THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2025! Rachael Smith’s Kickstarter for the collected Nap Comix launched this week so it’s a most opportune time to welcome Rachael (the most interviewed creator ever at BF!) back to the site for another chat about her work. Today we catch up with her about how Nap Comix speaks to other mums, her favourite strips from its webcomic run, and what makes Thought Bubble such a special event…
ANDY OLIVER: Let’s just start by asking you to give us a reminder of the premise of Nap Comix for anyone about to discover it from the new Kickstarter campaign?
RACHAEL SMITH: Nap Comix is a webcomic project I started when my little boy Henry was 4 months old. I started making diary comics of how everything felt while I was finding my feet in my new role of ‘mum’. The comics themselves are very short snippets of life. Some are touching, some are funny, some are bittersweet. They explore some of the aspects of motherhood seldom talked about – the guilt, the doubts, the exhaustion, and the almost scary amount of love.
The Kickstarter aims to bring the webcomic to life in graphic novel form.
AO: You’ve been working on Nap Comix for a couple of years now. When you first started did you imagine the strip would still be going all this time later?
SMITH: I don’t really know what I imagined! I was just making the comics a few times a week wondering each time whether I’d have the energy or the motivation to make the next one. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself early on. I’m glad I kept going with it though.
AO: When we last talked about Nap Comix you spoke about how rewarding it was to have connected with so many others in the same situation as you. Has that been a continuing factor? Are other mothers still finding it as relatable a comic as they did then?
SMITH: Definitely. More so, actually. I’m very honest in the comics about my mental health struggles and the fact that motherhood has exacerbated some aspects of that, whenever I talk about that kind of thing I get a lot of messages and comments from women (and some not-women) saying they feel understood, or thanking me for talking about it, which is always incredibly humbling. I think admitting you’re struggling with parenting is sometimes seen as admitting you’re not happy being a parent and it isn’t that at all – there are hard parts and there are wonderful parts. I’m just a mum trying her best.
I also had a miscarriage earlier this year, which I talked about in the comics. After I posted that comic, the outpouring of love and support and ‘I feel seen’ messages was overwhelming. It’s just not talked about. It helped me knowing I wasn’t alone, but also warmed my heart knowing I’d helped others like me. I think that comic will always be one of the most important things I’ve ever made in my life.
Probably best to read on insta (it’s nice to see it in context with all the wonderfully kind, empathetic, positive comments it got) if you would like:
AO: Nap Comix is a very layered project that runs a vast emotional gamut but there’s also often a cuteness factor to the strip that makes it so appealing. Do you have any favourite strips from the hundreds you have created to date?
SMITH: Thank you! There are ten or so on the Kickstarter page that I really love, I’ll show you a couple of those as well as some different ones here. All the comics in this interview are included in the book.
AO: What can backers expect in terms of rewards from the crowdfunding campaign? What will the focus be of the strips collected in this volume?
SMITH: The book will be 200 pages long, which will include all the webcomics from the first year of parenthood, as well as book-exclusive content from the birth and first few months of Henry’s life (when I was too sleep-deprived at the time to draw!) and also an outro about what advice I would give the me from 3 years ago, and how everything feels now. Spoilers: it’s still hard and wonderful but in different hard, wonderful ways!
AO: It’s Thought Bubble time again. What can readers find at your table? And what is it about Thought Bubble that makes it such a special event for you?
SMITH: So first off, let me say: if you are at Thought Bubble and have pledged to the Nap Comix Kickstarter then please come to my table, show me on your phone your Kickstarter receipt and I will give you an original sketch! And my undying thanks!
Thought Bubble is my favourite comic event. It feels like Christmas. It’s so inclusive, welcoming, inspiring, and it’s JUST for comics and folk who love comics – not a Funko Pop in sight!
If you’re coming then expect to see me, and possibly even Rob and Henry behind my table! We’ll have most of my books – including Who Killed Nessie?, my new cosy, cryptid who-dun-it book I made with Paul Cornell which I’m absurdly proud of.
AO: Who Killed Nessie? will be enjoying its Avery Hill incarnation at Thought Bubble, and you’re also part of the Avery Hill ‘Vision & Labour: Making Comics’ exhibition. How does it feel to have your work on show in a gallery, especially given how difficult it often is for comics to reach those kind of spaces?
SMITH: It feels amazing, it really does. Comics are often passed over for not being ‘proper’ art but let me tell you: I’ve seen some photos of the exhibition and comics sure do look at home in a fancy gallery! Almost like they’ve belonged there all this time! Imagine!
AO: What next for Rachael Smith? What can we expect from you in 2026?
SMITH: I’ve been writing and drawing a new comic which I’m hoping to publish as a webcomic next year at some point. I don’t want to say too much about it because things are very nebulous with it still, but it involves space, and wolves, and love. Watch this space: rachaelsmith.org 😉
Visit Rachael Smith’s site and online store here
Interview by Andy Oliver
Rachael Smith will be at Table D5 in the ComiXology Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2025 runs from November 1oth-16th with the convention weekend taking place on the 15th-16th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2025 coverage so far in one place here.
