Sensory: Life on the Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology

Who it's for

Around thirty autistic comic creators each draw a short piece about their own lives, covering overstimulation, sensory overwhelm, masking, loneliness and the work of keeping up a social front, along with diagnosis stories and finding community.

Feelings it meets

• Sensory Overload
• Neurodivergent Identity
• Masking
• Loneliness

What it is

A comics anthology edited by Manchester-based comic artist Bex Ollerton and published by Andrews McMeel in 2022, after an earlier crowdfunded print edition. Autistic creators contribute short strips about their own lives, covering masking, sensory overstimulation, loneliness and feeling othered, explainers on how autistic people think, and the search for acceptance and understanding.

Where to find it

Paperback and ebook from major booksellers; held by many public libraries.

Before you start

Heads up: Sensory overwhelm and loneliness.

Age: Not rated (suggested 13+)

Our life is frittered away by detail.Henry David Thoreau, Walden, “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”