Howdy! I’m Still Alive.

 @hogue-e-roll: Are you going to comicon next month?

Sadly, no. I’ll be drowning under my quarter finals at that time. But... uh... keep an eye out for the March 1st issue of the Seattle Weekly.

hot damn!

These are my breasts and nipples, complete with acne, moles, and hair. Will this image violate tumblr’s new content rules?

Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery.

I am a transgender man. I have not had the opportunity or the money to have top surgery. I am excruciatingly aware that the “gender presentation” of my nipples is in the eye of the beholder. Disconnected from the context of the rest of my body and gendered presentation, they look like “female-presenting” nipples. Hell, there are plenty of cisgender women with more chest hair than me.

Are we going to determine the “gender presentation” of my nipples based on my legal gender? That’s debatable too. My most recent legal IDs list my gender as “male,” but my birth certificate lists my gender as “female.” I cannot change the gender on my birth certificate without going back to the state where I was born and getting an order from a judge, and paying a fee. Until I have the time to and money to do that, there will always be at least one legal document where I am still considered female.  

Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr.

I would say this painting has artistic merit, at the very least from a technical standpoint. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would see no artistic merit in this painting, regardless of technical skill. The line between “nudity found in art” and “adult content” is as indistinct as the line between “naked” and “nude.” Tumblr and Facebook’s new policies stem from SESTA/FOSTA [LINK] and corporate monopolies [LINK].

Policies meant to curtail sex work always hurt more than they help, whether the sex work is voluntary, coerced, or forced. Example: NYC, LA, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. have all had/have laws that allow possession of multiple condoms to be considered evidence of prostitution, resulting in arrest or the confiscation of the condoms. So, no safe sex if you’re doing sex work, I guess?

Policies like these disproportionately effect people and communities who are viewed as being “inherently sexual” or “overly sexual.” Facebook’s overzealous new policy prohibits reference to “sexual preferences.” I will bet money that policy won’t be enforced when a cis het man makes a status update about “I like girls with [insert physical attribute here],” but it will be enforced when a queer person refers to a top, a bottom, a switch, a Daddy, a [insert relational attribute here].

As to what constitutes art and how that concept gets weaponized against LGBTQ people (and other oppressed groups, I’d argue), just read about the history of conservative loathing for the National Endowment for the Arts [LINK].

I don’t think my little protest painting will make tumblr and their corporate overlords change their minds. But I couldn’t not express my opinion on this.

I don’t know if this blog will get flagged or deleted or whatever. I’ll keep using tumblr until I no longer have a reason to. But, just in case, I’ll be setting up a pillowfort, and maybe a poizen. In the meantime, you can keep up with my shitpost tweets HERE.

replying to anonymous asks

Anonymous said: I just met you and I already love you?? Your comics are so deep, I want to be an artist and you’re kinda giving me hope I can be happy with that :)

Thank you! Being able to inspire someone in their own art is on of the best things to hear. I wish you the best in your art-making. My advice (which I should listen to myself about) is to be understanding and kind to yourself. Art-making, even when it’s done spontaneously and just for fun, is a learning process. It’s taken years and years of practice, at least 5 of those years in the context of art schools, for me to make art the way I do. And I still want to learn more and change my art and I still get frustrated with it! So if you hit a stumbling block in your art, don’t give up!

Anonymous said: Would you do something with the KOTH character John Redcorn..?

I hadn’t really considered doing something with John Redcorn. If an idea came to me, I might do a comic.

Anonymous said: Honestly it’s time to kill off Peter and Homer or cancel both of the shows.

I’m biased, so I’d be fine with Family Guy being gone forever and Simpsons re-runs.

Anonymous said: Your comic about Bobby being a therapist to B*** and C**** is literally my favorite comic of all time, I’m always happy to see it on my dash, thanks for making it it’s incredible 

Thank you! :D

Anonymous said: good job!

Thank you, I do try.

Anonymous said: i just wanted to say i still really love your comic where bart simpson and chris from family guy are being counseled by bobby hill. its a great piece of media 

Thank you! It’s so weird to realize that comic is like... four years old.

Anonymous said: Hi there!! I followed u a year or so back bc of the bart/Chris therapy comic, and was wondering if you deleted the follow up comics u made ? I can’t seem to find them anywhere :0c 

Weird! They should be right here: https://panic-volkushka.tumblr.com/post/146046796495/its-here-a-hard-copy-version-of-my-comic

These are my breasts and nipples, complete with acne, moles, and hair. Will this image violate tumblr’s new content rules?

Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery.

I am a transgender man. I have not had the opportunity or the money to have top surgery. I am excruciatingly aware that the “gender presentation” of my nipples is in the eye of the beholder. Disconnected from the context of the rest of my body and gendered presentation, they look like “female-presenting” nipples. Hell, there are plenty of cisgender women with more chest hair than me.

Are we going to determine the “gender presentation” of my nipples based on my legal gender? That’s debatable too. My most recent legal IDs list my gender as “male,” but my birth certificate lists my gender as “female.” I cannot change the gender on my birth certificate without going back to the state where I was born and getting an order from a judge, and paying a fee. Until I have the time to and money to do that, there will always be at least one legal document where I am still considered female.  

Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr.

I would say this painting has artistic merit, at the very least from a technical standpoint. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would see no artistic merit in this painting, regardless of technical skill. The line between “nudity found in art” and “adult content” is as indistinct as the line between “naked” and “nude.” Tumblr and Facebook’s new policies stem from SESTA/FOSTA [LINK] and corporate monopolies [LINK].

