Week of 8/17/2026

Remember how I said The Shapes was officially returning from hiatus in September? Well, I still have a lot of work to do on the website I’m building for, among other life things (in a good way), so new comics will return starting with the Clara and Pinky storyline in early October. In the meantime, I have two events coming up in the Kansas City area for the next two Saturdays where I’ll have some secret new merch! For you NYC locals, I have two fairs coming up in September.

Speaking of which, my limited-edition Clara & Pinky posters (29 copies only) are finally up on the online shop. You can get 30% off until Friday if you use the code CLARA&PINKY at checkout!

What is Gabrielle Bell’s deal anyway? Or airplane food, nuts, or life itself? Well, there’s no definitive answer to those other questions, but Bell has a lot to recount about her life in her newest self-published diary comic. Spanning from February 19^th to May 26^th, 2025, we follow her experience trying out TMS therapy for depression.

This 34-page minicomic is laden with a dry groundedness characteristic of Bell’s memoir writing style. Bell isn’t trying to turn the experience into a didactic dramatization containing an obvious takeaway at the end. Events are presented linearly, and while the TMS therapy is the focal theme, her relationship to it isn’t prioritized above all else. We get to see Bell’s day-to-day interactions with her friends. Through her holistic approach, the world around her is given depth and, in return, contextualizes her introspective narrations. For cartoonists of a more dramatic or visceral persuasion, the self-centered approach is perfect for exploring their messy thoughts without other characters distracting the reader. In Bell’s case, her dryness works because it’s balanced with outer perspectives.

Without spoiling much, TMS wasn’t quite the anti-depressive remedy Bell hoped for. This being the unfiltered narrative it is, she does not shy away from leaning into her worst proclivities, including a surprisingly off-the-rails bender. The last quarter of the story definitely gets more intense as her mood gets increasingly erratic.

Overall, What’s the Deal with Gabrielle Bell does give you the real deal of her inner workings. You can order a copy at Desert Island Comics in Brooklyn or DM Gabrielle Bell @ms.gabriellebell on Instagram.