A.C. Esguerra

@blueludebar

comics artist + writer in LA. probably inkstained. EIGHTY DAYS (GLAAD nominated, YALSA listed). blueludebar.com

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Bluesky

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A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 26d

hootin and hollerin about this everywhere: AMERICAN* FUJO*'s 2nd print run is featured on THE freakin BEAT!!! thanks @averykaplan.bsky.social @comicsbeat.bsky.social ! 👯 www.comicsbeat.com/american-fuj...

screenshot of the American* Fujo* second preorder announcement on THE BEAT comics culture website, coverage by Avery Kaplan, American* Fujo*'s title type design by Alexis Rippen

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 26d

draw your ocs in the Revolutionary Girl Utena pose challenge, go (i made this up)

a loose pencil drawing of an androgynous youth in fitted clothing and a coat draped on their shoulders pulling a rapier from the chest of a different femme youth in a dress who is in a sort of swoon, their clothes and hair billowing dramatically in the wind, a direct homage to Revolutionary Girl Utena

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 27d

snapshots from my Polaroid 600

two polaroid 600 instant film snapshots on a black photo album page. the first shows a seagull perched on a tidepool rock with a crashing wave foaming on the horizon; the second shows my partner and sibling standing in shallow water and looking back at the camera. the sea and sky are mostly gentle, almost washed-out tones of blue, pink and purple with bits of bright green and deep blue in the shadows and algae-covered rocks

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 27d

took my fam to the beach. lovely to see so much life in the tidepools 🦀

fountain pen drawings in blue ink in my sketchbook of things i saw at Leo Carrillo beach, including: hermit crabs in various shaped shells, slightly threatening seagulls, a small boat, and a frilly, slug-like California sea hare

photo of a small dark greenish-black crab in a crevice between algae-covered rocks, flexing its claw

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 29d

sometimes i think i'll let this comic go out of print, but then i remember the people who told me it helped them understand themselves. so here's to them. 🥂🖋️ blueludebar.itch.io/bespoke

a scan of a sheet of bristol paper covered with practice character sketches, messy lettering and ink nib linework tests

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· 29d

for #InternationalNonbinaryPeoplesDay, here's sketches and ink tests for BESPOKE, the comic i came out through in 2018. we make sense of ourselves, we tailor / trim / scrap gender to fit. 🖤🤍

sketchy ink drawings of a figure with long black hair in a dress and a figure with short black hair in a boxy jacket and trousers, with sewing imagery, notes and triangular black and white shapes scattered throughout

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jul 9

can't believe Lio Promare showed up at the local Drag & Draw figure drawing session.

a ten minute figure drawing sketch in black fountain pen ink with pink and yellow-green highlighter shading, depicting a drag performer dressed as Lio from Promare dressed in a cape made of caution tape, a checkered crop top, black jeans and combat boots

various two to five minute sketches in black fountain pen ink with pink and yellow-green highlighter shading, depicting a drag performer dressed as Lio from Promare dressed in a cape made of caution tape, a checkered crop top, black jeans and combat boots, sometimes holding a pink landline telephone

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jul 9

the top Youtube comment on the quoted Teen Girl Squad video, which reads "Its like The Beatles just dropped a new single"

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jul 8

back from sheep vacation. it lives!!!

a paisley-patterned, handsewn stuffed toy sheep, with a black face, legs and ears, wooden button eyes and a pink ribbon bow around its neck. perched on top of its head is a black leather bracelet with pointy metal spikes as a sort of crown

closeup of the wooden button eyes which have a dark stripe to resemble the horizontal rectangular pupils of real sheep eyes

the stuffed sheep, fallen over on my desk.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jul 2

final day of the show! thanks for enjoying my light/soft colored pencil whims 🖼️ tinyurl.com/mrbxckbs

a fountain pen, a wood-backed rubber stamp block that looks like handwritten script from a letter and an actual handwritten note that reads "Nucleus Portland– Thank you for another year! –A.C. Esguerra, Salut! 11 2026"

