iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #649: "On College Essays, Pt. 3" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/649/

A nine-panel comic.

Panel one: Chel’s professor sits at her desk at the head of the classroom. She smiles warmly and waves at the class, saying, “-Great- discussion today, folks! I’ll see you again on Thursday.”

Panel two: Students begin filing out of the classroom. As Chel walks towards the door, the professor calls out, “Oh, and -Chel?- May I have a word with you before you go?” Chel stops in place, surprised.

Panel three: Chel approaches the desk nervously and says, “Y-Yeah?” The professor puts her hands together with a smile and says, “I just wanted to tell you that I -loved- your essay! It was -very- illuminating!”

Panel four: Chel rubs the back of her neck and smiles awkwardly, responding, “-Oh!- Yeah, well, I just found the topic really fascinating. Once I got started writing, it was hard to know when to stop, y’know?”

Panel five: The professor smiles and looks at the computer monitor on her desk. She says, “It shows! And I’m -really- impressed with the breadth of your vocabulary.”

Panel six: She swivels the monitor around to face Chel and points at the screen, saying, “Like this word here, -‘thermidorean’.- Could you tell me what it means?”

Panel seven: Chel stares as the professor in stunned silence.

Panel eight: Chel looks aside, sweat beginning to drip down her face, as she sputters, “Uh, well. Yeah. It, uh…”

Panel nine: With a weak smile, Chel says, “…It’s like a type of vegetable..?” The professor’s smile vanishes as she swivels the monitor back to its original position, and she says, “Mmmhmm. How about you come back on Thursday with something that -you- wrote.”

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #649: "On College Essays, Pt. 3" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/649/

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #648: "On College Essays, Pt. 2" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/648/

A ten-panel comic.

Panel one: Chel and Wren meet at the plaza outside the cafe where they work. Wren grins and holds up a full plastic bag, saying, “Hey Chel, I got a bunch of expired creamer singles from work! Want to go to the overpass and throw them at Cybertrucks?” Chel frowns and replies, “I can’t… I have an -essay- due tomorrow that I haven’t started yet.”

Panel two: Wren says, “-So?- Just use an -A.I.- to write it for you. It’ll take twelve seconds.” Chel begins, “Wren, I’m not going to—“

Panel three: Wren smiles and pulls up their phone, saying, “Psssh, -everyone- does it! What’s the topic?”

Panel four: Wren looks up at Chel with a smile. Chel looks to the side and hesitantly answers, “Uhhhh. The influence of Jorge Luis Borges’ political views on his writings.”

Panel five: Wren starts tapping on their phone and asks, “Length?” Chel awkwardly rubs her arm and says, “…Four pages, double-spaced.”

Panel six: Wren smiles confidently at their phone and says, “Aaaaannnddd… -There!- All done! I’ll send it to you!” Chel frowns guiltily and says, “I really don’t feel comfortable doing this…”

Panel seven: Wren looks up at Chel and says, “Chel, the essay’s already -written!- We can have fun -now,- you can turn the assignment in -tomorrow,- and your professor will be none the wiser!”

Panel eight: Wren continues, “-Or,- if you’d prefer, you can go home now and waste the rest of your evening writing it yourself.”

Panel nine: Chel looks off to the side as she considers her dilemma.

Panel ten: Chel and Wren are leaning over the rail atop a city overpass, with several creamer singles at their sides. Chel smiles contently and says, “Life is too short for homework.” Wren looks down excitedly at the road below and exclaims, “-Nice!- I got one!”

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Weird in a Can @weirdinacan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

WiaC has recently reached its 15th chapter, marking the halfway point of the series! To celebrate, I've been working the last few weeks on this: nearly everyone who's appeared in WiaC to date, in a parody of the greatest rock album of all time: The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!

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Amy Churchwell @amychurchwell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

a message from the future 🔮 1/2

A woman holding a coffee in the rain thinks, "I am turning 35 soon, I can't stop thinking about it... It really can keep going."

The woman looks at swans on a lake, there are pigeons and sea gulls. She thinks, "I wonder how I am changing... Would I notice?"

The woman is sitting on a bench, it's still raining. She thinks, "I try to imagine myself at 70..."

