A guest comic, colored in pink, of Elena getting ready for her day.

Transcript

Panel 1: Elena sleeps in bed peacefully, her panel resting to the side of a cartoon moon.

Panel 2: The same panel repeats, but now is on the side of cartoon sun. Elena's eyes open and she smiles!

Panel 3: Elena washes her face, her hair held out of the way by a cute headband with a grumpy bear face - the kind of headband you know the Asian skincare fans use, which is how you know Elena is taking this step seriously! Elena's eyes are closed as she splashes her face with water, while music notes float behind her to indicate she's humming to herself.

Panel 4: Elena stands before a closet full of clothes on hangers, her hands on her hips and a puzzled expression on her face as she considers her options.

Panel 5: Elena tries on her first outfit - a spaghetti strap top paired with a pencil skirt and strappy heels! She poses, looking over her shoulder back at the viewer.

Panel 6: Her second outfit - a dark crop top that shows off her belly button piercing, form-fitting slacks, and an oversized suit jacket over it. She struts towards us in heeled boots!

Panel 7: Elena's third outfit. Elena, a hand to her chest, poses in a sleeveless top with ripped skinny jeans that she's matched with combat-esque boots. This outfit is the winner!

Panel 8: Elena heads out for her day in her third outfit, holding the strap of a heart-shaped bag in one hand while she makes the symbol for a heart with the thumb and index finger of her other. Her smile is huge! She's ready for anything.
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GUEST COMIC: “GRWM” by Nicky Rodriguez
Posted on January 2, 2025 by Kody

Wait, could this be? A guest comic featuring everyone's favorite bartender, ELENA?! Yep, it sure is!!

I'm so, so in love with this guest comic that award winning illustrator & comic artist/colorist/flatter, Nicky Rodriguez drew for me! Nicky's arguably been Elena's #1 fan since Keeping Time launched, and I was delighted to just let Nicky have free range to draw whatever she wanted with Elena going about her day, and she came back with this pitch-perfect  'get ready with me' page.

I told Nicky I'm probably going to be stealing all of these outfits for Elena in the main comic at some point because I love them so much, hahaha!!!

Nicky makes her own webcomic, The Unlucky Ones and the Edge of Nowhere (TUOTEON), a melancholy road trip story about two queer Latinx young adults burdened with superpowers trying to escape the path life wants to take them on. You can read it on Webtoons, Global Comix, or her own site! You can also follow Nicky on Bluesky (where the two of us yell about the Japanese national men's volleyball team and Haikyuu! together). To close this, here's a bit more about TUOTEON which I highly recommend!!

The Unlucky Ones and the Edge of Nowhere

Lúcio and Sonia are two queer, East Bay college grads who, after struggling to control destructive powers they’ve suddenly gained, decide to leave their lives behind. After crossing paths in a sleepy diner, they embark on a summer road trip out of California in the hopes they'll find an answer to what's next, all the while grappling with their grief and mortality. 

Keeping Time returns next Tuesday, 1/7!