‘Welcome to the Daily Life of Tabistacs’ is an open invitation to revisit the ordinary

Welcome to the Daily Life of Tabistacs

Comic zine, Stacy Lee

Daily life is far from monotonous in Stacy Lee’s Welcome to the Daily Life of Tabistacs. Stacy shares an affection for daily life in this zine about Tabi, “an ordinary girl living an ordinary life.” The charm and flamboyancy of the zine shakes the way “ordinary” looks and feels. In the eyes of Tabi, ordinary is cotton candy crisp colours and beaming smiles. Welcome to the Daily Life of Tabistacs is an open invitation to revisit the ordinary and discover humour in even the most routine of routines.

The entire comic is a treasure trove collection of subtle comedy sprinkled across each of the panels. The comic’s crown jewel is certainly Tabi’s expressiveness. At one point, Tabi visits an art gallery where a piece catches her eye so she stops to take a look. A few moments pass and she’s still standing in the same place. Finally, she turns back to quirk the tiniest of eyebrows up and exchange a look of scepticism; a look that says, “I’m looking, but I have no idea what I’m looking at.” In a single raised eyebrow, Tabi conveys the universal distress of many gallery-goers looking at art they perhaps may or may not make sense of. Aside from going to the gallery, Stacy uses other commonplace activities like getting a haircut, taking photos, using the bathroom and setting alarms as an opportunity to showcase day-to-day hilarities. The comic combines simple design, humorous observation and bright colours to create a cheerful celebration of our daily lives.