Pastimes

A collection of wry and wonderful diary comics that capture modern life in all its cringe-inducing glory!

Social worker in a hospital by day, internationally-acclaimed cartoonist by night, Pascal Girard (Petty Theft) seems to be a magnet for awkward situations. Why can’t he manage to walk his dog, hit the gym, or even push a shopping cart down the grocery aisle without having yet another weird encounter? Or, just maybe, is he the one who provokes them? Even with those closest to him, Pascal has a knack for getting into trouble, especially when his young daughter Lucie starts to ask him profound questions about life, death, and the universe that he doesn’t quite know how to answer.

From encounters with would-be swingers at the dog park to ferocious felines at the local cat cafe, in these short, snappy comic strips Pascal Girard delivers snippets inspired by his daily life, with a bittersweet humor that’s sometimes mocking, sometimes tender, but always deeply observant. Pastimes is a funny and surprisingly moving portrait of passing time in the modern world, one comic at a time.

Publishers Weekly 2025 Adult Comics & Graphic Novels Preview Selection

Pascal Girard was born in Jonquière, QC, in 1981. He is a part-time cartoonist and part-time social worker. He is the award-winning author several graphic novels, including Rebecca and Lucie in the Case of the Missing Neighbor, Nicolas, Petty Theft, and others. He lives in Montreal with his family.

Aleshia Jensen is a French-to-English literary translator and former bookseller living in Tiohtià ke/Montreal. Her translations include Explosions by Mathieu Poulin, a finalist for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for translation; Prague by Maude Veilleux, co-translated with Aimee Wall; as well as numerous graphic novels including This is How I Disappear by Mirion Malle, The Great Beyond by Léa Murawiec, and many others. She is also the co-founder of Writers Bloc, a community of translators centered around continued learning and knowledge exchange.