Clairikine Comics: 2025

June 24, 2025

From the vault: The Four Stages of Whatever the F**k

A four-panel black-and-white comic entitled "The Four Stages of Whatever The Fuck", with the word "Fuck" bleeped out. In the first panel, Claire is standing in their living room, looking dizzy, and saying "Oh, oh shit this is it, I've got the plague". A text box says in brackets "it's not the plague". Caption says "500-ton Exhaustion". In the second panel, Claire is sitting at their desk, except the desk is surrounded by black liquid and they are hanging on like they are about to be pulled under, and are looking exhausted and sad. Caption says "Grief molasses". In the third panel, Claire is lying wide awake in bed at night. An arrow pointing at their phone says "3:30am". A book on the nightstand has "1 Last Stop" written on the cover. Caption says "Haha never mind I don't need sleep." In the fourth panel, Claire is walking down the street in Berlin, past a garbage can, an empty bottle, an U-Bahn stop sign and a small black dog. Their fists and teeth are clenched and the caption says "Full-Body Dread (TM)".

This was originally posted on Patreon in the summer of 2023; I'm bringing it out of the vault because I figure it (looks around) hasn't stopped being relatable.

(In the time since I drew this, I did get the plague.)

[ Alkaline Trio - Bad Time ]

May 27, 2025

"You're Dead" by Alkaline Trio

A black-and-white comic in four panels, each panel bearing lyrics from Alkaline Trio's "You're Dead" as the caption. In the first panel, we see a phone lying on a table at night, lit up with one notification. The caption says "and i became nothing" The second panel shows Clairikine sitting arms crossed in a black hoodie on steps leading up from the shores of a lake. The caption says "when I found out you were dead". The third panel shows an open laptop with a blank screen and a newspaper next to it, with a photo of people protesting with signs. The caption says "when I found out I'd". The fourth panel shows a white bike propped against a fence on a street. The caption says "never see you again"

It's been a succession of shitty anniversaries.

[ Alkaline Trio - You're Dead ]

April 30, 2025

Clairikine + HX Do Qweer Xmas Market '24

A black and white comic in four panels named "Clairikine + HX do Qweer Xmas Market 2024". In the first panel, Clairikine and HX are standing behind their tables at a market. HX says "Have you heard of U-hauling but for music" and Clairikine says "Have i what" In the second panel, HX says "we're deep in Wham!halla now" while music notes play above both their heads In the third panel, Clairikine is crouching on the floor getting stuff out of a suitcase while a voice off camera says "i see you and immediately Christ starts to appear in my mind" In the fourth panel, we see HX and Clairkine from behind as squiggly lines of excitement emerge from their heads. In front of them is someone wearing what is indicated as "DISCOUNT-STORE-BRANDED XMAS SWEATER" in huge letters Bonus two-panel comic: we see Clairikine from behind while someone from the next table says "we wanted to ask you something highly personal" in German. In the second panel, the person asks "where are you allowed to vote" in German

I'm happy to report that the Clairikine + HX dynamic duo will be returning to Comic Invasion this weekend at the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin! Come witness our shenanigans at tables 33 & 34 on May 3 & 4, 10:00-18:00!

Prior shenanigans:

How Autobio Cartoonists Socialize

Clairikine + HX hit Comic Invasion 2022

April 17, 2025

Starter Pack

A black and white illustration approximating a packaging containing Clairikine as an action figure and various accessories, against a background depicting a forest above a mountain range and a lake. Clairikine is depicted as a thin white person with short blonde hair and glasses, wearing a flannel shirt over a black T-shirt, skinny jeans and black Chucks, and they are floating against a background of stars, gazing up and off to the left of the packaging. Accessories are divided up into small containers and include: noise-canceling headphones, an iPhone, earbuds, a German travel pass; an easy chair covered in stacks of books and a mug with a hot beverage; a set square, a sketchbook covered in stars, two mechanical pencils, one container of blue pencil lead and one container of HB pencil lead, a PITT artist pen with the letters S and F next to it, a black fountain pen, a smaller rectangular sketchbook, a mechanical eraser, two more artist pens; a black notebook with a thought bubble coming out of it, a composition notebook with three exclamation points in a speech bubble coming out of it, a heart in a speech bubble coming out of both, and three ballpoint pens; a 9kg weighted blanket; an old-fashioned analog TV set with rabbit ear-style antenna and the word "Blorbos" written on it; an anatomical heart sitting in blood; a church with a Bible hovering next to it; a group of people smiling, with a few hearts; a brain making a screaming face with three exclamation points coming out of it; and the Berlin TV tower with a speech bubble containing a heart.

There are and have always been emotionally fulfilling ways to visually describe your unique personhood and connect with other people through the expression of self that don’t involve pillaging the planet’s natural resources and the work of artists who need money to live, don’t let yourself be told otherwise by the tech oligarchs who aspire to normalize discounting what makes us whole human beings and render us all as severed from ourselves and dead inside as they are while they scramble to strip everything good for parts in an attempt to insulate themselves and their wealth from climate collapse. Also tbqh I'd love it if I could keep getting paid gigs instead of everyone assuming they can just use ChatGPT et al., which is already what happened to a vast chunk of translation work and is clearly going to happen to every industry I freelance in because people keep unquestioningly using this shit

[ Thrice - Lost Continent ]