HOPE TANTRUM
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hopetantrum.com
HOPE TANTRUM
@hopetantrum.com
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Teaching myself how to make comics! by @carriethesage.bsky.social. If hope has feathers, may it also have predator eyes
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hopetantrum.com
backstage behavior, in ascending order of who I want to sit by at the cast party

#webcomics #theatresky
3-panel comic titled: "Backstage Behavior, arranged by how likely I am to vibe with you personally." The bottom of the comic has a temperature gauge, going from red (panel 1) to yellow (panel 2) to green (panel 3). Panel 1: a bald guy with a comically large martini glass has a sassy hand on their hip, smirking and chatting. Behind them, a woman stands illuminated by stage lights, tapping foot impatiently. Caption: Just Missed an Entrance Because You Were Talking Shit Panel 2a: a stagehand bumps into a very large serious man waiting in the wings. "Oop, pardon..." the stagehand whispers. Panel 2b: The serious man, glowing with holy stanislavski aura, pulls a knife on the stagehand. Caption: Off-puttingly Method Actor Panel 3: "SUDDENLY SEYMOUR..." sing two voices on the stage. But we see a woman and a man posing very dramatically as though they were the ones singing. Caption: Extreme Lip Sync Dance-Off Extravaganza
August 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
hopetantrum.com
new tablet learning curves

#webcomic #webcomics
3 panel comic: (Images might be slightly wavy due to use of Glaze, AI scraper protection) Panel 1: A guy sits holding a tablet with a bee logo on the back, looking a little frustrated. He says: "I'm used to Android...where did they put the copy-paste button on this?" A girl standing nearby gives a condescending laugh. "Ohoho! Bee OS doesn't use a button for that..." Panel 2: She points for his attention. "You have to do these steps." Panel 3: A series of sketches of her wiggle dancing: thrusting hips, twerking, shimmying. (The guy looks on, skeptical.)
June 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
hopetantrum.com
nostalgia bait for the recently diseased

#webcomic #webcomics
Caption, decorated with clusters of forget-me-nots: "remembering the good old days" "I used to breathe through my nose," thinks a person on a couch, wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by used tissues. They're blowing their nose with a "bfffft" (Image is slightly wavy from genAI scraper protection by Glaze)
May 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
hopetantrum.com
this is a true story and a cautionary tale

#webcomic #webcomics #adhd
Panel 1: I'm checking out at the garden store, holding a book with scribbles and plans in it. The checkout girl says, "Ah, you have a gardening journal! You're so organized!" Panel 2: I'm glowing as she finishes scanning my items, with "So Organized!" floating above my head. Other thoughts: "ADHD Defeated", "I did it", "I'm a good person" Panel 3: I'm exiting the garden store with my cart. Panel 4: I'm hurrying back in, looking sheepish. "...Uh, did anybody turn in a phone? It has a blue case..."
May 2, 2025 at 6:09 PM
hopetantrum.com
octopus traveler

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: Two women sitting on a couch. One is scrolling on her phone and says excitedly, "Did you see that octopus riding on the back of a shark?" "AI?" asks the other. "No, a real photo. By scientists." Panel 2: "Wow!" says the other one. "They say nature is so cutthroat. But there's also so much survival by cooperation." Panel 3: A painting of that viral scene, octopus flopped like an old timey ice pack on the back of the mako shark. The shark says "I don't want any trouble." The octopus: "Then you shouldn't have crossed my family, Jerry..." A beat. "...You got an aux cable?"
April 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
hopetantrum.com
new comic, about helping

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: A girl in pigtails looks sadly at the shoreline, surrounded by stranded starfish beached up on the sand. Panel 2: She picks up a starfish and looks at it, concerned. Panel 3: She holds up the starfish to pitch it back into the ocean. In the background, an older man in a jumpsuit notices what she's doing, and is curious. Panel 4: She pitches the starfish back into the ocean. The man is approaching to stand by her side. Panel 5: The starfish lands in the water with a PLISH Panel 6: The man points at another beached starfish. "You should have saved that one instead."
March 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
hopetantrum.com
this doesn't solve everything

#webcomics
panel 1: a person is concentrating on working with a pen stylus at tablet/paper panel 2: sits back, thinks, "This art doesn't solve everything. I can't post this." panel 3: flops onto the sofa, lounging forlornly in their sweatshirt and sweatpants. empty page and abandoned pen stylus on the coffee table in the foreground panel 4: same, but the person's turned to bones and there are spiderwebs on the abandoned pen stylus and coffee table
February 6, 2025 at 4:16 PM
hopetantrum.com
so much for the compassionate left

#webcomic #webcomics #arthritis #NEISvoid
Panel 1: A woman's hands are aching and she's fuming, rubbing them for relief. Panel 2: She yells at them: "Why are you hurting so much? We didn't even get that winter storm here." Panel 3: The hands have little faces with silly eyes drawn on the fists. One hand says: "we ache in solidarity with those who suffer in the storm." The other: "damn, we thought you cared about your fellow humans! guess not!"
January 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
hopetantrum.com
that one guy at every white elephant party
#webcomic #webcomics
that one guy at every white elephant party Panel 1: A woman unwrapping a gift, a Christmas tree behind her. There's a guy on the chair with their knees pulled up to their chest, hands to their face, glowing in anticipation. Panel 2: The woman is confused, looking into her box. The guy explodes in Muppet-like ecstasy: "LOOK! I gave you my trash." Panel 3: A man is choosing which gift he should pick up. The woman still kind of looks confused. There's a collection of poses from the guy as they bounce around the room, shouting "Hey Jim! Steal my trash! Don't you want my trash? Steal it! C'mon it'd be so funny..."
December 20, 2024 at 9:45 PM
hopetantrum.com
the answer is always love. or time, or death

#webcomic #webcomics
Comic: The Duality of Watching Puzzle Game Streamers A person is sitting at her laptop, confused, thinking "How'd they get that answer so fast? ...Are they using a walkthrough?" vs. A montage of that same person grimacing and cringing in agony. She yells: "LOVE. The answer is LOVE. How do you not see this! It's obvious AAAAH"
December 6, 2024 at 3:30 PM
hopetantrum.com
mortals beware: your past self lingers here...

