Hi! I'm Rachael Smith, and I'm a comic creator based in the UK. I have published graphic novels such as 'Wired Up Wrong', 'The Rabbit', and 'Artificial Flowers'. My background is in illustration and storytelling.
When the pandemic started, I felt very frightened and useless. I had real trouble getting out of bed or finding the point of doing anything. It wasn't until my friend Heather spoke to me and reminded me that if I'm good at anything, it's making people feel less alone through my comics. Since then, I've felt re-energized to get back to my drawing board. I've been making a comic at least once a day since the UK lockdown began about my life during these strange, strange times. They mostly feature me, my cat Rufus, and my housemate Iain, as well as two imaginary dogs Barky (the black dog, who represents my depression and pessimism) and Friendly (the white dog, who represents my common sense and optimism)
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my doggo does the same, and then you want to get up but she wont and shes h e a vy
cat: finally i can rest without anybody disturbing bcz meh hooman doing da same!! > v <
Some comics are funny, some are heart-wrenching, some are bitter-sweet, and some are philosophical. Every tenth comic I try to make into a full-page, full-color piece; something really special. Sometimes it's hard to do the comics if I have reverted to feeling frightened and useless, but I always feel better after I post one, especially if people tell me that it helped them. I'm proud of the body of work that I'm amassing!
Obviously, I don't know how long they will go on as I don't know when these strange strange times will end, but when all this is done with (or thereabouts) I plan to release them as a book. You can read a few of the Quarantine Comix here, and also follow along at the hashtag #QuarantineComix on Twitter and Instagram, or on my social media channels below. I also sell the originals and prints of full-page pieces on my online shop.
I’ve been masking neurodivergency for so long now I can go from panic attack to masking at a neutral state.
covid or not, this is me every time I go to big crowded areas....
I am the complete opposite for months now. I find it very odd when I see people wearing masks. Specially cloth masks
He looked somewhat worried in the firs panel, why is he surprised that she was worried? If he looked over, he would have seen her anxious expression and sweat and trembling. Why does he say "Wait, what? in the last panel if he was also anxious? She's still sweaty and trembling and doesn't look well. Poor dear!
And if someone touches you without permission, Bite Them. (Miss Kitty)
Easy to do when you have someone else providing a warm bed and all your meals for you.
Things I learned from my cat: yell at people until you get what you want. If that doesn’t work, try crying, make it sound progressively sadder. If it’s still not working, sound like you’re dying. :p
Actual thing the bee would say: “The same people who don’t care if you die also don’t care if I die. Maybe you could use your platform as an artist to talk about that instead of another boring, gratuitous self putdown joke?”
Is it bad that I kind of miss the excuse to give in to all my agoraphobic tendencies?
No, it's not bad! I still wear a mask in stores and on public transit and pretty much everywhere except my apartment and my mom's apartment and other select places I feel safe unmasked. I am not agoraphobic, really, I just have social anxiety and don't like crowds and am an introvert
Load More Replies...As someone with vulnerable family members, wearing a mask goes a long way.
The truly sad thing here is our protagonist's only real fear should be bringing harm to the people she loves. I know several elderly people who died from coronavirus. At least two because our governor sent coronavirus-infected people into their eldercare, but when they died, their loved ones couldn't see them because they might have coronavirus. But that poor girl is no more threatened herself than if she had the flu. (And again, yes, coronavirus is WAY more deadly than the flu, but chiefly to the elderly.) The fact that the restrictions came down while the coronavirus was still running wild is testimony to the fact that although they'd never admit it, the fear-and-loathing policies were terrible failures.
Any one else thought of the black figure speaking in "i'm batman" voice
I'm 33 and I'm now considering doing that. I also bought a bear-shaped cuddly pillow for my niece, then decided to keep it and get her another one. I have stuffed animals on my couch and pink chairs at my dining table. Of all the things to worry about, you shouldn't worry about things people enjoy (without hurting someone else, of course) no matter their age
Forgot the leprechaun socks from Ireland and my collection of goofy Halloween and christmas socks. And I wear reindeer antlers 🦌 to Christmas with the family ;)
Load More Replies...I do the same thing. I have little Kodamas from Princess Mononoke hanging out in my potted plants
I'm 38 and I'm modifing a virtual pivot for the lego car i'm conceving while my wife is doing coloring book...
