I love the way the lush oranges and purples play off the quiet tale of “Pearl”, the latest installment of Next-Door Neighbor, written and illustrated by Brooklyn-based artist Kat Roberts. “Pearl” is Roberts’ story about her first apartment in New York City, and the homeless woman who proved to be her guardian angel. For more on Roberts, who contributes to the comics anthology Negative Burn and teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology, check out her lively blog.

Read the first nine NDN installments from the archives, including our recent story from Harvey Pekar and Rick Veitch. You have until September 1 to enter our What’s Your Next-Door Neighbor Story? contest. One reader’s neighbor story will be illustrated by one of the NDN artists, running as the final installment of the series.