Merge a Dozen, Merge Me, The Truest Portrait
Ana Pierowski
Edited for: Fresh Blood, Let Me Show You a Dream, Singularity
Viktoria Soriano - Instagram: @vriaki
Edited for: 4:00 AM, Crush, Town Hero
Zachary Taylor - Instagram: @zacharty_taylor
Edited for: Blinding Light, Obscurity Now!, Oh, Worm
Marley Trimble
Edited for: Cordem Replere, Exit Stage Right, Merge Madness
Love Wilson - Instagram: @the.wiz.ard
Edited for: He’s Mine, The Journey Begins, Laura is Dead, The Roommate
Autumn Winters - Bluesky: @nimbersss.bsky.social Instagram&TikTok: @nimbersss
Edited for: Bunny, Creating Eden, That’s a Stupid Title
CONTRIBUTORS
Hannah Perlow Instagram: @kiptopie
Apothecary
Tori Chapel
Singularity
M. Pham
Deduction
Malia Achico
4:00 AM
Tess Versprille - Instagram: @assistantlobster
My Dearest Parasite
Lilly Mahaney - Instagram: @onyx._.roses
Crimson Heart
C. Laba
Take
Eliyahu Shu’al - Instagram: @eliyahushual
Shopaholic Shenanigans
Danielle Murphy - Instagram: @aesthelya
The Roommate
Tessa Coleman
Ad Aspera Per Astra
Beck Kallenburg - Instagram: @noxartra
The Single Twitch
Katie Marshall - Instagram: @h.t.artphalt
Obscurity Now!
CONTRIBUTORS
Nicki Baumgart - ArtStation: @espeonage
Love Notes
Cici Eltermann
The Journey Begins - Instagram: @berry_the_fly
Rachel Farzan
Jakaiyah Rumedon - Bluesky: @crescentheart.bsky.social Instagram: @crescentheart_does_art
Zachary Taylor - Instagram: @zacharty_taylor
He’s Mine Beware! Somatheosis
Anne Wu Instagram: @sunni_studies
Blinding Light
Gabriella Denney Instagram: @gmd.png
Space Trip
Viktoria Soriano Instagram: @visrupto
Whirlwind Obsession
Amanda Easterling Instagram: @puppydoglove112233
Luis Espinosa Instagram: @wooirons Tumblr: @wooirons
Desdemona
Ashli Rodriguez - Instagram: @smil3y.f4c3
Natalie Auandee - Instagram: @your.asian.pal
Rollerbound
Katie Pline
Dragon’s Quarry
CONTRIBUTORS
Marley Trimble
An Obsession With Power
Lauryn Baynes - Instagram: @magic.inkwell
God’s Failings
Kassandra Londoño - Instagram: @peachykis3, X: @stbrrymilky
Eye of the Tiger
Morgan Lee - Instagram: @nightmare_parfait, Website: https://nightmareparfait.com
God Killer
Kimberly Easterling - Instagram: @kittenlover888, TikTok: @kimberlycatyt
Cat-oholic
Dasani Johnson - Bluesky: @mxmargarine.bsky.social, Instagram: @mx.margarine, X: @MxMargarine
Crush
Anthony Duong - Instagram: @kiri_n_
Let Me Show You a Dream
Gabe Carlson - Instagram: @lukass_kick.s, X: @Lukass-Kicks”
The Ghost of You
Emily Belson - Instagram: @kimcat3120
I Finally Have an Excuse to Write About My OC!
Amber Hashmi
The Ballad of the Lost Princess
Bridget Sadler - Bluesky: @redrobber13.bsky.social, Instagram & X: @redrobber13
Constriction
Karina Achico
Hot Boyz
CONTRIBUTORS
Bear Granger - Instagram: @bigranger12
The Truest Portrait
Noah Hush - Instagram: @hushpuppy_art
Luminescence
Dawn Gonzales & Frank VanV. - Dawn Gonzales: Instagram: @d.marie120
OCPD Of My Eye
Cam DiVenere
Jordyn Johnson - Instagram: @yourboredfriendjordyn
A Very Gouda Case
August Roberson
Saints Do Not Move
Isaac Harmon - Instagram: @drawing.dharma
Merge Madness
Cassidy Davis - Bluesky: @casscolorss.bsky.social, Instagram: @casvasidy
Merge a Dozen
Reese Cilley - Instagram: @searhys_
Merge Mayhem MERGED!!!
Alex Lawson - Instagram: @faeillustration
Grayson Gayvert - Instagram: @ri0tpark, Tumblr: @unknowwneo
Merge Me
Love Wilson - Instagram: @the.wiz.ard
Astronomy Club
CONTRIBUTORS
Aidan Doyle - Instagram: @tunestonestudios
Bunny
Ana Pierowski
Guardian
Zahraa Hadi
The Goddess
Betty - Instagram: @betyybetyybetyy
Girlism
Ruth Reed - Instagram: @ruesucre, TikTok: @ruesucre
My Mother
Sarah Harvey - Website: https://linktr.ee/ArtsyFartsyAntics
Creating Eden
Lydia Wallace
Skullduggery
Alexa “Tig” Harriss - Website: https://tigtoggle.carrd.co/
That’s a Stupid Title
Carter Lydon - Instagram: @carter.va, Website: https://carterlydon.com
Heartstrings
Casper - Bluesky: @graffitighoul.bsky.social, Instagram: @graffitighoul, X: @graffitighoul
Laura is Dead
Amari Louviere - Instagram: @autreus4
Secret Obsession
Anonymous
Maggats
CONTRIBUTORS
Eyram Kpotivi - Bluesky: @cosmicslugger.bsky.social, Instagram: @cosmicnxxdles_, X: @cosmicnxxdles
Sparring With a Mirror
Callisto West - Instagram: @callisto_west
Avarice
Autumn Winters - Bluesky: @nimbersss.bsky.social, Instagram&Tiktok: @nimbersss
Exit Stage Right
Nicole DiSalvo - Instagram: @nikkicr8s
Dismorphophobia
Andrea Gonzalez - ArtStation: @andrea-gonzalez, Instagram: @_0kayartist_
Cordem Replere
KCV Duong - Instagram: @kirvandu
Hiqd
Dylan Smith - Instagram: @smallforcego
City of Salt
Finch Malin - Instagram: @luli_bittily
One Track Mind
Janie Wright - Instagram: @meleewizard
Fresh Blood Cycle.
O’Connor - Instagram: @transylvict0r
Nathan Umbrell - Instagram: @primatedrawssometimes
Good Dog
Ollie Hoffmaster - Instagram: @inanolivetree
Oh, Worm
CONTRIBUTORS
Aiden Dvalidze - Tumblr: @ihatehornets
Can I Have a Mint?
Mason Bleadingheiser - Instagram: @masons_art_corner
1:34
Yeala Grimes - Instagram: @yae.la
Town Hero
Stephen Askew - X: @SketchCast64
Tabi
ScorpiGoat
Broken Record
Viktoria Fisher - Instagram: @vik.illustration
Star
Levi Flournoy - Instagram: @bishamontdn
Orchard
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Victor Romanko - Instagram: @romankodesigns, Website: romankodesigns.com
COLOPHON
Emanata is typeset with GT Sectra and Proxima Nova. The cover was printed on 100# Explorer Digital Silk Cover. The interior pages were printed on 70# Roosevelt White Smooth Offset. It was printed by Carter Printing Company, Richmond, Virginia and produced at the VCU Student Media Center, Box 842010, Richmond, VA 23284.
©2025.