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Eric Trautmann

@mercuryeric.bsky.social
1.9K followers 505 following 1.9K posts

Writer/graphic designer. Current project: THE FORGED (with Greg Rucka and Mike Henderson, Image Comics). Put pants on Vampirella; regrets nothing.

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daryl "crimetime after primetime" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 7h
the purple (and green) titular tentacle from lucasarts' seminal point and click adventure game DAY OF THE TENTACLE, with two tiny arm like tentacles on its tentacle body, and an eyebrow on the top sucker giving it expressions of a sort
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 6h
In other news, Letterboxd on the verge of being redesigned into unusability by next owner.
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 11h
Fuckin nitwits.
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Mike Scollins @mikescollins.bsky.social · 11h
"Mr Smith is true you recently attended a football game with Buffalo Bill?! FROM SILENCE OF THE LAMBS?!" "No, the name of the team is the Buffalo Bills." "WHERE ARE THE GIRLS MR SMITH?!??!"
That fucking idiot Eric Schmitt questioning Jack Smith
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daryl "crimetime after primetime" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I could teach a course on thise
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Eric Haywood @erichaywood.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Muse: oh wow it looks like you got shot and robbed. here’s what happened: after giving up your home address i told that dude “what are you gonna do, shoot me?” and that’s on me
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Jaz @jaz.sh · 27/09/2026
Okay so I've built a new Atlas, this time it lets you explore the conversations on Bluesky over the past 7 days graphically. It should update every ~6 hours and help you navigate the information environment that exists on here. I've learned a LOT about what people do here today... atlas.jazco.dev
atlas.jazco.dev
Atlas
A living map of what Bluesky is talking about: the past week's conversations, grouped into topics and regions and rebuilt every six hours.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I like that in becoming a nazi, you get glowing coverage as a brave iconoclast, and then when you stop being a nazi, you’re get glowing coverage as a brave dissident. Money coming and going. Only way you lose is having normal opinions like “racism bad” bsky.app/profile/trac...
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huck mason @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
rip annie dillard
One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
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Steve Lieber @stevelieberart.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
NEW ADVICE-FROM-LIEBER LIST! I've posted these tips as a thread before, but I figured it's about time I made it available as a single, shareable image.
MISTAKES I'VE MADE THAT YOU CAN AVOID
Don't be like me.
1. Don't trash your own work when complemented. In that context your self-deprecation is insulting someone else's taste! Just say thanks and change the subject. Maybe credit an influence?
2. As far as your readers are concerned, comics are drawn with a printing press or a monitor. Don't fetishize the original art or the tools you make it. Anything that gets the story told the way it needs to be told is the right tool for the job.
3. Don't use one job to audition for another. It's unfair to your collaborators and a betrayal of the reader to get flashy or sexy or explosive if the moment in the story doesn't call for it.
4. The important storytelling choices on a page can be worked out in thumbnails. Gesture, camera angle, framing, broad arrangement of tones-get this stuff right before you worry about anatomy, lighting, drapery, or facial expressions.
5. Some artists can put down a final inkline with no underdrawing, but that's because they're skilled and experienced enough to do all that underdrawing in their head. You probably aren't. Get your underdrawing right and save the masterstrokes for the masters.
6. What you're feeling while you work doesn't matter. What the audience feels when they read it does. You can be happy and still do a great drawing of someone in agony. You should understand what you're depicting. It's not necessary to experience it in real time at the board.
7. Get a fresh eye on your work. You never know when some accidental juxtaposition is going to completely change your intended meaning.
8. Don't let getting things 100% right keep you from getting things done. It's easy to get bogged down in research or prep sketches. Make a schedule at the start of a project so you know how much time you have. Do the best you can with the time allotted and move on. But...
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 27/09/2026
Can planting gardens cure depression? Can eating twelve fistfuls of dirt a day cure depression? Can immersing your hands in the soil and letting the worms and small bugs use your fingers as if they were fleshy foam rollers cure depression? buff.ly/rpJeEfz
buff.ly
Goop’s Fact Checker’s Google Search History
“Does Lauren have the most killer body and hypnotically chiseled abs Megan has ever seen?” Jan 18 2021 9/24/26
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daryl "crimetime after primetime" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🎶 I see ranch dressing and I want it tainted black
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Darren Ewing @sadknob.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"it's WHOOOO, steve." "fuck off." "seriously... it freaks everyone out when you scream 'WHYYYY' at 4am."
a great grey owl on a branch looking slumped over and exasperated. (john blumenkamp)
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Author Simulator. My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
Title: Author Simulator 

Level 1: Get to desk and begin! (Platform video game-style image of an author jumping from a block onto  a cloud with desk and computer) Result: success!

