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Akire Bubar

@akirebubar

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First flight: a chapbook of poetry comics & graphic mini-memoir navigating trauma, C-PTSD, covid, disability, mental illness... Plus crows & cats.

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Let's do away with the dangerous myth of obvious villains.

1. You can't pick abusers out of a crowd.
2. Someone you know who's perfectly lovely in one context might be abusive in another - people rarely present as Rapey McMonster, and
3. It's even possible to commit sexual violence without thinking of oneself as a person who commits sexual violence. Consent education matters.

(Sorry for all the pinch-zooming this requires! Thanks for reading. ❤️)

#abuse #SexualViolence #GenderedViolence #consent #comics by @akirebubar

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a month ago

This is the bookbinding project I'm most excited about this year, all finished! It's an Australian piano hinge book, and I learned how to make it from @iamsarahmatthews during #SketchbookRevival2026. The original design features an exposed spine, but I like my sketchbooks more protected, so I added a spine cover using an extra strip of handmade fabric paper.

You can see more photos of this project on my Patreon page, including pics demonstrating how pages can be added, removed, or rearranged, which is what makes this book design so special - link in bio. Scroll to the post for July 6th and sign up to be a member, which you can do for free if you want! (I know, I'm late in sharing this, what else is new, LOL... 🙃⭐🤪)

#bookbinding #HandmadeBook #HandmadeSketchbook #FabricPaper An Australian piano hinge book stands upright on a scratched wooden surface, showing its front and back covers and colorful spine, with the pages fanned out behind. The front cover features a leafy green tree drawn over a map, with a silver crescent moon, gold stars, a grey squirrel, grasses, and layered blue and green tissue paper. The back cover combines map-printed paper with botanical tissue paper featuring blue and yellow flowers, leaves, grasses, and a dark blue sky with gold stars. The spine is collaged with vivid green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple tissue papers painted with watercolor for a flowing, watery effect. by @akirebubar

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2 months ago

SAW @comicsworkshop is putting out a mini-anthology called Comics Snacks, and one of my comics is in it. They're even using my toad art on the back cover! It's gonna be such a great little book, and you can order yours today - link in bio.

#comics #anthology #SAW #IndieComics #comix A drawing of a brown toad with a yellow throat and green spots sitting on a grey rock. Grass and weeds wave about from behind the toad. The drawing is signed "Akire Bubar". by @akirebubar

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

I've worked on this 4-page comic about losing my Dad off and on for about 2 years. I'm proud to finally be able to share it with you now & I'd be honored if you'd read it. I know it's a lot of pinch-zooming if you're on your phone, but I think it's worth it.

CONTENT WARNING: suicide, death of a parent, grief

If you like my work, join my Patreon! Free members get a LOT, and paid members get even more. Your support makes it possible for me to keep making art! ❤️ Link in bio. ---> You'll also find full image descriptions there; unfortunately I can't make them fit Instagram's character limits here. <---

On a completely different note, I have exciting news: BOTH the Kickstarters for Nerd Emergencies and for How We Made the Moon Cry were fully funded! Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you to all of you who helped make these books possible! It wouldn't have happened without you. If you missed out on those and still want to place an order for one (or both!) of those books, you can still do so via Kickstarter for a little while longer - links for those are also in my bio.

#comics #trauma #MentalHealth #suicide #grief by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

I'm so proud to have a poem in How We Made the Moon Cry, a beautiful anthology of comics, poetry, and prose about our beloved moon! But the end of the Kickstarter is less than 39 hours away and we have a looong way to go. I'm worried we might not make it. If you are an admirer of the moon like I am, please consider supporting this project! It's going to be such a gorgeous book, but it has to be funded first - order your copy today so we can get this book over the finish line and bring this collection out into the world where it belongs! Link in bio. And if you've already supported How We Made the Moon Cry and/or Nerd Emergencies, OMG thank you. You are awesome.

#comics #moon #poetry #anthology #IndieComics A promotional graphic of black text on a white background features an excerpt from the poem “Courage” by Akire Bubar in a decorative black serif font. The text reads: “The moon is my only constant. Heartbreak, loss, my many failures, she is always there — unruffled, steadying, eternal. I put my faith in moonlight. I trust what I can see. But this year? What can we even say about this year?” Beneath the excerpt is the attribution: “— Excerpt from "Courage", by Akire Bubar”. At the bottom of the image, the text reads: “Read the rest in How We Made the Moon Cry. Support the Kickstarter today — link in bio!” by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

I'm so excited to have a poem in this gorgeous anthology of comics, poetry, and prose about our beloved moon! But the end of the Kickstarter is just days away and we have a long way to go. It's going to be such a beautiful book, but it has to be funded first - order your copy today so we can bring this collection into the world where it belongs! Link in bio.

#comics #moon #poetry #anthology #IndieComics A promotional graphic of black text on a white background features an excerpt from the poem “Courage” by Akire Bubar in a decorative black serif font. The text reads: “Transformed, the moon is angry red. Smoke-darkened by fires 3,000 miles away, proof of what we fear and yearn for most: we are one world after all. She burns as we burn, bleeding loss. What will light our darkness now?” Beneath is the attribution: “— Excerpt from "Courage", by Akire Bubar”. At the bottom of the image, the text reads: “Read the rest in How We Made the Moon Cry. Support the Kickstarter today — link in bio!” by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

LAST CHANCE! There's only a bit more than 12 hours left to support the Nerd Emergencies Kickstarter, so order your copy right now - link in bio! I have 3 comics in this collection, and I'm so excited about it. Curated by @partlyrobot, it represents a really wide range of neurodiverse experiences and voices, and it's gonna be so, so cool. Don't miss out! Help us make this amazing project a reality!