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jul 1

i got batting, buttons and a bag o' real sheep wool. it's time. 🐑

my desk covered with scattered cut fabric pieces that soon become, if all goes well, a handsewn sheep stuffed with sheep wool.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 30

made up an over-the-top outfit then reverse-engineered how it was put on. reaping and sowing (sewing)

a fountain pen ink drawing of a youth with disheveled hair making a princely bowing gesture; they wear a blue, gothic, ouji-style sort of outfit repurposed from bits of an 18th century european military uniform

fountain pen ink drawings of a youth putting on a complicated outfit step-by-step in this order: starting with a black undershirt and leggings, then two billowy arm sleeves made up of many long, white ribbons secured with cuffs at the arm and wrist, a waistband of more tightly wound ribbons over blue trousers that cut off at the knee, crisscrossed ribbons from knee to ankle (and, not pictured because the drawings run off the page, shiny black 18th century-style shoes with a low heel), and over all a blue cape made from a cut-up european military uniform, double-vented with white trim and highly distressed/frayed edges at the collar and hem.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 30

one weekish left on the itchio sale~ also please enjoy the pages on desktop i had fun customizing the bgs to match each comic 🏁 blueludebar.itch.io

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 29

announcing this here too, i'm now a co-facilitator for Cartoonists United's Comics Critique Group B! also drew + designed this promo art. running my first meeting tomorrow let's goooo 🔏🕶️ @cartoonist.coop

two black and white ink illustrations of Inkling and Nibford, the anthropomorphic inkwell and pen nib mascots of Cartoonists United, holding comics making supplies and going to critique. the top illustration shows them wearing cat ears and paw gloves over the text "CUG-A", representing CU critique group A; the bottom illustration shows them in rugby stripes over text "CUG-B", representing CU critique group B. to the left and right, black bars run vertically under bold white text that reads "Cartoonists" and "United"

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 27

im seated, with snacks. the green tea represents Melinoe and the cheetos represent Zag.

me sat in front of my laptop at sunrise with lit candles, cheetos and tea, and a Cerberus plush watching the Hades concert livestream

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 27

do i have the strength to wake up at 5:30 AM Pacific Time for the Hades orchestra concert in London.

the poster for the Hades 2: Ballads of the Underworld orchestra concert in London on June 27th 2026.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 25

okay i'll play. my partner still brings this up sometimes. #makeaterriblecomicday

a comic drawn in fountain pen ink on paper in my sketchbook about this one time my partner and i saw a pigeon glitching out in real life

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 24

running a 🌞🌚 summer sale 🌚🌞 on @itch.io! all my digital comics and zines are 25% off until July 6th. unhinged autobio, lolita & punk fashion, BL, witches, the good stuff | #itchsummersale | itch.io/s/191483/sum...

a screenshot of six different windows open to the comics i am selling digitally on itchio: THE PRINCE, BESPOKE, DISCOORDINATE, FLYBOY, WITCH CROSSING and FAIR TRADE

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 21

thanks to all who came by at QCON! lots of good conversations and kind words left me feeling lighter (soul-wise and also minus one carton of EIGHTY DAYS-wise). also nabbed a book by @bonedustpress.bsky.social and highly relatable Godzilla sticker by @williamotyler.bsky.social

my con setup out on the Fiesta Hall Patio for QCON 2026 with zines comics pins postcards etc plus large prints taped on some windows behind

a framed drawing i saw in the Plummer Park Community Center of an orange cat smiling (??? it's a very chaotic expression) at a grey dog surrounded by green grass and yellow birds. titled "Funny Friends" by Nina Kardonsky, colored pencil on paper, age 5

a framed drawing i saw in the Plummer Park Community Center of a lion with green eyes and a mysterious, knowing smile against a sunlit backdrop of hatched green lines with yellow flowers, a pool with another creature in it and two human figures in the distance holding hands and looking on. titled "The Green-eyed Lion" by Margot Grinblat, colored pencil on paper, age 8.

