Comic, Stacey Bru, Vol. 1, staceybrucomics.tumblr.com, $4.50
The central character in Stacy Bru’s Anxiety Comics — presumably autobiographical — has moods that change as quickly as her hairstyles. Happy news is overshadowed by doubt and sleep is interrupted by worry. All of these emotions are personified through black and white cartoons, with lines that are thick and swoopy. Bru’s character is followed around by a fat, wispy anxiety blob and sometimes accompanied by a fat, droopy wisp of depression. Depression has fanged teeth and sad eyes; anxiety has gills and a seal’s tail.
As a collection, the zine chronicles creative doubt in life’s quiet moments and this makes it immensely relatable. All of us have seen our flaws in neon and our successes as just not big enough yet. The author represents beautifully just what it feels like to have the surge of joy that accompanies success immediately interrupted by a big BUT WHAT IF. The comics normalize the icky feelings we all experience in our work and our lives. And despite the fact the main character is often feeling dejected and unhappy, the collection was finished, the panels were drawn, and in this way the physical proof of this zine shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel. (CJ Blennerhassett)