Chinese Cartoonists Grieve, Pray & Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak

As Wuhan and other nearby cities in China remain in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, the normally festive Lunar New Year season is now beset with anxiety and grief. People across the country have taken to social media to share messages of concern, to share tips on staying healthy, and to cheer on the medical workers on the frontlines. Some independent cartoonists have also responded directly to the epidemic, eschewing prosaic happy Year of the Rat illustrations in favor of decidedly more pointed and poignant works. I’ve captured my favorite among these comics and illustrations above and below.

(Full disclosure: Some of these works were created by artists that I work with at Paradise Systems.)

Fenta

Responding to the widely circulated theory that the virus originated in bats:

Gantea

1000岛千岛

Wang XX

小民老二

Additionally, in solidarity with people who are laying low and staying in, comics zine Papayep has released digital copies of all of their previous issues on Weibo and WeChat, so that folks have more reading material to pass the time.

For more from China’s cartoonist community, see 呀哆’s tips for preventing the coronavirus, Zakuro’s cute family illustration, and wang2mu’s surreal art.

Editor’s note: This article was updated January 27 to incorporate a new work by 小民老二 and with information about Papayep’s offer.