On the surface, Extra Fabulous Comics (previously here) might seem like a bunch of random strips. Their creator Zach, however, is a well-rounded person who has endured a lot of ups and downs. And getting to know him, understanding where he's coming from transforms his comics into incredibly layered, yet easily understandable ponderings about life's biggest questions.
"Extra Fabulous Comics began in 2011 as a sort of last-ditch effort to find fulfillment in something," Zach told Bored Panda. "I had gone to college for something completely unrelated and abandoned that field immediately after graduating. I was in an unhealthy long-term relationship working under an abusive manager at an awful grocery store. One day I tried to think back to when I last felt "fulfilled", and it dawned on me that I was happiest when I was making my friends laugh with my drawings. Somehow, through years of schooling, that revelation escaped me. Had I thought of it earlier I'd have started the comics years before I did."
In his comics, Zach loves pointing our the stupidity of things. "I enjoy boiling things down and dissecting topics to the point where they're unrecognizable," he said. "I don't really have much to say definitively, I just prefer to get people to smile and think and come to their own conclusions. Depression is perhaps the most enduring topic in my comics since it's something that's always on my mind."
"I try to stay away from telling people what to think," the artist added. "My goal is to make something everyone can enjoy. It is important to take breaks from the never-ending news stream, and I think there is honor in providing a place where people can lower their defenses. That isn't to say I haven't made statements before, but I do often regret them afterward. Divisiveness has become the norm. I don't want to fuel the extremism and hatred perpetuated by so many voices on both sides. I do have very strong beliefs, I just don't believe I have the intelligence required to spew them into the masses."
When asked about the popularity of Extra Fabulous Comics, Zach turned towards the relationship between humor and pain. "A lot of people use humor to deal with pain in their lives, and most if not all of my comics come from that place. I think that's a big part of why some people like them. I've been very fortunate to have been able to connect with people in this way over the years."
Scroll down to check out his work and upvote your favorite pieces.