Suddenly, an older version of the woman is sitting next to her on the bench. She thinks, "who will I be?"

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Barry Deutsch @barrydeutsch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

America's Biggest Problem By me and @valigarmander.bsky.social Read more cartoons! —> #Policartoon Support the cartoons! —>patreon.com/barry

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels. The same bespectacled, bearded man appears in all four.

PANEL 1

The man walks past several masked ICE agents. Two agents are dragging an older man toward the open back of an SUV. Nearby, a distressed woman stands with a small child who is crying. An ICE agent is pointing a gun at the child.

MAN (thought): Hmmm.

PANEL 2

Outside the Supreme Court, several Supreme Court justices in black robes are drinking and celebrating around a bonfire in which the Voting Rights Act is burning. The man walks past in the background, watching them.

MAN (thought): Hmm.

PANEL 3

At a bus stop, a woman is reading a newspaper. The man stands beside her, leaning slightly to read the front page. The newspaper’s main headline says: ANOTHER COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED UNNECESSARY WAR

MAN (thought): Mm-hmm.

PANEL 4

We see an open laptop. On its screen, the man is appearing on a TV interview show, grinning as he holds up a copy of his book, Polarization: Both Sides Did It!

MAN: America’s biggest problem is… POLARIZATION!

CHICKEN FAT WATCH
In panel 2, the burning Voting Rights Act is depicted as the “I’m Just a Bill” character from Schoolhouse Rock!

In panel 3, the newspaper is called The Daily Gab. Under the enormous war headline is a much smaller headline: "Study: No one reads smaller headlines or studies." A sub-headline says "'My life is pointless,' says sub-headline writer."

On the wall in panel 3, graffiti includes tags from all eight captains from Star Trek shows (Pike, Kirk, Janeway, Burnham, Freeman, Picard, Sisko, and Archer) plus Taggart from Galaxy Quest. Other graffiti includes “Skitter Lives!” with a spider; a huge "BG," for "background"; and “Never obey! I order U not to obey!” It only occurs to me now, writing this transcript, that I should have made it "not 2 obey." Oh well.

In panel 4, behind the laptop, a large orange cat is sleeping. Curled up asleep on the cat’s tail is a tiny mouse wearing a sleeping cap.

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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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Brad T. Jonas @bradtjonas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

hooray, thoughts

p1: “Finally, some time alone with my thoughts.”

p2:

p3:

p4: “This is horrible.”

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adam @kumerish.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Blind Alley No. 446

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David Cooper @davidbcooper.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Starting my day making some art.

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INIRO @ bg tips pdf is out!! @iniro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

HIII my background tips PDF is now available!! ^_^ hope you enjoy! ko-fi.com/s/e0ea82f7e1

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Matt Miller @mattmiller.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

a comic by Russ Heath, who drew the comic one of Lichtenstein’s most famous panels was based on

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #648: "On College Essays, Pt. 2" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/648/

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #647: "On College Essays, Pt. 1" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/647/

A four-panel comic.

Panel one: Dozens of students sit at tables in a crowded college classroom. They listen to the professor, who is sitting stop a table at the head of the classroom. The professor says, “…That’ll be all for today. -Wonderful- discussion, everybody! We’ll continue on Thursday.”

Panel two: The professor grins and continues, “Your homework for today is an essay on Borges, due a week from now! You’ll find the assignment on Canvas.”

Panel three: Chel, sitting at the back of the classroom, looks disappointed and thinks to herself, “Is college nothing but -essays?- Why can’t it be multiple choice? Or true-or-false? Or fill-in-the-blanks?”

Panel four: Irritated, Chel picks up her notebook and stands up from her seat, thinking, “I hate having to know what I’m writing about.”

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Remember the LMAO @ass.golf · 22/09/2026

I must once again emphasize that if you are putting art on the internet, you need your own website in case some fucking management ghoul decides the platform they paid too much money for isn't worth how much they paid for it

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Amii Illustrates @amiiillustrates.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Enjoy some recent positive news from around the world 🌱 (1/3)

GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK
iceland announced plans to consider permanent ban on whale hunting

GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK
global hunger rates have fallen for a third consecutive year

GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK
india's lion population found to have increased 70% over last 10 years

GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK
public transport is now free for all residents of porto, portugal

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tonči zonjić @tozo.today · 17/09/2026

thursday plan: eight things (that seems like a reasonable number)

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Shubbabang @shubbabang.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Super old retail comic for today

The image is a five panel black and white comic.

