Rhubarb's Cold Open

COLD OPEN
RACHEL BIVENS
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COLD OPEN
Illustrated and Written
By Rachel Bivens

For fred and ginger

ONCE UPON A DARK
AND DREARY WOOD...
RHUBARB,
THE
BRAVE?
Confident?
INDEPENDENT?
COURAGEOUS?
AND ONLY SLIGHTLY SKITTISH
WANDERER TRAVELED ALONE...
...OR SO HE THOUGHT.
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YOU KNOW,
THIS ISN’T...
THAT
BAD.
STEPPING on THAT
WRINKLY DEEP-FRIED RAT
WAS TRAUMATIZING,
BUT I’LL erase that
from my memory
TO SAVE MY SANITY...
I’VE GOT THIS
DELIVERY IN
THE BAG!
OH,
SNAP!
CRACK!
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Over
there!
a h h h
h h
hh ! ! !
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aha haha haha ahahaaha ha
JUST EAT ME QUICKLY
I PROBABLY WON’T
TASTE GOOD ANYWAY!!!
aha haha!
Ahaha ha
haha haha aha
aha haha haha ahahaaha ha
HEY!
THAT WASN’T
FUNNY!
ahahaha
hahaha
ahahaha
haha ha
tee hee hee
eheh heh hee
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hmph!
WAIT FOR
US
LITTLE
FAERIE GUY!
MY NAME
IS RHUBARB,
AND I AM
NOT A
FAERIE!
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SO, WHERE ARE
YOU GOING...
NOT-LITTLE-
FAERIE GUY?
SOMEWHERE!
HAVE YOU
HEARD OF
SOMEWHERE,
SMALLFLOWER?
MMM...
NO.
BUT
LET’S GO
ANYWAY!
WE’RE NOT GOING,
I’M GOING!
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NOOO WAIT IT’S
SCARY HERE WE
NEED TO Walk
TOGETHER
FROGFRUIT’S GONNA
WET THEIR VEST!
YOU’RE THE ONE’S WHO
SCARED ME!
HOW DO YOU EVEN
WET A VEST IF
IT’S NOT PANTS?
WITH THEIR TEARS!?!
WHAT DO PANTS HAVE
TO DO WITH THAT???
UGHHH,
JUST KEEP
WALKING,
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AND SO, the wanderer and his
unexpected friends settled for what
was sure to be a relaxing evening
Looks like
frog fruit’s
still asleep.
ahhh, finally
alone again.
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This is nice!
no one’s
bothering
me, just
nice, and...
Quiet.
Too
quiet...
You’re back! i just
finished making
after-dinnerbefore-midnightsnack-treats!
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Look see!
uhh...
Here’s your
spoon!
mmmmm...
thanks?
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mmmkay,
time for
me to go!
Wait!
smallflower
isn’t back yet!
And i don’t
want to
be alone!!!
Well,
I do!
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Let
go!
See, look what happened. you
tried to go off alone and you
already fell flat on your back!
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Hey, rhubarb, what’s
your favorite animal?
i like chickens, but do
they fly?
I’ve
never
seen one
fly!
What else
would
they do
with the
eggs...
Do they ever
lay eggs while
they fly? do
they drop
them like
bombs?
That aren’t
baby eggs
when no one
is around to
eat them???
omg
what’s
that!!!
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Oh my golly,
that’s deep!
Let’s jump in!
No.
Okay,
byeeeeee!
Finally,
alone
at
last.
Watch
out
faerie
boy!
waaaahoooooo!!! !
aaggghhhh!
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RHUBARB,
LOOK!
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Is that...
Slime!
Try
some
rhubarb!
No
thanks!
Try It!
nooooo!
Come on
rhubarb!
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ahahaha
Smack
Tee
hee
SPLAT!
aha ha
aha haha haha ahahaaha ha
ha ha
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Oh, hello
Well,
aren’t you
a cutie
Uh ohh...
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We...
Ate...
That!
Eh heh
sorry...
ewwww
blechhh!!!
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TO BE CONTINUED...

Acknowledgments
To all my wonderful, amazing, fantastic peers at Ringling,
thank you for pushing me to excel and continually inspiring me
through the years.
To my lovely proofreaders (and trusted confidants), Corinne
Antonelli, Sydney Saporito, and Mara Whelan, thank you for
your honesty, encouragement, and feedback from when this
story was just ramblings and silly ideas. As you all know, the
best is yet to come!
To my many professors, thank you for your guidance, wisdom,
time, and for always driving me to improve.
To Gary Barker, my thesis professor, thank you for believing in
my work even when I was doubting myself, and for your many
many draw-overs haha!
To Mom and Dad, thank you for all your support and for
putting up with my antics these past four years.
To Fred and Ginger, thank you for your love, cute faces, and
stinky breath.
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Author’s Note
I’m happiest at my drawing table - various tools scattered across the
surface and pages filled with colorful blobs and silly drawings - that’s
where the magic happens! My biggest inspirations are illustrators like Joy
San, Natalie Andrewson, Chris Hong, Richard Scarry, and my peers and
professors. Traditionally, I love working with watercolor, colored pencils,
crayons, and paint makers - layering things on top of each other to
create the final image. I hope my work brings a bit of fun and whimsy to
others’ lives and helps them embrace their inner child.
Rhubarb’s Cold Open is a graphic novel for young readers and the
young at heart about friendship, accepting help from others, and trying
new things. Rhubarb and the reader go on a journey encountering
strange creatures, making new friends, and falling down magical wells. I
hope you enjoy the beginning of Rhubarb’s story and find a little sparkle
in yourself too!
- For more art and overall silliness find me at -
@rbivsart
www.rbivs.art

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