Long Covid Superheroes: The Comic

Long Covid Superheroes was a drama and comics project for young people living with Long Covid run by artists with Long Covid from Alchemise Theatre, funded by Arts Council England and Voiceability, supported by Long Covid Kids. Our Heroes were invited to think of a quality that was helping them survive their Long Covid and turn it into a sci-fi superpower. They then built a superhero alter-ego around this and co-designed a real life costume with our designer, which they got to keep! We then created two comics:

A Day in the Life of Long Covid: The Game, illustrated by Zhenyi Zheng

A gamified version of a day in the life of Long Covid with the struggles of managing energy, mood and symptoms turned into fun games where each superhero's power gets to shine. Long Covid ultimately shows itself as an almighty force to contend with, but the young people's resilience shines through with the power of community and hope ultimately saving the day. Zhenyi's unique style and colour palette brings it to life with vibrancy.

The Dreamweavers, illustrated by Alice Urbino

A dreamy, action packed call to arms highlighting both the strength our Heroes possess in accepting their condition and the ableism those with Long Covid face. Our Heroes make a demand for greater understanding whilst showing themselves and each other a remarkably mature sense of care. Alice's level of detail, care, and faithfulness to the individual character styles makes for a zingy, engaging comic that falls somewhere between Graphic Medicine, Anime, Disney and Pop Art.

Enjoy!