I haven't worn jeans in..a while. My PJ's are on rotation.
Ok that is even funnier when you wear exactly the same pants (red with white dots) while reading that
But I just realized that white the pants my socks don't have dinosaurs on them but sloths...
Load More Replies...dude I hate fashion statements so much. for example, who needs $700 Js?
i dont wear jens anymore jeans: we dont talk anymore me: what is all of u for? cuz we dont talk anymore meh legs: like we used to do
Maybe you are but I'm thriving. I'm so happy to be working at home. I'm getting much more done, I have more energy, feel a better work/life balance, learning new skills, around my family more. It's a dream come true.
Aawww,I feel the exact same! I HATE that now,all people talk about is COVID-19
what I love about this website is the fact that almost none of it is about covid news or stuff
So me.. ive found that it's easier to "diet" and restrict my s****y food intake when I'm working. I keep telling myself I'll do better the next day BUT I get so bored and food sounds so appealing :)
Change Netflix to Youtube, switch the pizza from a plate to the box it was delivered in, and change the wine to a huge travel mug of coffee and that's me.
lmao. I am actually doing the total opposite of what the memes everywhere claim people are doing. I have no commute, so I am walking more than ever. I walk at lunch, I walk after work, I bike.. Ive never exercised so much in my life!!! (with my mask on and far away from everyone of course)
The first part is what I thought, but then I became the gurl in the second part
I'm using random accents. Mostly British, southern American, and Australian.
Load More Replies...awwwwww this is so sweeeeeeet now i want a cat so I can have a friend ^^ + =^.^=
Cats love to talk with you. Some answer back, some purr, some just sit and listen
Load More Replies...this cat's "voice" (or what i imagine it to sound like) sounds like cloudpaw from warriors
you are an incredible person never ever think you are worth less than you are. Never take your life for granted. Anyone who is ever feeling that please find someone to talk to. Every life is precious and yes you should always keep going.
Yes, please keep going. Be like The Dude ("The Big Lebowski") and endure.
Honestly, I'm still trying to find a reason. I can't do anything spectacular, I'm no one special. Just some nobody Joe that no one thinks about.
Well, I think you are special. Everyone has an amazing part of them, and I am sure that your's shines bright ( even if you can't see it yet :) Just know someone is thinking of you and that you are awesome!
Load More Replies...This is me. Except I've read most of the books around me and now I get them off hoopla.
I don't think I would enjoy sleeping with a full length (or any size) mirror right next to the head of my bed. Rolling over in the morning (or more accurately around noon, depending on the day - I'm self-employed and don't have to work every day) and seeing my just-woken-up face would be a little alarming and not a fun way to wake up/start my day. I don't overly dislike how I look, but I don't spend that much time looking in the mirror and I like it that way.
yeah i feel this. ;=; the only bad thing for me during lockdown was the libairy was shut down DX
These days audiobooks are some of the only things keeping me sane
At 5AM x.x and if paws don't work... well sitting on your humans face will work ... who need to breath anyways? =__=
Load More Replies..."And then ten minutes after you get comfortable I'll scream at the top of my lungs to be let outside"
Right? Who knew my job would be the thing that preserved my sanity?
Load More Replies...For your sanity's sake, spend a MINIMAL amount of time looking at news sites. Or, at least looking at news about COVID-19.
Not that guy... Always gonna be creepy. Don't ever let him think you thought he was gonna be different, because he will be. Creepier.
Tell him to shut his mouth. Why do women think they have to put up with this junk? Put a harsh stop to unacceptable behavior.
HA my fam is a fam of 7 but most of us are teens and don't want to leave the house
My best friends family is a family of 13 and the oldest is 17 and the youngest 10 months, and they love to go outdoors and play games and camp, they are almost constantly camping, I don’t know how they do it
Load More Replies...I’m a family of four but sometimes is see I ginormous family and I wonder if it’s a family reunion
Dandelions are also fun to draw. They have lovely shades of yellow and orange in them.
Nothing is truly a weed. There are merely plants that some people have decided they don't like. I once saw someone refer to Creeping Charlie as a weed and something they were desperate to remove from their yard. I looked it up out of curiosity, and discovered that Creeping Charlie is the plant that was growing out behind some office buildings I cleaned at the time. I absolutely LOVED how the ground looked covered in the stuff, and the tiny flowers are adorable and pretty. Some day I want to have a yard where I can have a bunch of it growing!
