My reply is easy. Learn our comics, and see for your self.
Because the Lily launched 5 years in the past, we’ve printed a whole lot of intimate, humorous, private and necessary tales within the type of comics. And this yr was no completely different. We printed comics in regards to the yr’s greatest tales: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s affirmation hearings, the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, American gun violence and naturally, the top of Roe v. Wade. We featured thought-provoking conversations, hilarious satire and cultural deep dives.
Oh, and one other factor I’m notably pleased with: We printed our first long-form, enterprise comics story. It took six months (and some Google Maps deep dives) to report and depict.
Removed from trivializing these subjects, the comedian format brings them to life in methods which can be intimate, visceral and deeply human. There’s one thing about sequential artwork that feels each private and common, accessible however wholly fast. It’s why I fell in love with the style, and why I’m so proud to be on a staff that prioritizes it.
To shut out one other nice yr of comics storytelling, we rounded up 10 of our favorites so that you can sink into. Yulia Vus wrote about her life in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Tenzing Lhamo Dorjee dove into the cultural discourse round altering your identify after marriage. Pepita Sándwich detailed what it was prefer to freeze her eggs. LA Johnson depicted two vastly completely different tales of miscarriage in Put up-Roe America.
We hope you see a little bit of your self in every of them. We hope that they shock and delight you, make you chortle or educate you one thing new in regards to the world round you.
Thanks for being with us for one more yr.
P.S. If you happen to like our comics, there’s some excellent news: The Washington Put up is increasing its comics journalism. Within the subsequent few months, I’ll be working throughout the newsroom to inform much more tales on this format.
As I start this new journey, I’d love to listen to your enter: Ship me an electronic mail and let me know what you consider our comics, what you’re loving on this planet of graphic storytelling and what you’d prefer to see from this new initiative.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the individuals, and the entire nation, won’t ever be the identical. We’ll be listening to phantom sirens for years. We’ll be afraid to plan our lives for greater than per week. And I guess we’ll battle PTSD, too. However the principle job now’s to win, whereas nonetheless preserving our sanity. Learn the comedian by Yulia Vus.
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Why I selected to maintain my final identify once I obtained married
I’ve a tough time adjusting to alter. My husband, Arnav, however is tremendous versatile in relation to these items. Earlier than we met, he had moved a number of occasions and traveled to many international locations and cities. So after coping with prenups, combining taxes and updating our insurance coverage data once we obtained engaged, my maiden identify was nonetheless lingering behind our minds.
I’ve all the time had sophisticated experiences with my identify, which I’ve written about in earlier comics. I’ve been referred to as “Dorkey,” “Door Hinge” and “Dor-Hee.” I’ve heard all of it. You’d assume I might be completely happy to drop the identify in spite of everything of these years. But it surely was slightly extra sophisticated than that. Learn the comedian by Tenzing Lhamo Dorjee.
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Sisters in miscarriage: Two completely different Zip codes, two completely different outcomes
In a post-Roe world, your Zip code can have an effect on the type of maternal medical care you obtain. My sister and I obtained pregnant at about the identical time this previous summer time, and we have been utterly unprepared for what would occur subsequent. Learn the comedian by LA Johnson.
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What I want I’d recognized earlier than I froze my eggs
I wasn’t certain when or if I might ever have youngsters, so I made a decision to return to my house nation and bear an egg freezing process at a fertility clinic. I wasn’t considering an excessive amount of about it, however I quickly realized I used to be unconsciously evaluating myself to my buddies who had undergone the process earlier than.
The end result was not what I anticipated, and I felt like my physique had failed me. Specialists say the youthful you’re, the higher your outcomes can be. However I discovered you will need to be ready for the emotional aspect of egg freezing — and the potential that it gained’t give you the results you want. Learn the comedian by Pepita Sándwich.
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I confronted colorism rising up in Korea. Now I embrace my pores and skin tone.
I could not have “glass pores and skin” — a Korean complexion development — and I by no means will. As an alternative, I’ve glowing golden olive pores and skin that I’m proud to embrace this summer time. Each pores and skin tone is gorgeous! Learn the comedian by Hyesu Lee.
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It’s time to understand home artistry like stitching and baking
Final summer time, I had espresso with my grandmother. The girl who sat earlier than me was a talented textile artist, designer, weaver, upholsterer and woodcarver. And but, in 83 years, she had by no means acknowledged her personal artistry.
I started to surprise: How a lot expertise has gone uncelebrated as a result of we really feel entitled to girls’s work? Learn the comedian by Sólveig Eva Magnúsdóttir.
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As a trans girl, I need to mix in — however is surgical procedure the reply?
Having been raised as a boy, I spent my adolescence torn between the strain to be masculine and the will to be female. At age 26, I lastly started “transitioning,” and within the 5 years since, I’ve lasered my facial hair right down to peach fuzz, grown my hair out and began taking hormones. Now, I put on make-up and female clothes. And I’ve discovered that, due to these items, nobody questions my gender.
Nonetheless, I can’t assist however surprise — is all of it sufficient? What is going to it take for me to be snug in my very own pores and skin? Learn the comedian by Bea Hayward.
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No, you’ll be able to’t ‘choose my mind,’ and right here’s why
“Can I choose your mind?” is a query I’ve gotten so much as an artist, however it may be a predatory strategy for creatives, particularly for ladies within the office. Making buddies as an grownup has been difficult for me due to circumstances like this. Even then, setting boundaries can depart you questioning whether or not you anticipate the worst from others. However once I lastly understood that my concepts and time have been priceless, I started defending myself. Learn the comedian by Sharon De La Cruz.
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My incapacity made it onerous to simply accept my gender identification. Right here’s how I made peace.
As a disabled particular person, I’ve needed to settle for my physique for what it’s. However when my gender dysphoria sparked a want for change, I discovered a lesson in acceptance that I didn’t anticipate and found a newfound love of my physique and self. Learn the comedian by A. Andrews.
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Worry of gun violence shouldn’t be on my daughter’s back-to-school checklist
Final fall, I started reflecting alone childhood experiences as I ready my daughter for her very first day of faculty. However one thing a lot darker loomed behind my thoughts: worry of the unspeakable. College shootings pepper our headlines every year and little appears to be achieved to stop them in any respect. What is going to it take to make sure our youngsters can really feel secure at college once more? Learn the comedian by Gina McMillen.