Level 2: Press on despite distractions! (Author typing as the desk/clod moves past a ghost and a spider) ) Result: success!

Level 3: Deliver manuscript to editor! (Author jumping over fire pit onto platform where editor waits) Result: success!

Level 4: Accept minor criticism! (Author lying ded in fronto of editors desk) Result: better luck next time!

Along the bottom are controls for:
 Left right jump crouch read write nap coffee
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Brian Kirby @boringstorybook.com · 27/09/2026
Amazing.
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Comics in the Golden Age @comicsinthega.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Today is the birthday of artist Alice Kirkpatrick (Sept. 27, 1912-July 16, 1997). Although most active in the romance genre, she drew a variety of features in the Golden Age, including Quality’s Sally O’Neil & Betty Bates, Lady at Law.
A black and white photo of her.Four covers by her, two from romance comics and two from war comics.
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Dan Schkade @danschkade.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Your Sunday summary of the past week in FLASH GORDON ⚡
comicskingdom.com
Flash Gordon Comic Strip 2026-09-27 | Comics Kingdom
Read the Flash Gordon comic strip from September 27, 2026, and check out other Flash Gordon comics by Dan Schkade.
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Talented Failure @atprenger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Nearing the end of “The Forged” and I fear @gregrucka.com and @mercuryeric.bsky.social are going to break my heart with some deaths soon.
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Starfleet Design 🖍🖖 @starfleetdesign.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Concept art by Wayne Haag for Strange New Worlds season 2.
Enterprise in planetary rings, made using ProcreateRinged planetArt of the false flag ship from 'The Broken Circle'Enterprise in planetary rings, made using Procreate
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Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
i really can’t bring myself to care about AI anthropomorphism debates. “is AI thinking?” i don’t know. is a calculator calculating? questions for the philosophers. what’s important is that we put sam altman in prison.
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Let's hear it for ya boi, High Minister Brainworms.
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
THE FORGED, a magazine-sized military space opera set in the distant future, featuring a squad of elite super-soldiers, inspired by pulp, Heavy Metal magazines. Image Comics. Written by me, @gregrucka.com, and drawn by @mikeshenderson.bsky.social. imagecomics.com/comics/serie...
imagecomics.com
The Forged
In the 11th Millennium of the rule of the Eternal Empress, a squad of planet-smashing super soldiers find their routine mission to be anything but. These are the Forged. They take no prisoners. Writt...
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Reminder that in Canada upon becoming an engineer you get an iron ring made of a collapsed bridge, purposely designed to be uncomfortable, to remind you that your ethics demand you give a fuck even about the boring grudgework of such as double-checking your math. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Ring
en.wikipedia.org
Iron Ring - Wikipedia
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Can't see this as any worse than the current office occupier.
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Time travel back to the tiny Albany NY apartment I lived in until I was 2 or 3… www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2P...
youtube.com
MFSB - T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia) (Official Audio) ft. The Three Degrees
YouTube video by MFSBVEVO
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
oh no
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Every techbro CEO of a company working on AI right now: "So we hooked the rapid chimps on cocaine and gave them machine guns. SOMEHOW things mysteriously got weird, but WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THAT, amirite?"
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leon @leyawn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
ceo of burger king: our burgers have gone rogue again and infected people with e coli
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 14/01/2025
int. Kremlin agent 1 (sets down bong): what if agent 2: (giggling) agent 1: what if we get trump to buy, like... agent 2: (stifling laughter, holding back tears) agent 1: ...fucking greenland agent 2: (fully crying) agent 1 (opens gmail): who's the dumbest senator euromaidanpress.com/2025/01/13/d...
euromaidanpress.com
Danish Intelligence: Russia forged letter to spark Trump’s Greenland purchase bid
A Russian disinformation operation involving a forged diplomatic letter may have triggered Donald Trump's ongoing interest in purchasing Greenland, revealing Moscow's strategy to create divisions with...
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Mike Henderson @mikeshenderson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I drew FORGED #13 some time back in Nov/Dec of 2025 but hey sometimes the stars align.
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Mike Henderson @mikeshenderson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
when you have two new comics out on the same day
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Barring any final corrections, my work on THE FORGED is completed. Feels weird to finish a series as intended, rather than be canceled/fired.
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Nate Piekos of Blambot @blambot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Update on what I've decided to call, Project Beefcake. Version 1 is the original design idea. Version 2 is a beefier version with narrower counters. Clearly this is not meant for blocks of text--more for titles and such.
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Celeste Headlee @celesteheadlee.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
