Clairikine Comics

August 5, 2025

From the Vault: Emo Bench

a two-panel comic in black and white. The first panel shows a park at night with bushes, a tree and a streetlamp shining. White text on the black background says "went to a former haunt to dig up some old feelings" The second panel shows Clairikine, a thin white person with short blonde hair wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and black Chucks, lying facedown on a bench in front of some bushes, with just the dot of their eyes visible as they listen to music on their phone, arms outstretched in front of them on the bench. White text on the night above them says "this is officially the most emo shit I have ever done in my entire life"

Whomst among us, etc.

Originally posted on Patreon.

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If you or someone you know is a French citizen and residing in either Andorra, Monaco, Portugal or Spain, there is a legislative election coming up in September! Make sure to register to vote by August 22.

[ Julien Baker - Bloodshot (live) ]

July 4, 2025

Friday Fanart: Sad Fanart Xtravaganza

It's been awhile since my last official collection of Sad Fanart! In that time, I have had many feelings, literally and figuratively drawing comfort from various sets of angsty lyrics. It's time to put those heavy feelings to rest ~~to make room for new ones~~, so here is a selection from the last few years. Happy catharsis if you're in the right headspace for it! And there's a couple not-so-sad ones at the very end.

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

It's been a succession of shitty anniversaries.

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 ]

March 25, 2025

prayer

A five-page comic in black and white. First page: the first panel shows a lake set against the backdrop of a forest and some mountains in the background. The lake's water is dark, as is the forest. The second panel shows Clairikine, a thin white person with short blonde hair, wearing a flannel shirt over a black T-shirt, jeans and black Chuck Taylors, walking out of the woods towards the lake shore, a curious look on their face. The woods they're walking through are strewn with pine needles, stumps, bushes, rocks, broken branches and other vegetation. Third panel: Clairikine is seen from the side, standing at the edge of the woods next to a tall pine tree, their hands in their pockets, frowning. Handwritten text next to them says "Since I left home," and ends at the comma. Fourth panel: same view of Clairikine as they walk down the hill towards the lake, still frowning.

Hourly Comics Day 2025 ... three days later

How 2024 went for me (more or less)

We Interrupt This Broadcast

A four-panel comic in black and white. In the first one, Clairikine is sitting at their desk, wearing a plaid shirt and short hair, and drawing in a notebook next to a mug of coffee while their phone says "We'll be back after a short break!" In the second panel, Clairikine jumps in surprise as the phone is suddenly shouting (in German): "Hello, German-language advertising here, are you perhaps interested in our online sales platform". The mug also jumps in the air, spilling coffee. In the third panel, the phone continues yelling in German: "for some inexplicable reason I sound like an ad for a dating webs-" and suddenly crackles and is silent as Clairikine raises their glasses to blast it with pink lasers from their eyes. In the fourth panel, Clairikine resumes drawing, smiling, while the phone says "and we're back!"

Lokalisierte Podcast-Werbung was a mistake, make it stop.

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Ganz ehrlich ich weiß ich sollte was zur US-Wahl sagen, aber wir haben ja unmittelbar danach den Koalitionsabbruch bekommen und es stehen nun zum zweiten ****** Mal seit Juni vorgezogene Wahlen an, also erstmal keine Zeit gehabt diesen spezifischen Untergang zu verkraften. Die Lage ist ernst, daher hier ein paar Ansagen.

Wenn ihr das liest, deutsche Wahlberechtigte seid und im Ausland wohnt, ist es für euch jetzt die Zeit, den Antrag auf Eintragung in ein Wählerverzeichnis einzureichen. Wenn ihr Leute kennt für die das zutrifft, sagt es bitte weiter. Infos dazu findet ihr hier und hier. Der Antrag muss spätestens am 21. Tag vor der Wahl eingegangen sein. Die Wahl findet am 23. Februar 2025 statt.

Ob ihr im Ausland wohnt oder nicht: Fragt euch was ihr bei jedem Wahlergebnis bereuen würdet getan zu haben oder nicht getan zu haben, und macht was ihr könnt, damit ihr nach der Wahl nichts zu bereuen habt. Und: haltet dabei bitte diejenigen im Sinn, die am direktesten von den Wahlergebnissen betroffen werden, auch diejenigen, die euren Alltag teilen und nicht bei der Wahl mitentscheiden dürfen. Uns betrifft ja auch die deutsche Bundespolitik. Danke euch im voraus.