Comics are a cure for loneliness

New comics that help us connect ✨

Author

Crucial Comix
August 26, 2025

 Read new comics!

» Fighting Loneliness With Dragons: Artist Joy Alicia Raines thought curing her loneliness would require something grand. But it was a pile of clay and a group of strangers that helped her reconnect.

» A Trip to Minsk: Artist Victoria Lomasko shares an excerpt from her new book The Last Soviet Artist that documents the bravery of Belarusian protests in 2020.

» Yield: To survive as a disabled person, I have to give away so much of myself to this dehumanizing bureaucracy. 

 Three Zines to Love

OCD and Me: Artist Scott McCormick documents his daily struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder in this beautifully illustrated, horror-tinged memoir comic.

Making Memoir Comics Zine: Since 2020, Shay Mirk has taught the class “Making Memoir Comics.” This zine collects 10 thought-provoking exercises on storytelling and comics-creation from that class.

Heavyweight Desk Jockey: Is your back hurting right at this moment? Check out this practical and playful comic about staying strong when you have a desk job. A must-read for any artist who’s hunched over their desk like a gremlin!

 Upcoming Classes

All of our classes are sliding-scale and offered online, so they’re affordable and you can join from anywhere. We also have free spots available in every class and workshop for people who can’t afford the price—get in touch if you’d like to request a free spot!

• Comics Editing: Want to learn how to edit comics? This hands-on class focuses on editing other peoples’ nonfiction work while also improving your own. Over five sessions, comics creator Shay Mirk and guest teacher Whit Taylor will focus on both practical editing skills and reflect on personal topics such as dealing with conflict and communicating well with collaborators. Tuesdays, September 30-October 28 from 4-5:30pm PST/7-8:30pm EST

• How to Get an Agent: In this two-hour workshop, cartoonist Al Benbow will cover the basics of how to get an agent for a graphic novel project: preparing your pitch, querying agents, and how to know when you’ve found an agent that’s right for you. Thursday September 18, 4-6pm PST/7-9pm EST.

• Intro to Digital Drawing with Procreate: Do you have an iPad but feel intimidated by drawing on it? This workshop led by Audra McNamee will support you in learning tips and tricks to illustrate in the app Procreate. Wednesday, September 24 from 5-7pm PST/8-10pm EST

What We’re Reading

Three comics from Latin America

Mercedes Campos Lopez is a cartoonist who’s passionate about using comics for education and science communication. Her comic about Mexico’s complicated anti-smog policy “Hoy No Circula” has absolutely blown up on Instagram. We asked Mercedes, who was born in Mexico and raised in Virginia, to recommend three comics from Latin America. 

• Mafalda by Quino (Argentina) - The best way I’ve heard Mafalda be described is: Peanuts if Charlie Brown was socialist. I grew up hearing my Dad talk about Mafalda and hearing many of the jokes and setups second hand.  A few years ago my dad gifted me the complete set of Mafalda strips and my goal is to read all the strips. It recently got an English translation so this is a good time to give it a try!

• The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López (Argentina) - I was introduced to this comic during my MFA and quickly became obsessed with it! It’s difficult to explain the plot but it’s a science fiction mystery with aliens and time travel. I love the art and as someone who leans very heavily on color, I am amazed by how much López achieved with black and white, not even any grey.  My dad and I are re-reading it right now before watching the TV show that came out this year!

• Los Agachados de Rius by Rius (Mexico) -  This is another comic that my father introduced me to and talked about since I was very young. It’s a political cartoon written by a socialist cartoonist that offers social commentary and a glimpse into the daily lives of Mexicans in the 60s and 70s. I love the art— it’s loose and expressive in a way that really captures the rich cultural tapestry and colorful archetypes of Mexican society.  You can see one issue covers the Mexican movement of 1968 and the resulting Tlateloco massacre that my grandparents narrowly escaped. In particular I love this panel in it that I think shows his confrontational spirit perfectly. The text says, “I’m leaving this space empty so you can insult me freely.”

$$ Opportunities for Artists $$

• Queer comics fest Pride in Panels is open for applications! The San Francisco festival highlighting LGBTQ artists will take place February 15. Applications close September 8. 

• Are you a scientist? Do you want to collaborate with a cartoonist to make a comic about your work? Biologist and cartoonist Caroline Hu is looking for scientists at any career stage who want to work with student artists to make comics about their research! Info here. 

• It would be amazing to live in London so I could apply for this job as the director of the Cartoon Museum! Applications close September 4th.

Crucial Comix is supported by the Sequential Artists Workshop. Thanks friends!

This newsletter is written by Shay Mirk. If you have comics or opportunities you think we should feature, email Shay at [email protected]. 💌