ECHOES OF OCTOBER / Script and Art by AMI ADAN/ Guest Cover by BRAIAN MALFATTI

The situation in Gaza is complicated by any reasonable metric. The conflict there has moved beyond one side versus another. Unfortunately, most efforts to view the situation with nuance or detachment are doomed to fail. Ignoring political and religious issues, most people are incapable of being purely rational when the lives of their children are endangered. And it takes a lot to make them realize that the people they see as an enemy love their children too.

Echoes of October is about this problem, the conflict in Gaza, and so much more.

Through the eyes of four children of the same age but different experiences, we see the conflict in Gaza as it builds up to the Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Echoes of October is more slice of life than political analysis, however. Most of the comic centers around the kids dealing with kid problems, their dreams, and their mixed feelings about their respective lives.

The conflict around them is reflected through how it effects them in ways that will be relatable to most children. Eli’s family wants to leave Israel for fear of escalating violence, throwing him into a panic over leaving everything he knows. Lily is already dealing with this pain, and dreams of escaping back to Canada and being the next Taylor Swift. Amir misses his soldier father, while Jannah seeks medical treatment n Tel Aviv and wonders why the same people who seemingly hate her are helping her heal.

Echoes of October does not offer any easy answers. There is no happy ending here or people magically finding understanding through common ground. Indeed, only two duos of the four children ever meet. (Eli and Amir are cousins, while Lily’s father volunteers to drive Jannah to the hospital.) However, the story is valuable as a primer for the Gaza situation and how, at the end of the day, we are all children wondering why adults can’t get along with each other.

It’s a simple question. I wish to the deity of your choice I had an answer.

What I can say, however, is that Echoes of October made me think. It made me feel. It taught me some things about the conflict in Gaza I did not know. The artwork is simple, but in a way that is easily grasped on a visual level. And while it is aimed at children 11 and up, I think most adults could benefit from reading Echoes of October. I know I did.

Echoes of October is now available as a Kindle ebook.

The physical edition of Echoes of October releases on October 7, 2025.