Advance Review: ‘Eight Limbs’ Comes Out Swinging July 12th

Welcome to the table,

While I’m a big fan of all kinds of martial art films and shows, I don’t really have a lot of technical knowledge about practical hand-to-hand combat as it relates to the real world. I think that is what made Eight Limbs, published by Humanoids, such a nice read.

Eight Limbs not only has a charming and heartfelt story about a family finding a new member, but it goes into some of the methods and mindsets behind Muay Thai.

Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Giulia Lalli, colors by Lee Loughridge, and letters by Andworld Design’s Jame, Eight Limbs is a slice-of-life story that comes out swinging and delivers a one-two punch of in-the-ring action and from the heart storytelling.

Phillips has a quote that I think sheds some great insight into the work.

“I wrote Eight Limbs as a celebration of what it means to choose to fight. As the story discusses, there is a vast difference between fighting and violence, and I think that boils down to choice. There is strength in the choice we make to learn to fight and train our bodies to participate in one of the most di cult and dangerous sports in the world. That’s not to say Muay Thai is the only way for women to resist gendered norms…but it was mine and it means the world to me. Muay Thai is more than a sport to me, and learning to fight taught me to respect and love myself in a way I never did before.”

—Stephanie Phillips, February 2023

Eight Limbs comes out swinging on July 12th so be sure to ask your local comic shop to preorder it today!

Until next time, kick, punch, it’s all in your mind, if you want to test me I’m sure you’ll find, the things I’ll teach ya’ is sure to beat ya, but nevertheless, you’ll get a lesson from teacher… is not actually a good strategy in a fight.