#neurodiversity #neurospicy #comics #IndieComics #DisabilityPrideMonth A panel excerpted from the comic "Oh, Look! A Castle!" by Akire Bubar. The panel is labeled "12:30 pm" at the top, and shows a bald man clutching his head, shouting, “Red lentils AGAIN?!? What’s wrong with you???” while a distraught and flush-faced fish character thinks to herself, “If only I knew…” The words "I'M SORRY" are scrawled in large wobbly letters across the tabletop at the bottom of the panel, surrounded by sad-face emoticons. The panel is signed "Akire Bubar" in the bottom right corner. by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

HEADS UP - the Nerd Emergencies Kickstarter ends in less than 24 hours! We are so, so close to meeting the goal, but we're not quite there yet. Order your copy today so we can make this amazing project happen - link in bio! This is an excerpt from one of the three comics I've got in Nerd Emergencies, a collection of comics & more featuring a wide variety of neurodivergent voices & experiences of ADHD, Autism, DID, OCD, Tourette's, and so much more. Thanks to the hard work of @partlyrobot and so many other folks, it's going to be such a cool book - please lend your support so WE CAN DOOOOO THIIIIIIISSSSSSS!!!

Tip o' the Nib: I first heard the expression "dangerous gifts" to describe states of mind and being that are usually described as "mental illness" years ago from @sascha_altman_dubrul, and it really resonated with me. There are so many words to describe these experiences, but to me, "dangerous gifts" expresses my experience of my neurodivergence, rather than just describing it medically, and I'm thankful for that.

Anyway. Everybody order your copies of Nerd Emergencies today while you still can, and be part of making this amazing project happen!

#neurodiversity #neurospicy #comics #IndieComics #DisabilityPride An excerpted panel from the comic Ways to Talk About Mental Health by Akire Bubar. The panel is titled “Dangerous Gifts” and is set against a bright, swirling rainbow background. In the center, a large thought bubble contains a chainsaw labeled “anxiety, depression,” a bundle of fireworks labeled “PTSD, C-PTSD,” a kitten saying “RAAWR!” labeled “hypomania, mania,” the words “autism” and “ADHD,” a spiral, a lit cartoon bomb, and a starburst-shaped firework. The thought bubble comes from a small orange figure who stands below the thought bubble, chest puffed out with pride. At the bottom of the panel, a narration box reads: “I feel like I should be able to juggle chainsaws while balancing a basket of feral kittens on my head and lighting fireworks with my toes. I am capable and I am AWESOME. Also I might die.” The word “AWESOME” is shown in purple. The artist’s signature, “Akire Bubar,” appears in the lower right corner. by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

The danger of living with a cartoonist is having everything you say end up in a comic. I'm lucky to have a partner who tolerates this with good humor - and who so often says things I want to capture.

You can see the original slightly-different sketches for free on Patreon - link in bio. You can also find links to TWO different Kickstarters for anthologies my work is in: Nerd Emergencies and How We Made the Moon Cry. Order your copies before it's too late!

#JournalComics #comics #DiaryComics #SliceOfLife #pedant The first 3 panels of a full-color 6-panel journal comic drawn in black ink and blended colored pencil. The title begins with "Poetic License..." in the top left. Soft pink, orange, yellow, and purple backgrounds fill most panels. A man with long dark hair, a beard, and headphones hears, "Roses are red, violets are blue..." and blurts, "What the actual FUCK!?!" A woman with glasses, a blond braid, and a mug looks confused and says, "Huh?" The man insists, "Violets are violet! It's right there in the name!" The date "6-25-2026" appears beneath the first panel. by @akirebubar

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3 months ago

WOOHOO, the Kickstarter for the @partlyrobot Nerd Emergencies anthology is live and waiting for you! I've got 3 comics in this book and I'm super excited about it. Featuring comix and commentary exploring themes of neurodivergent visibility and invisibility, this book spotlights not just ADHD and autism, but also PTSD, DID, anxiety, Tourette's, OCD, and more. Reserve your copy right now, and tell your friends, family, and favorite independent bookstore about it, too! Link in bio, or go to:

kickstarter.partlyrobot.com

#comics #neurodiversity #neurospicy #IndieComics #MentalHealth An excerpted panel from the comic "Invisible Disabilities" by Akire Bubar. The panel has a yellow background and features examples of patronizing comments directed at people with disabilities. Near the top, a speech bubble from a dark-haired woman reads, “Don't let your disability limit you!” Below it, italicized text replies, “First of all, it isn't up to me...” At the bottom, a bored-looking person with a ponytail and a purple tank top shrugs with both hands raised while saying, “If you just ate better/lost weight/got more exercise/ate Paleo/did yoga/went vegan/gave up caffeine/bathed in jello by the light of the crescent moon/tried harder you'd be fine!” To the left, italicized text responds, “This is patronizing as fuck. Do you really think you're more of an expert on my disability than I am?” Along the upper left of the panel, part of the outline of a human figure is visible, with labels including "Sleep Disorders," "Long COVID-19," and “Lupus.” The comic is signed "Akire Bubar". by @akirebubar

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4 months ago