(Tr)eat Yo Self
comic, Wai Au, 16 pgs, waiau.ca, $2
Wai Au’s zine is deceptively simple. One may easily gravitate toward it due to its cute cover illustration of an octopus and the title’s reference to the sitcom Parks and Rec. Within the pages of the zine, the reader will discover a clever comic that reflects the current state of our neoliberal gig economy. When faced with financial difficulties, we must creatively adapt. What skill or possession can I rent or brand to make money? The seemingly sweet protagonist of (Tr)eat Yo Self experiments with a rather extreme solution to money problems. Emotionally, the reader will be at first delighted by the cute illustrations while a sadness slowly takes over as they turn the pages. Wai Au proves that you do not need to write a long narrative to leave the reader reflecting on the current state of the world. And did I mention how cute the drawings are? Super cute.