a book on a table with silver foil text reading "THE TRAITOR AND THE WRETCH", by Jasmine Walls and illustrated by Rowan MacColl, and my hand holding a large sticker of Godzilla with a winding banner that reads "FUCK THIS SHIT", drawn by William O. Tyler

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 20

not even thirty minutes into QCON and The Comics Courier is already calling me out @explodingarrow.bsky.social

my hand holding issue 3 of The Comics Courier a comics criticism journal printed on newsprint!!!

closeup of a newspaper headline which reads "YOU'RE DRAWING HORSES WRONG"

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 19

very happy (and relieved) to announce that i finally have EIGHTY DAYS books again!!! if you haven't picked up my 300+ page brick / comics noir / award-winning debut about queer pilots. now you can.

a couple stacks of my graphic novel EIGHTY DAYS on a round walnut table. two copies are open to display the black and white traditional ink and sable brush comic art inside, showing airplanes and the three main characters

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 17

prophecy fulfilled 🧵🪡📚

a huge stack of zines handbound / sewn with multicolored thread spread out on my desk

a closeup of the interior of a handsewn zine showing the rainbow colored thread tied in a big bow

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 17

ending my six-cons-back-to-back marathon this Saturday with QCON West Hollywood 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✨ Fiesta Hall Patio, Table 12

flyer advertising my presence at Fiesta Hall Patio Table 12 of PRISM Comics's QCON in West Hollywood on Saturday June 20th from 11am to 6pm, free admission. more info at qconprism.org

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 15

for me tabling at tower takeover was a cool Experience but a weird show, if that makes sense. if you found me through it, thanks for visiting (especially if you braved the stairs)!

a DIY poster from the Spring Arts Tower Takeover event with text "Suite 528" "LAST CHANCE TO EXIT THE BUILDING!" "5th FLOOR", a picture of a skeleton playing electric guitar on a red background with a handwritten word balloon saying "COOL Friggin' STUFF!"and a crosshatched arrow pointing left over the text "THAT-A-WAY"

a picture looking over a dark metal banister and down five flights of the Art Deco era marble stairs in the Spring Arts Tower in downtown Los Angeles

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 15

drew some LA gargoyles / grotesques 🗿

a fountain pen ink drawing in my sketchbook of a stone lion with bat wings on the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles

a fountain pen ink drawing in my sketchbook of a stone lion with bat wings on the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles from a different angle and showing pigeons perched on the ledges

fountain pen ink drawings in my sketchbook of a window decorated with potted plants, a sphinx-like bust angled down to loom over the street and some decorative architectural molding on the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 13

okay wait the tower is fascinating (i came in for early setup). built in 1924 and still has Art Deco fixtures. rode a freight elevator with no ceiling. film noir hallways. mysterious telephone closets. cant believe im gonna sell comics here tomorrow lol

a view down an old dimly lit hallway with marble tile flooring and dark wooden office doors, trim and molding

a wooden closet full of tangled telephone cables

a wooden office door with a frosted panel through which can be seen the disconcerting shadow of a mannequin (?) pressed against the glass

my table display of comics zines pins etc on floor 5 of the Spring Arts Tower Takeover

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 10

planning con outfits and having a rather genderfluid time

scribbly grey fountain pen ink drawings in my hobonichi weeks of various outfits.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 10

more than half sold out already! including my faves (the two on the right + the theater curtain one). thank you so much. tinyurl.com/y6wr4rt8

four illustrated square coasters and assorted irojiten colored pencils scattered across my desk.

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 9

los angeles you are cordially invited to invade The Last Bookstore on saturday 📚🕶️ i'll be on the 5th floor tinyurl.com/77dxnu3j

a yellow and black flyer with info about the first-ever Spring Arts Tower Takeover / vertical community market in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday June 13th

A.C. Esguerra@blueludebar· Jun 8

✨🎀💐 classic book illustration but queerer 💐🎀✨ series for Nucleus Portland's 2026 gallery show, now online (with correct link lol): tinyurl.com/y6wr4rt8