ADVERTISEMENT

The artist behind "A Return to Normalcy" knows exactly how to turn everyday weirdness into one-panel, hilarious comics. With simple, expressive drawings and sharp deadpan humor, they blend talking insects, anxious humans, and random objects having breakdowns into something that’ll make you laugh, and then wonder if you just got called out by a cartoon.

As the artist’s fans know, “It’s like if your intrusive thoughts had their own comic strip,” full of existential spirals, absurd scenarios, and secret bug conspiracies. So yeah, Pandas, buckle up because these comics will hit you right in the overthinking part of your brain.

More info: Instagram

#1

Comic panel shows a man amidst sheep disguised as wolves asking if any of them are sheep, highlighting talking bugs and existential dread.

areturntonormalcy Report

Mreoww
Community Member
7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reminds me of that weird story about undercover cops arresting d**g dealers who were also undercover cops.

View more comments

The mind behind A Return to Normalcy has a knack for making the bizarre feel familiar, like if Kafka had a meme account and a Wacom tablet.

“I was raised by a magician,” the artist shares, half-laughing, half-resigned. “Not a particularly good one—but theatricality and storytelling were prized in our house. My dad wasn’t great at the tricks, or parenting, but the drama? That stuck with me.”

RELATED:
    #2

    Hand drawing a comic with stick figures and a speech bubble, showcasing hilarious comics with existential themes.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #3

    Medieval knights with a dog wearing a crown in a comic scene blending talking bugs and existential dread humor.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We've picked less qualified leaders than this in many countries. What's the worst that could happen with King Mutt? Another Steve Martin song?

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT

    After what they describe as some “awkward teenage years,” they went on to study Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. That dream lasted until the reality of ten-hour comic workdays in a dark room hit. “I didn’t have the patience,” they admit, “so I escaped with a film degree and a passion for screenwriting.”

    #4

    Man in a p**n shop holding coins, talking to a cartoon bug in a comic blending talking bugs and existential dread.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT

    And that pivot paid off. In 2013, they co-founded Some Nerve Productions, a political media company that won a CPAC award for creative messaging across the political spectrum. While they eventually left to chase bigger creative dreams, they stayed on as a consultant and kept honing their voice in other projects.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    In 2021, they produced Superhuman Public Radio, a tongue-in-cheek audio drama imagining NPR in a superhero-infested world. “It was an absolute blast,” they say—and the show went on to win Outstanding Comedy Podcast 2022 at the Catalyst Story Institute. Their screenwriting also took off, with several contest placements including a win for their pilot Profit at the San Francisco International Screenwriting Festival.

    #6

    Comic panel showing a tiny figure announcing a giant desk concert atop two large desk drawers in a cityscape.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #7

    Comic showing a voter at a polling station with a hooded figure telling him to put his vote into the box in a darkly humorous style.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    But behind all the accolades is a chaotic, heartfelt reality: “Most days, I’m just running after my son Milo, trying to keep him from terrorizing our dog Spencer, while my wife Brenna grades papers in the middle of the bombshell that is our happy home.”

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #8

    Man with prosthetic arm holding a drink in a bar facing a talking bug character expressing existential dread.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #9

    Comic panel showing a muscular man being interviewed by an older man, featuring humor and existential dread themes.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He left because advancement opportunities were so frustratingly limited.

    View more comments
    #10

    Comic scene featuring talking bugs expressing existential dread with humorous signs and speech bubbles in a colorful urban setting.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Multa Nocte
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    OMG - a dirty word many times over! I feel like I've hit the BP jackpot!

    View more comments
    #11

    Comic panel showing talking corn characters with existential dread, one surprised at computer while another calls son.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Mreoww
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pfft. He’s an amateur at hiding stuff.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #12

    Comic scene with a talking cat holding a gun at a house entrance, blending humor and existential dread in the artwork.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #13

    Man reading comic next to broken egg character and horse holding a c*****d eggshell in hilarious talking bugs comic.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The horse is supposed to provide the glue. Once.

    View more comments
    #14

    Comic panel showing two men on a rooftop discussing existential dread with talking bugs in a cityscape background.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Chilli
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    All the kings horses and all the king's men, how about the king's doctor?

    #15

    Cartoon comic scene with two men in an office discussing existential dread, featuring humorous dialogue and talking bugs.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #16

    Cartoon frog sneaking into a room where a woman in a pink dress holds a candle, showcasing humorous comics with talking bugs.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #17

    Cartoon angel in clouds about to hit a spider with a bottle, illustrating comics where talking bugs and existential dread collide.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    kirbo
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    if the spider dies, does it go to double heaven?

    #18

    Comic panel showing a man on a deserted island with a crashed plane, highlighting talking bugs and existential dread themes.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #19

    Comic scene with talking bugs in bed, blending humor and existential dread in a quirky, colorful cartoon style.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Chilli
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The early bird gets the worm and the second bird gets the second worm. Maybe the worm is a little worse, but there are plenty of worms in the ground and the birds shouldn't be expected to sacrifice their comfort just for a chance to maybe get a better worm

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #20

    Office scene with workers showing existential dread and humor, featuring a crying room in a comic style with talking bugs theme.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #21

    Comic panel showing talking bugs with existential dread in a messy room splattered with green substance and bottles.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Steve Robert
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He wanted some head. So did she! Next on Nexflex

    #22

    Comic panel of a man trapped inside a mosquito cafe window, featuring talking bugs and existential dread humor.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Chilli
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    welcome to Applebees, would you like apples or bees?

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #23

    Comic panel showing an elderly man and a giant hand with light rays, reflecting themes of existential dread and talking bugs.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #25

    Cartoon of talking bugs in a soup bowl humorously addressing existential dread at a dining table setting.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #26

    Comic panel showing a character facing a giant worm-like creature in a desert, illustrating talking bugs and existential dread.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    Wesley
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Haven't watched dune so i don't get it

    View more comments
    #27

    Cartoon depicts fighter pilots humorously talking about a red-nosed bug with existential dread in comic style.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #28

    Comic panel showing talking bugs caught on a sticky trap, combining humor and existential dread in an artist’s work.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #29

    Hand dropping a talking bug resembling Pikachu into a mousetrap above a trash bin in a comic style with existential dread themes.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #30

    Comic panel showing talking bugs in a humorous scene where existential dread meets a shocking paternity reveal.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #31

    Cartoon comic of talking bugs with a spider and larva, capturing humor and existential dread in a web setting.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    #32

    Comic panel showing talking bugs covered in red substance on a colorful landscape, blending humor and existential dread themes.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #33

    Melting snowman comic showing existential dread in a humorous talking bugs and comics style artwork.

    areturntonormalcy Report

    ADVERTISEMENT