Adventures Close to Home
Rebecca Sheedy
http://mildscribblingzine.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccasheeeedy/

Adventures Close to Home is a perfectly square and adorable full-colour comic zine about fun things you can do without travelling too far.

This 8 page (front and back, not including covers) zine is as cute as the cover implies. In Rebecca’s usual detailed but not busy style, they feature eight different fun, close-to-home adventures. Each adventure gets its own page full of colourful drawings that give tips for a great time and reasons why each adventure is cool.

I like how Rebecca mixes adventures that most people can enjoy like going to the local library as well as more location-specific adventures as well. Why? Well, because they’re now also within travelling distance for me, too. Haha. But while Rebecca may list something specific to South Australia, you can make it more general again (like ‘go to a tourist attraction’ rather than the one listed if it’s too far away from you) to help it suit you.

I really adore Rebecca’s work and love checking out all the little details included on every page. I want all of Rebecca’s work.

Check this one out.

Spoonie: Some Stuff About Chronic Illness
Phoebe Kitcher
https://www.instagram.com/phoebekitcherart/
https://tictail.com/phoebekitcherart

Spoonie is a full-colour one-page folded mini about the Spoon Theory and chronic illness. Not familiar with the Spoon Theory? Check out this link: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

There’s nothing like a well-timed zine read, and I needed to read this today while stressing over zine fest preparations.

I’ve seen (and loved) a lot of self-care and chronic illness related zines, but I think this is the first one I’ve read that touches specifically on what the Spoon Theory actually is (many reference it but don’t explain it) and how it works. (That’s not a poke at other zines, by the way.) It’s a brief overview, but this hits the main points and offers a table that further illustrates the concept.

“A Spoonie in the Wild” – Phoebe’s self-portrait sketch – follows the overview as well as spreads that made me smile like “Unauthorised Spoon Usages” and “Befriending a Spoonie”. I like how Phoebe has made something personal enough to still appeal to those well-versed in Spoon Theory and gentle enough to introduce those who aren’t.

I’m familiar with Spoon Theory and am a spoonie, and it’s nice to see people making zines about it. It’s also nice to have little reminders (that I always forget all too quickly) like how the same activity on different days can take different numbers of spoons.

This is a lovely little zine that I’m happy to recommend.