Mewmew, looked up Creeping Charlie because I am into planting flowers and sort of have an awful feeling in my gut when "weeding" pretty things. I love this stuff also! Beautiful purple flowers, actually think I have some by the side of my house :-)
Load More Replies...I don’t understand why people pull them out…they look pretty in the grass. I bought a few in and put them in a little vase last time I was at my Mothers, she ignored them 🥺
I just recently learned that "garden" is what people in the UK call their yard. For people in the US, a garden is either a flower bed or a place where you grow vegetables (or it could be both I guess).
And their deep roots pull vital nutrients up to the surface for the other plants who can't reach down that far :-)
i-a-i-n? Or it it l-a-i-n? Never heard that name before either way
And probably never going to get a chance to grow older.
Load More Replies...When you get coronavirus, you won't be calling people paranoid idiots.
10 years later: Teen- "How did I not get punched in the face for all that sh#t?!"
Don’t worry. Once those three a******s get hooked up to ventilators in the hospital as their lungs turn to water, they’ll be singing—-scratch that—-wheezing a different tune. You’re being smart. They’re committing suicide.
As a teen, we reject these assholes as 'teens'. They ain't Gen Z. Maybe the Millennials will take them?
i thought you got attacked by 15 monsters every second in zelda..
To much time on the net can cause depression as we wait for someone to come on and notice we are on and when they do not come on we make up things in our minds, like do they hate me? ect ect. And at this time we must tell ourselves that we all might be feeling the same way and that right now that is ok and go watch a movie.
Me, since 2014, when my lungs got so bad I had to stay isolated most of the time. So hard
I think this is something that many people don't really get about depression/anxiety/other "irrational" thought processes... they are extremes of otherwise perfectly reasonable thought processes. You can't throw them out altogether, because sometimes the pessimistic interpretation is the correct one! So every time such a thought hits, you're like "but what if that IS the right way to think about this?!".
I have personal experience with depression and anxiety and it's so much worse than just pessimism.
Load More Replies...That's me but with trees. We walk in the refuge often and I'm like look at this perfect tree! No this one is even more perfect..
Im like that with climbing trees and climbing rocks and anything active in nature
Load More Replies...About 17 years ago, I was in a nasty car wreck. Snapped my sternum in half, causing bruising in, and bleeding around, my heart. Heart recovered fine and pretty quickly. Sternum took a while, and fused itself slightly offset. Moral of the story? Bra's freaking hurt! I rarely wear one, and on the occasions I need to, I wear a soft, 42 D, sports bra (I am a 34 B). And am miserable until I can take it off again. Also, hiccups hurt like the devil. I've taught myself to meditate, and stop hiccups in about 2 minutes. I'm still isolated. Thank for letting me ramble!
Load More Replies...People die every day, though, even without a pandemic. I get that the black dog thing is meant to be all the negative feelings and pessimism, but black dog thing is still pretty wrong here. If we had to stop enjoying ourselves due to people dying somewhere, nobody could ever enjoy themselves again anywhere. Stay safe, do what you can to protect yourself and those around you, and do your best to find ways to enjoy life despite everything going on.
you shouldn't be worried about this virus. its the way people are reacting that's causing more panic to others.
The squirrels in my yard would have seen me and ran away especially if I said anything
Having something positive on the future gives you a little something to keep going for :)
OMG at first i thought you were wrong but... yeah i had to look at it like literally five times to realize i did that too LOL
Load More Replies...bro, I don't like thinking about that. It makes me cry because it feels like it was so long ago and then melancholia really hits :(
This looks like it could be the cover to a lo-fi album/song
at least you have a boyfriend, I don't even have my crush's number!😥
This joke was definitely in Red dwarf. Is the author watching Red dwarf? Edit: Yes, she is.
I never laugh harder than when I laugh at myself and the stupid s**t I say or make up in my head. Love it.
I always liked Kat. He wasn't too bright but he was always dressed to the 9s.
Plenty of women liked Robert Picardo's EMH Doctor. So, yes; while Rimmer was an absolute git (not necessarily his fault, he was written that way), I can see a few women fancying him.