Panel 1- *working retail* An employee is seen crouched in an aisle, scanning items.

Panel 2- A loud clang is heard from a nearby aisle, the employee looks up.

Panel 3- In a different aisle, a customer stands in front of some items that have been knocked over onto the floor, contents spilling out.

Panel 4- it zooms in on his face as he thinks, "Meh. As long as no one knows I did it."

Panel 5- The employee from the first two panels appears behind him, shrouded in shadow, shirt a bright threatening red color.

The text under the last panel reads, "(c) Shubbabang-2014"

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feef @feefal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Inspired by a recent interaction

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #647: "On College Essays, Pt. 1" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/647/

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #646: "On Therapy (Again)" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/646/

A seven-panel comic.

Panel one: Diego is sitting across from Zelda in her office. Diego, sitting on a sofa with his arms crossed angrily, says, “I’m really beginning to question why I pay you so much for all this therapy. I’ve been coming to you for -years-, and I still feel miserable every single day!

Panel two: Zelda gives Diego a look of concern and says, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Diego. Let’s talk this over and see if we can figure out -why- our sessions haven’t been helpful for you.”

Panel three: Zelda asks, “Have you been cutting back on unhealthy foods and late-night snacking, as I recommended?” Diego replies, “Uhhh, no.” Zelda continues, “Well, have you at least been eating more fruits and vegetables?” Diego answers, “Nah.”

Panel four: Zelda asks, “What about those physical exercises we talked about?” Diego dryly answers, “I don’t have time for them.” Zelda asks, “How about going outdoors more often?” Diego replies, “Haven’t really felt like it.”

Panel five: Zelda asks, “Have you decreased your time on social media?” Diego answers, “Yes.” Immediately after, he asks, “Wait, ‘increased’ or ‘decreased’?” Zelda replies, “-Decreased.-“ Diego responds, “Oh. Then no.”

Panel six: Zelda asks, “Have you tried deep breathing or meditation, like I suggested?” Diego points at Zelda and asks, “Does breathing deep from a vape pen count?” Zelda replies, “No.” Diego says, “Then no.”

Panel seven: Zelda removes her glasses and rubs her brow in exasperation, then says, “Frankly, I’m -also- starting to question why you pay me so much for therapy.” Diego bitterly says, “Imagine how much -liquor- I coulda bought with that money.”

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Spookyttea! @sleepyttea.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

ocarina remake 👁👁

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Nikki Morgen Comix @duknuk.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

PaRappa's Number (repost)

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mellodillo @mellodillo.com · 13/09/2026

my friends and i were playing mario kart and doing dumb voices again

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Tua Turndaballova @eagleeye1906.blacksky.app · 13/09/2026

Hey y’all My youngest baby has become a flag twirling majorette, if you have the means and can support my baby girl, would you buy some popcorn? popup.doublegood.com/s/ihd2c526

popup.doublegood.com

Support Sophia-Mae’s Pop-Up Store

Click here to buy our delicious popcorn and 50% of your purchase benefits this fundraiser. #doublegood #dgpopup

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #646: "On Therapy (Again)" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/646/

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #645: "On Beautiful Days" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/645/

A three-panel comic.

Panel one: Diego is sitting on a bench on a city riverfront, facing the river, on a bright and sunny day. A woman is walking her dog on the sidewalk in front of him. Bridges stretch across the river, and buildings stand on the opposite bank. Diego, relaxed and with his arms resting on the back of the bench, says to himself, “This really is a -beautiful- day.”

Panel two: Diego continues to sit on the bench. A pair of joggers sprint past him on the sidewalk.

Panel three: Diego, still sitting on the bench, says to himself, “I should’ve stayed in bed rather than risk ruining it.”

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caroline cash @cashbrowns.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Nancy 9/7/26 … Happy Labor Day 🛠️

8 Hours for Work, 8 Hours for Rest, 8 Hours for What We Will. Based on a screenprint by Ricardo Levins Morales after the organizing work done by Robert Owen.

