Rachael Smith’s “Wired Up Wrong” among Pipedream Comics nominations for Best Indie and Small Press Comic of 2017

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith

I haven’t backed many Kickstarter projects this year although I have highlighted a fair few on downthetubes, but one I did was the Deluxe Edition of Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith – and now it’s deservedly been nominated as Best Indie and Small Press Comic of 2017.

Rachael’s debut graphic novel House Party came out in 2014 with Great Beast Comics to critical acclaim. The Rabbit, released by Avery Hill Publishing in 2015, her second graphic novel, was nominated for Best Book in the British Comic Awards 2014/15. She’s also the creator of Flimsy the Kitten and One Good Thing and currently works with Titan Comics on her monthly strip for the Doctor Who comic series, and is working on her new webcomic, Bess, which launched November 2015.

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - Premise

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - Don't Go OutWired up Wrong is a wonderfully funny, thought-provoking collection of auto-bio comic strips that  Rachael made in an effort to better understand her own brain. The strips deal mainly with her struggles with anxiety and depression; some are light hearted, some are potent, some are just straight-up advice (with a first page caveat from Rachael that the best advice she can give about dealing with depression is go and see your doctor).

The cast of the comics includes Rachael, her boyfriend Adam, her cat Rufus, as well as two giant black dogs called Barky who follow her around, and two tiny game show hosts who live in her head.

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - Cast

The strips are utterly charming, tackling a very difficult subject with self-deprecating humour that actually, I’m not quite sure was that easy to put on the page. For anyone who’s faced depression, or anyone dealing with anyone dealing with depression, you will find many of the strips in this book funny but at times, perhaps, quite nail on the head when it comes to this serious health issue.

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - Why Are You Depressed?

Wired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - WorthlessWired Up Wrong by Rachael Smith - Deal with DepressionThis Deluxe Edition also includes an account of harassment Rachael had at school from an art teacher, included in part in response to how #MeToo highlighted such issue this year on social media, which makes for difficult reading – but also indicates how vital support from friends and family is when it comes to tackling this awful issue.

Quite frankly, I can’t recommend this terrific collection enough (and I’m not alone in singing this book’s praises), and I was delighted to get a news bulletin from Rachael this morning to learn Wired Up Wrong has, been nominated for Best Indie and Small Press Comic of 2017 over of Pipedream Comics.

The final winner will be decided by public vote, so if you’ve already bought this collection, then can I just suggest you head over to the Pipedream Comics web site and cast your vote for Wired Up Wrong, right now.

If you haven’t bought Wired Up Wrong yet, then you can from Rachael’s Etsy store here. Highly recommended!

Rachael Smith – Official Web Site | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram



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