What’s it like turning 40 in a new town as it and the rest of the USA shuts down due to the COVID-19 pandemic? How do people interact with one another after abnormally long periods of being alone? Why do politicians who are despised still receive 80,000,000 votes?

Gib Strange is one of the few individuals who can tackle such questions in a way that couples geopolitics, the breakdown of late-stage capitalism and the ways they affect and reshape daily existence—visiting the donut store is now an experience.

The Hero’s Staycation is an anachronism to 1990s zine culture. It’s the erudition found in the zine and its ability to break through today’s digital-culture groupthink that Gib achieves with this booklet. Like me, Gib is just old enough to remember an analog world that was print based and capable of deeper critical thought. It’s imperative that The Hero’s Staycation be made available in print. And here it is.

-Ryan Leach