My most liked comic of 2023 and a New Year's comic

Dear readers,

For the last day of 2023, I have two comics for you. One is a surprise I haven’t published on Substack before even though it got me the most likes out of all my comics on Instagram in 2023! And the second one is a comic reflecting on the state of the world as we enter the new year.

I also wrote a Medium piece containing my 10 most liked comics on Instagram in 2023. You can read it by clicking here.

1. My most liked comic of 2023

Let’s start with the happy comic. First of all, I apologize for not showing this comic to my Substack audience. You deserved to see it. But I was a bit of a coward. (Unless you count this post that sneaked into my Substack later when I migrated my Medium posts to Substack.) So, my most liked comic of 2023 on Instagram is:

Created by the author (Instagram).

The reason I was a coward is that this was my coming-out post and many of my family members get this newsletter, while most of them are not active on Instagram. Another reason is that ever since I posted this in June, I’ve had some doubts, such as: a) Did I come out just because I had a cool idea for a comic? (I think not but I am a bit weird like that), and b) I didn’t come out to everyone in real life because many wouldn’t get it, since I’m in a monogamous straight-presenting relationship. I only told people who do get it and are not homophobic. I’m privileged to have this choice at this moment in my life.

Having a) and b) in mind, my New Year’s resolution is to allow myself to talk more openly about being bisexual (and blind to gender in general) even to those who might oppose it. I will do my best not to hide behind my privilege anymore. The fact that this was my most popular comic in 2023 gives me extra motivation to do so. 🌈

2. New Year’s celebrations

While crackers and fireworks have been causing loud bangs over the last couple of days (at least where I am right now), there are places where loud bangs mean something entirely different. Let us not forget people in Gaza and Ukraine whose New Year's looks very different from ours.

This comic is inspired in real events. Two years ago I was outside when midnight struck and as soon as I heard boom-boom repeatedly, I got this anxiety and felt as if I was in a war. I couldn't wait for it to be over. That was the end of 2021, the year when the war in Ukraine started and ever since then I cannot stop thinking about my own Croatian war stories that were forgotten in the depths of my subconscious my whole life.

Here is to a new year in which we contribute to making the world a better place 🥂

Thank you for reading. I wish you a happy new year, wherever you are.

Ana