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Barry Deutsch @barrydeutsch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The Basic Barrier By me and @mikelawred.bsky.social Read more cartoons! —> #Policartoon Support the cartoons! —>patreon.com/barry #BasicIncome #UBI

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels. Each panel shows two friends walking through a wooded park. One is a man wearing a baseball cap and an orange T-shirt, so I’ll call him ORANGE. The other is a woman wearing a red plaid shirt, so I’ll call her PLAID.

PANEL 1
Orange smiles as he reads something on his smartphone. Plaid looks interested.

ORANGE: Look at this! Another study found that basic income works!

PLAID: What’s basic income?

PANEL 2
Orange explains while Plaid hops through a hopscotch grid drawn on the path.

ORANGE: It’s the government giving everyone a basic income, so we’re all guaranteed enough to live on.

PLAID: That sounds amazing. But… if we had that, why would anyone work?

PANEL 3
Orange gestures emphatically with his free hand. Plaid walks with one hand thoughtfully against her chin.

ORANGE: That’s been studied so much… Over and over, when people are given basic incomes, they don’t stop working!

PLAID: Hmm… I’m still against it.

PANEL 4
Orange looks baffled. Plaid shrugs.

ORANGE: But why?

PLAID: I just can’t believe anything that good is possible.

CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is an obsolete cartoonists’ term for unimportant but fun details slipped into the art.

PANEL 1: A little gray alien is flying a flying-saucer-shaped kite.

PANEL 2: The hopscotch grid is full of traps, including a spider, tacks, a Lego brick, a mouse frantically waving its arms as if to say “Don’t step on me!,” a pile of poop, a whoopee cushion, a mousetrap, and a bear trap. A “wanted” poster for a raccoon with an eyepatch is nailed to a tree.

PANEL 3: A sasquatch and an Ewok are hiding behind trees; the sasquatch signals to the Ewok to be quiet.

PANEL 4: The raccoon from Panel 2’s “wanted” poster is hiding in the bushes.

T-SHIRTS: Orange’s T-shirt shows a smiley face in Panel 1, an alien smiley in Panel 2, the blood-spattered Watchmen smiley in Panel 3, and the Hitchhiker’s Guide smiley-faced planet in Panel 4.

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Nick Sousanis @nsousanis.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Woohoo!! My minicomic as syllabus for my new Comics in Education class is live!! Took forever. I put everything I could into it & thrilled how it all came together. Class is off to a great start & excited for where we're headed! Download/print your own on my site spinweaveandcut.com/comics-in-ed...

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Cartoonists United @cartoonist.coop · 31/08/2026

We still need more participants for our 2026 Comic Workers survey! This survey is for both self-published and traditionally published cartoonists!! If you make any kind of comics in the U.S., we want to hear from you! Please take a minute to take the survey here: cartoonist.coop/2026comicwor...

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Because I'm Depressed #645: "On Beautiful Days" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/645/

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Valigarmander @valigarmander.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Because I'm Depressed #644: "On Anger Issues, Pt. 4" #becauseimdepressed #comics bcdecomic.com/comics/644/

A seven-panel comic.

Panel one: Eve and Diego are standing in the kitchen together. Eve is getting herself a glass of water, while Diego is rummaging through a cupboard. Eve says, “I’ve been reflecting on what you said the other day, and I think you’re right. I -do- struggle to keep my anger in check sometimes.” Diego replies, “You don’t say.”

Panel two: Eve continues, “For my own sake and for everyone else’s sake, I’m going to try some -calming techniques- whenever I start to feel angry. Like slowly counting up to ten, for example.”

Panel three: Diego closes the cupboard and says to Eve, “Knowing you, you might need to count to a -hundred- instead.”

Panel four: Eve turns Diego, offended, and prepares to say something in response.

Panel five: Eve stops herself, rubbing her brow in frustration.

Panel six: Eve closes her eyes and begins slowly counting, “One. Two. Three. Four.”

Panel seven: Eve continues, “Five. Six.” Diego interjects, “Is it working?” Eve growls furiously, “-Shut up.-“

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