Policies meant to curtail sex work always hurt more than they help, whether the sex work is voluntary, coerced, or forced. Example: NYC, LA, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. have all had/have laws that allow possession of multiple condoms to be considered evidence of prostitution, resulting in arrest or the confiscation of the condoms. So, no safe sex if you're doing sex work, I guess?

Policies like these disproportionately effect people and communities who are viewed as being "inherently sexual" or "overly sexual." Facebook's overzealous new policy prohibits reference to "sexual preferences." I will bet money that policy won't be enforced when a cis het man makes a status update about "I like girls with [insert physical attribute here]," but it will be enforced when a queer person refers to a top, a bottom, a switch, a Daddy, a [insert relational attribute here].

As to what constitutes art and how that concept gets weaponized against LGBTQ people (and other oppressed groups, I'd argue), just read about the history of conservative loathing for the National Endowment for the Arts [LINK].

I don't think my little protest painting will make tumblr and their corporate overlords change their minds. But I couldn't not express my opinion on this.

I don't know if this blog will get flagged or deleted or whatever. I'll keep using tumblr until I no longer have a reason to. But, just in case, I'll be setting up a pillowfort, and maybe a poizen. In the meantime, you can keep up with my shitpost tweets HERE.

replying to messages!

there are a lot of them, so they’re going under the cut...

Anonymous said: Your comics are great, I really love your art style and your sense of humor.

Thank you!       

Anonymous said: Therapist Bobby Hill sounds a lot better than my therapist tbh. (Hey there love your art you are amazing!)    

Thanks!

If your therapist is NOT working for you and you have the option/ability -- get a different one. Some therapists are shitty, some therapists are good therapists, but just not for you. I know it can feel shameful, like you’re “quitting,” but the right therapist can make a big difference. I’ve seen 5 therapists over the years. 1st therapist was awesome, but eventually I had an issue she wasn’t versed in, so she helped me look for a new therapist. 2nd therapist was cool with me, but my parents hated her... and it was family therapy so that wasn’t working. 3rd therapist was AWFUL, I saw her for 4 sessions and then never went back. Therapists 4 and 5 were also awesome, and I found them by “shopping around” and making sure I was seeing someone versed in the issues I had.

But I totally get if you’re not in a place where you can do that, and you have my sympathy.

Anonymous said: hey your art is just super wonderful and soothing and it makes me cry and I love it so much please keep on doing it

Thank you! And I plan on keeping it up. When I’m not being steam-rolled by grad school. lol.

Anonymous said: for a sec while I was reading the sequel to the first comic I was like "Noooo.... but... CONNIE", then I thought "Oh well, this is ok too, no big deal", but surprise! also Connie! ha ha, anyway awesome job, thank you  

You’re welcome! There’s no way I could leave out Connie, she’s so cool. And I feel like she’s the kind of person who would be pragmatic and chill about being in a poly relationship.

Anonymous said: So I was a little confused by your cartoon marriage counseling comic at first. I hadn't seen a comic about abuse and relatonship problems populated, completely seriously, by cartoon characters. But I actually really like it! Keep up the good work dude. (also, i saw on an old response that you deal with compulsive skin picking? i totally know that feeling.)  

I’m glad you liked the comic! And good luck with the skin picking. It is NOT fun. I’ve had some luck with keeping a fidget toy at my work desk so I have something to do with my hands when I get the urge.

@kdotjay-draws-and-reblogs said: mr. panic, can i call you mr. panic? how do i become... cool?

Well... be an incredibly anxious, neurotic high school student with no social life and really good grades, go to art school for a year, drop out, go back to school for a psych degree, go to punk & metal house shows but still be a neurotic, anxious, grade-grubbing mess, realize you’re trans, start HRT, move to the other side of the country for grad school, make a comic based on an idea you had in a class on family systems therapy, have the comic go viral and then... that’s how you... become cool?

@angstyboi said: "Clients names have been omitted." Holy fuck that comic was awesome.       

Thank you!

I don’t think many people get the original caption I put on the comic tho... It’s not meant to say you’re not supposed to know who the characters are or act like I did a good job disguising who they are (lol), it’s meant to reference psychological literature/studies, where you remove/alter identifying information of clients.

Anonymous said: That Therapy comic you made was beautiful. I literally cried and I haven't stopped because it's so good. That was amazing and I hope you have plans for more in the future. It really spoke to me personally.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to write me.

@hannahology said: I came across your Therapist RJ Hill comic again after a long while, and it still hits me hard. Then I explored the other things you've published. You do amazing work. Have you ever considered doing a series of Dr. Hill's sessions with other fictional characters?         

Thank you for taking the time to go through my stuff! That actually means a lot.

I don’t have any specific plans to return to the comic. I might in the future if inspiration strikes. I’ve been wanting to get back into sci-fi/fantasy stories, like I used to do in middle school, and I’m finding it surprisingly difficult.

The life of a mixed media artist is always intense.

Getting close to done!

My Etsy:LINK / My Society6:LINK / My Ko-Fi:LINK

(via original illustration moth 1 by panicvolkushka on Etsy)

available for $35

My Etsy: LINK / My Ko-Fi: LINK

And here is the cover image of my risographed fashion study zine (you can buy that here)

My Etsy: LINK / My Ko-Fi: LINK

My “Keep on Truckin’ with your Transition” collage that I made for myself.

Awesome, influential people.

Diamanda Galas in the top center. Pierre et Gilles’ “Saint Sebastian” on either side. David Wojnarowicz on the left, Slyvia Rivera in the center, Antony Hegarty on the right. Marsha P. Johnson and the wings of a gynandromorphic butterfly at the bottom center.

My Etsy: LINK / My Ko-Fi: LINK