Kiku
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kikuhughes.bsky.social
Kiku
@kikuhughes.bsky.social
2.6K followers 270 following 2.4K posts
I'm Kiku Hughes (she/her), a mixed-race Yonsei (4th generation Japanese American) cartoonist from Seattle. I'm the creator of APALA honor title and Eisner award nominated comic "Displacement."
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kikuhughes.bsky.social
Onto Klara and the Sun, Ishiguro books finally giving me the name in book cameo i always longed for as a child
Photo of text with the words "Girl AF Kiku" highlighted
November 28, 2025 at 8:00 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
guassian blur mvp
Comic page WIP showing an Asian teenager adjusting her phone as it records video
November 26, 2025 at 3:02 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
ok my review, i'm actually obsessed with this book now
Text that reads "I didn't think I'd end up giving this 5 stars, but the more I sat down to think about it the more I appreciated. I see it in conversation with Remains of the Day - both juxtaposing personal shame with a much larger version. In this case, it is the shame of an entire nation. The flashbacks in this book take place in an almost literal crater in the remains of post-war Nagasaki. Politics are mentioned throughout, but mostly superficially, until one scene late in the book which suddenly reveals how absent all talk of the horrors of Imperial Japan have been the whole time. Like most Ishiguro narrators, this one is lying to herself and to us - and just like post-war Japan, she abjectly refuses to acknowledge the harms she has done. "
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Meeting doodles
Pencil sketches on lined paper. A few heads in the corner, and a small comic that reads "this one little pill will fix everything, guaranteed*"
November 22, 2025 at 9:16 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
i love my cringefail daughter
three drawings of a young asian american woman with long black hair and a denim jacket.
November 21, 2025 at 8:02 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
back on my bullshit (making full length graphic novels)
Screenshot of a drawing program in which three panels of a comic are shown, incomplete. They depict a bedroom, then a blurry face, then a blurry body moving.
November 19, 2025 at 2:15 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
does this joke make any sense i need an outsider opinion
Two panel comic. The first panel shows a person opening a door and holding up a tub of Baba's brand hummus. She says "Hey! I brought the hummus you asked for!" The second panel shows a group of trees holding red solo cups, looking judgy.
November 18, 2025 at 3:20 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Whenever i see the glowing blue eyes of the creatures that moved into grocery store parking lots
Pencil comic that depicts various angles of an automatic parking lot monitor - glowing camera, solar panel. Then a person standing in the sight of the camera. Text reads "I'm telling you, we didn't have these when I was your age. No reason, it just occurred to me....that if I don't say it now, you'll grow up thinking it was always like this."
November 16, 2025 at 8:21 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Friends have put together a raffle in support of Mona and her family, who escaped Gaza and are trying to survive as refugees in Egypt. Check out these amazing items!

To donate and submit tickets for raffle: tinyurl.com/raffle-for-mona
Flyer that reads "Donate and enter raffle here: tinyurl.com/raffle-for-mona . Goal: $10,000. Three weeks left! Raffle drawing: December 1. Raffle - $10 per ticket, drawn on December 3." The poster shows a Palestinian woman, young child and older man. Flyer that reads "Fundraiser - help Mona's family survive." It lists items up for the raffle, which are: A matcha tea set donated by Kogura Co. A vintage Muni jacket donated by Chameleon Vintage. A Kings vs. Mavericks game for Saturday December 27. A $50 gift card to Azay, plus a t-shirt from Anzen Hardware and Supply Co. A set of antique miso soup bowls. A zero waste starter kit donated by Kurated Kultura. A book bundle. A Supreme MG RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0 Red. Raffle: $10 per ticket, drawn on December 3. Donate and enter raffle here: tinyurl.com/raffle-for-mona
November 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
it's Celia
drawing of a teen girl with brown skin and black hair in a curly updo, she is wearing a malong skirt and holding two red fans as she dances
November 12, 2025 at 1:45 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
bonus is not a pastiche but is one of my favorites
Drawing of the Riddler and the Penguin from batman comics, both elderly and in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs. Riddler has fallen asleep on Penguin's shoulder and Penguin kisses his forehead fondly.
November 11, 2025 at 4:36 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
it's late and im blue, posting old riddler/penguin content with only minimal shame. pastiches.
A drawing done in "Miyazaki style" featuring two men in the foreground and a woman on a bat-shaped flying machine in the distance behind them. The shorter man has dark hair and a monocle, while the taller has red hair and question mark-shaped buttons. Drawing done in the style of Mike Mignola, featuring the same two men from the previous drawing. Drawing done in the style of Dustin Nguyen's "Lil' Gotham" featuring the same two men, the taller leaning down to give a peck on the cheek of the shorter.
November 11, 2025 at 4:34 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
my lil guys
cartoon drawing of two teens
November 7, 2025 at 12:57 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
today's wip
Cartoon panels of two kids, one putting their hand in a backpack, the other holding up a paper and yelling "I'll go!"
November 4, 2025 at 8:09 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
more style test work
Cartoony drawing of a man in a blue suit, clutching a microphone nervously
November 1, 2025 at 9:22 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Great to see you too! I'm letting DB break the curse
September 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Saw an APIAH bus today and i gotta say. Not a fan.
Photo of a bus with a mishmash of illustrations including: the crest of the 442nd regiment and a quote "go for broke," some cherry blossoms, an origami crane and a guard tower from the Japanese American incarceration camps Another side of the same bus now showing cartoons of three men in straw hats with stereotypically closed eyes
September 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Doodled a sparrow while in quarantine. Images show four steps in the process of painting a sparrow.
September 13, 2025 at 12:19 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Dont remember drawing this
Pen doodle of a person stabbing another person. The person being stabbed is smiling a little and saying "Hey what are we?"
September 12, 2025 at 10:39 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
The attention to detail in some of these is unreal. This one from the same period is made mostly of limestone but they used wood on his nipples for a darker color, as well as some precious metals in the eyes to make them appear more lifelike
Limestone sculpture of a seated scribe, with faded paint applied. He is a man with a buzzcut-like haircut and dramatic eyeliner. He is holding a scroll in his lap.
September 10, 2025 at 10:43 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
I've been looking at more ancient art. This wooden sculpture of a scribe named Kaaper is so lifelike it's a little haunting (circa ~2500 bc)
Wooden bust of a man with a bald head and dramatic eyeliner.
September 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
I used to post wikipedia stuff when i was depressed, and so here is a chair that is over 3,000 years old and yet looks like it's from the 20s. 1350BC Egyptian chair
photo of a wooden chair with claw feet, ivory inlay, a woven seat and a small hieroglyphic inscription in the center of the back.
September 10, 2025 at 10:26 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Anyway posting tits out byzantine jesus
An aged painting depicting dead Jesus being cradled by his mommy while a few other guys watch sadly. Jesus has full breasts.
September 10, 2025 at 12:58 AM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
warm ups with Morrowind guys
Digital drawings of Azura, Dagoth Ur and Vivec from Morrowind
September 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
kikuhughes.bsky.social
Im at da fair
Blurry photo of a performer on a stage with text that reads "circus guy at the fair using death with Dignity by Sufjan stevens as show music"
September 5, 2025 at 10:40 PM