Following up on her critically-acclaimed English-language debut The Mongoose (which was included on “Best of 2025” lists from both The Comics Journal and Comics Herald), Portuguese cartoonist Joana Mosi is once again teaming up with Montreal-based publisher Pow Pow Press for Physical Education, a post-modern portrait of frustrated creativity and the mixed-up emotions of a young woman on the verge of… something, even if she’s not sure what it is.
A disjointed, at times challenging graphic novel drawn in a fluid, experimental style that brings to mind creators as varied as Jillian Tamaki (Roaming) and Nick Drnaso (Acting Class), Physical Education sees Mosi pushing her artwork—and the medium—in new directions: “Physical Education is a bit more scattered than [The Mongoose], there’s not a clear narrative to it. So for some people that can be a little bit of a struggle. But in another way, it’s a more illustrative book… or at least I had more fun drawing in this one!”
Physical Education
Created by: Joana Mosi
Page Count: 170 Pages
Release Date: May 7, 2026
A quiet critique of the familiar ways we scroll, sweat, and stage our way through the world from the award-winning author of The Mongoose.
Laura has just received a grant to write her debut novel yet somehow, she feels more lost than ever. The only thing keeping her grounded is the gym routine she and her girlfriends committed to. A healthy mind in a healthy body, right?
But not everyone is into Zumba, and slowly those good intentions crumble under constant connectivity, the tyranny of perfect bodies, and the pressure of being told you are at your peak while getting nothing done at all. It is far more comforting to listen to online horoscopes, indulge in fantasy romances and one-sided open relationships, than to trust your inner voice. Or the very loud ones of honest girlfriends. What if the best way to manage expectations is having none at all?
Check out AIPT’s preview below.
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