THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! Can anything beat the excitement of a zine debuting at Thought Bubble? In my humble opinion, not much. Handbook for the Distracted by Rafe Forman is a risograph-printed, mixed-media guidebook starring cartoon dog Zig. Struggling with nerves, the zine is full of practical tips and tricks for how he (and we!) can stay grounded in the present moment. As the story progresses, Zig adventures through the woods, helping to illustrate the handbook’s advice along the way.
Despite being zany and absolutely abounding in colour, Handbook’s cover, definitely intentionally, comes off as a little psychedelic and chaotic. Reflecting the anxiety that our protagonist Zig struggles with, Forman uses an almost mosaic-like style to split up the page. Zig sits at the centre, clearly overwhelmed, while the segments around him show fire, a crash, some windy woods and a very angry-looking squirrel. Who peed him off?!
Inside, we’re treated to a full-colour map of the woods, with various characters dotted around: a rabbit selling croissants, a squirrel and bird fighting, and a sphinx-like giant cat with wings are just some of the visual delights to spot. The pages are packed with little details, making the zine feel like something you can dip in and out of rather than simply read from beginning to end.
Like many of us, Zig is struggling to pay attention and lives in a constant state of distraction. His state of mind is reflected in the lack of linear storytelling, which jumps between his various snippets of advice (he’s absolutely correct that a library card is essential for an expedition). While the zine is amusing, there are also some genuinely lovely suggestions for practising mindfulness, like spending time away from your phone or considering how a piece of music makes you feel. They’re simple ideas, but the way they’re woven into Zig’s story makes them feel genuine rather than preachy.
It goes without saying that the art is gorgeously experimental, with bright colours, detailed backgrounds and wonderful manipulations of bodies and expressions. The risograph printing adds to this sense of energy, with the slightly imperfect, layered quality of the colours feeling perfectly suited to the handmade zine format. There’s a real sense of movement throughout, too; the characters and lettering alike stretch, wobble and contort across the page, while the backgrounds are crammed with things to discover. It all adds to the feeling that Zig’s thoughts are spilling out onto the page in real time.
Handbook for the Distracted is colourful, chaotic and occasionally completely bonkers, but underneath all that is a surprisingly thoughtful little guide to slowing down and paying attention. Well worth picking up at Thought Bubble this year!
Rafe Foreman (W/A) • Self-published, £12.00
Review by Lydia Turner
Rafe Forman is at Table B24a in the Bubbleboy Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2025 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
