Return to Form

I’d almost finished the original comic back in April, but after all the treatment this year, especially in the last few months, I wanted to see how my art - and portrayal of myself - had changed since then.

It’s no secret I’ve been battling depression for decades. I feel empty and hollow inside, like I don’t exist, like I’m not a whole person. I don’t recognize the thing in the mirror, it doesn’t feel like me, like I’m separate or alien to this meatsuit I wear. This pervasive feeling is one of many reasons I haven’t been able to draw comics in years, because how can I represent myself if I don’t exist?

At the beginning of the year I tried drawing a facsimile of myself based on old art, an amalgamation of everything I used to be, but it still felt wrong. And while I’m still not where I want to be, I am so much better off than where I was before.

I felt confident drawing a newer, more accurate, and personal version of myself blasting through those barriers.

-- Athena/SAK
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Characters and Artwork © Shamine Athena King