Nutshell Studies of Quarantine: Part One, January 2020

Nutshell Studies of Quarantine is a four-part series that follows Frida as she navigates the last year of our lives. This week, Part One begins in January 2020 with Frida and her partner Charlotte vacationing in Tokyo and then, once home, planning for the year ahead, completely unaware of what’s to come.

In a seven-panel black and white line drawn comic, Frida and her girlfriend Charlotte visit Japan in 2020. They wish each other a happy new year and enjoy their vacation, but they are some of the few walking around without face masks. Charlotte laments forgetting to buy some, but Frida reassures her that it will be fine.

In seven-panel black and white line drawn comic, Charlotte and Frida return home from Japan. However with Covid numbers rising, they are worried about what's coming next. Frida encourages Charolette to begin working from home. Charolette reads on her phone that they need two weeks worth of groceries, but by the time they get to the store everything is empty. Charlotte asks Frida what her anxiety level is at, and Frida responds "A Ten."

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Yumi Yamaguchi

Yumi Yamaguchi is a half-Japanese, half-Mexican cartoonist who doodles in Los Angeles.  She has exhibited her comic Quietly at events across North America, including Comic Arts Los Angeles, Comic Arts Brooklyn, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, and Seattle's Short Run Comix & Arts Festival.  When she's not doodling, she's usually reading and drinking coffee with her partner.  You can find her work at her Etsy store. Or you can follow her on Instagram.

Yumi has written 4 articles for us.

2 Comments

  1. Oh man. That last panel. I remember going to the grocery store last March, right before lockdown and that’s what it was like.

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