To mark the publication of the German edition of Lee Lai’s comic “Cannon” – and part of the 2026 Hamburg Comic Festival – the award-winning comic artist will read from her latest comic and then speak with Katharina Serles about comic art, mental breakdowns, care work and queer temporalities.

“Cannon’s real name is Lucy, and she is the complete opposite of a cannon: always reserved, stoic and passive, she is known for never losing her temper in the restaurant kitchen where she works as a chef. Yet inside, things are quite different: she struggles with her mental health and tries to find solace by going for a jog whilst listening to mindfulness podcasts. She also has to cope with looking after her frail, tyrannical grandfather and suffers from her emotionally distant mother. Cannon finds it difficult to set boundaries, both in her budding romance with Charlotte and in her strained friendship with the self-centred Trish: In secondary school, the two queer Chinese outsiders were each other’s lifeline; now, their weekly meet-ups are merely an opportunity for Trish to unload gossip and tales of sexual escapades, whilst secretly using Cannon’s family drama as material for her writing. Lee Lai’s multi-faceted story captures the spirit of two queer women in their twenties with a sharp sense of humour. ‘Cannon’ is a sensitive and gripping comic that also hurts.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.”

(Source: Reprodukt)