So, Banksy bought a used yacht, repaired it and retrofitted it to serve as a rescue boat to save migrants in the central Mediterranean. The whole project cost the artist $860,000. Since 2020, the boat has saved more than 3,800 people. londondaily.com/banksy-funds...
londondaily.com
Banksy funds refugee rescue boat operating in Mediterranean - London Daily
Exclusive: UK artist finances bright pink motor yacht that set sail in secrecy to avoid being intercepted by authorities
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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 24/09/2026
I strongly believe that a huge amount of why Silicon Valley is Like That Now is the fact that no amount of money or power will ever re-align popular perception with the self-image these guys onboarded during the glory days of "making the world a better place" www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
wired.com
Why No One Wants to Date Tech Bros
Once seen as nerdy but harmless innovators, men in tech are now widely regarded as red pilled Elon Musk wannabes. It’s made getting laid a whole lot harder.
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Fix Your Heart or Die. @petrochemicsoul.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here is a sentiment worthy of emulation.
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Ande Parks @andeparks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I confess that it may just be a case of simmering familiarity, but I'm not sure I've ever experienced a reading of this speech that so fully allowed me to comprehend each beat.
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daryl "crimetime after primetime" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
he was also caught stuffing his face with frog eggs and trying to eat a gearshift knob
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James Kochalka Superstar @kochalka.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Gentle Observation 532 - Let my joy be your annoyance. patreon.com/kochalka
Watercolor and India ink, cartoon gentle man dancing with flower, text says "Let my joy be your annoyance!"
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Never attribute to malice alone that which can be better explained by stupidity AND malice.” -Hanlon’s Razor Sharpener
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Kelly Thompson @kellythompson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Again I am begging all LEGIT people running cons, signings, talks, events, etc. to stop using Ai to write your emails. What's happening is ALL THE SCAMMERS/CONMEN are ALSO using it, and so your emails are basically indistinguishable from them. They give off slop vibes EVEN IF YOU ARE LEGIT.
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Eric Trautmann @mercuryeric.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Down to finishing up one page, the "recap of last issue" page, for the final installment of THE FORGED. Laid out issue 15 today, the final TPB as well, and sent my approvals on issue 14 yesterday. Good way to celebrate today's on-shelf arrival of THE FORGED #13. :P
Cover to THE FORGED, VOL 5: THE ETERNAL EMPIRE, the forthcoming final tradepaperback collecting issues 13–15 of THE FORGED. Art by Mike Henderson. Cover to THE FORGED #13, the beginning of the final arc of THE FORGED. Written by Rucka/Trautmann, Art by Mike Henderson, Colors by Nolan Woodard, Letters by Ariana Maher, edited by Alejandro Arbona, published by Image Comics.Cover to the upcoming issue of THE FORGED, #14, the penultimate chapter of the final story arc of the series. Written by Rucka/Trautmann, Art by Mike Henderson, Colors by Nolan Woodard, Letters by Ariana Maher, edited by Alejandro Arbona, published by Image Comics.Cover to the upcoming issue of THE FORGED, #15, the concluding chapter of the series. Written by Rucka/Trautmann, Art by Mike Henderson, Colors by Nolan Woodard, Letters by Ariana Maher, edited by Alejandro Arbona, published by Image Comics.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 23/09/2026
Legion Of Terra-Cotta Mouseketeers Found Beneath Disney World theonion.com/legion-of-terra-cotta-…
Legion Of Terra-Cotta Mouseketeers Found Beneath Disney World
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Kaushik Karforma @kaushikkwrites.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
If you like old-school space opera with superb world building, mechs, other universes, evil empresses, and sexy psychic women, you must check out this series.
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Ariana Maher @airy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is the perfect time to catch up with the series and see the final arc unfold.
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Mike Henderson @mikeshenderson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🚨 TODAY! 🚨 Many thanks to everyone who hung in to final arc.
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Sarah Andersen @sarahseeandersen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The image is of a four panel comic.
In the first panel we see Sarah, the protagonist, next to a stick figure labeled “AI”. The stick figure says, “my outputs look just like yours now.”
The second panel zooms in on Sarah’s face. Above her we see text reading “I think”.
The third panel zooms in closer on Sarah’s face. Text above her reads “you missed”.
The fourth panel shows Sarah drawing happily in a sunlit room. The text above her reads “the point”.
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Marc Laming all singing, all dancing comics guy. @marclaming.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Dan is having one of those days... Dan Dare: First Contact inks detail @b7media.bsky.social @alexdecampi.bsky.social @amsewell.bsky.social @johnfreeman.bsky.social
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Claire Scott - Commissions open! 🎉 @jcscottart.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Had the absolute pleasure of being a mentee at the start of this year. Would highly recommend applying if you’d like to work alongside and learn from amazing artists and great people
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