Shamell, Olivia – Anxiety is the Pits!

May 6, 2025

Website

Anxiety is the Pits!

A brief note here: the link in the title goes to the complete comic posted on Olivia’s website for free. I prefer to link to a place where somebody could purchase the physical copy (or a digital version), but I don’t see that anywhere at her website, so if you wanted to financially support her art, maybe send her an email through her website and offer to buy a book or two? Anyway, explanation over. This is a short comic about a band making their way to a gig. One of them (Cherry) asks if they’ve remembered everything, leading to another band member to accuse her of thinking that they’re all stupid, which leads to Cherry explaining the real reason why she can no longer let little things like that go. I’ve been in a few awkward car rides with conversations like that, and either one of the other people in that car could have made things easier, but I think Olivia just wanted to let that awkwardness sit around for a bit. They eventually have a real conversation about it, and it’s all wrapped up with a really solid punchline. People on any side of this conversation could find something to relate to here, and it’s admirable that Cherry (I realize that this is fictional) was able to express herself as clearly as she did. It’s common in anxious moments to shut down socially, at least for me, so I think a lot of people who deal with anxiety could come away with this with at least a helpful hint or two. No idea on the price, but you could either read it for free or offer to give her money if you’re curious. Follow your conscience!