#webcomic #webcomics #hyperfixation
Caption: Mortals beware! You might wake the spirits long-dead that once haunted your whole being... Cemetery gates read "Hyperfixation Cemetery". A woman runs away shrieking "NO!" from a gravestone underneath a Whomping Willow. An owl and a broom rest on the grave. Another gravestone has the stylized "B" logo from Buffy. Another gravestone has scorpion troll horns and the Scorpio symbol. A cringing person shouts "I can't bear it!" The last gravestone has a carved statue of a skeleton from Minecraft. A person scratches their head and thinks, "Oh man, Minecraft! I should re-install that..." As they think about this, a rectangular zombie arm breaks through the ground, ready to grab their ankle...
October 29, 2024 at 3:47 PM
hopetantrum.com
it could always be worse

(happy breast cancer awareness month)
A nurse in a lab coat and scrubs strikes a jazzy pose, singing "da-da da-da da dah! I... AM..." Nurse continues singing and dancing. "...Your singing mammogram" "Squishhhhh" goes a mammography machine, as the patient holds on and frowns at the discomfort. The nurse is grinning madly behind her protective shield.
October 15, 2024 at 2:50 PM
hopetantrum.com
what if YOU wrote that, tyler? I'm busy

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: A woman, visibly nervous but excited, saying "I'm working on a project that requires a lot of careful reflection. It's slow work but deeply personal." Panel 2: A man in glasses, musing out loud: "Hm. What if instead..." Panel 3: Man in glasses, pleased with himself: "...you wrote something that I wanted to read?"
October 10, 2024 at 2:08 PM
hopetantrum.com
I hope that one key ring with my favorite key chain on it is enjoying its mystery isekai journey

#webcomic #webcomics #adhd
Panel 1: An upwards angle of a guy setting down a phone. He thinks: "Wait. If I put my phone down here, I'll never remember it later..." Panel 2: snapping his fingers with an idea, he thinks, "Oh! but I'll remember this feeling and where I was. So it's okay." Panel 3: As he walks away, setting down the phone behind him, the phone slips and stretches into a black hole that's opened up on the end table.
September 26, 2024 at 2:07 PM
hopetantrum.com
I don't wanna use a walkthrough! I wanna figure it out myself

#webcomic #webcomics #travel
Panel 1: A white woman with light brown hair and a backpack is hiking uphill along a gravel path through a hilly grassland, casting a long shadow showing late afternoon/evening. A small white bunny watches curiously from behind a tree. Caption: "I've journeyed a long, hard road today..." Panel 2: Her hike continues. Over the next hill there's a rocky river bank. A posted sign in the shape of an arrow points her onward. Caption: "Eager to soothe my weariness in the waters of renewal." Panel 3: She has arrived at the waterfall. All that's visible of her face is a determined eyebrow. Caption: "Vulnerable & aching, I face one last trial before I find relief... If I fail, will the waters freeze me or boil me first?" Panel 4: A black & white drawing of a hotel shower (or is it just a trendy color choice from a boutique hotel?) She is painted in color, undressed, reaching for the hot/cold lever to turn on the water, but the markings on the dial are confusing and she's stressing out
September 12, 2024 at 2:56 PM
hopetantrum.com
(part 2/2)

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 4: An androgynous coach with a hat and a whistle, with their arms folded, satisfied. A graphic: "PAIN RELIEF U.S. insurance will certainly never cover" Panel 5: An older bearded man, fiddling on a tablet in his yard. Thinks to himself: "yeah! I trust Facebook to design me a safe treehouse." Caption: "We're pumping A.I. so we can cash out before you catch on." Panel 6: A man with a smarmy combover, wearing a suit and tie, seated at a desk in a TV news set. The Eiffel Tower, decorated with Olympic rings, is in the background. He says, "Like these ads? Sign up for our streaming service! So many ads. Even if you pay!"
August 6, 2024 at 4:59 PM
hopetantrum.com
and now, a word from the olympic sponsors (part 1/2)

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: A toddler is cheering with their fists in the air after kicking a ball into a huge adult-sized goal. Caption: "My cynicism is defeated by this kid playing soccer." Panel 2: A woman with locs in a ponytail, running. Caption: "You can do anything if you believe in yourself and buy these shoes" Panel 3: A drawn pose from the Wicked movie promos. Glinda the Good Witch is reaching up towards Elphaba (the Wicked Witch), who's reaching back but also hovering, ready to fly away. Caption: "Let's see if Hollywood has learned how to adapt Broadway yet." In a Wicked-esque font: "Probably Not"
August 6, 2024 at 4:57 PM
hopetantrum.com
Happy #makeaterriblecomicday2024 everybody
A woman is holding a giant water bottle, thinking to herself "This water bottle is a great size, but kinda hostile" The water bottle: 8AM: Get going 10AM: Still not enough 12PM: Drink more, bitch 2PM: I'm sorry 4PM: Sorry I called you a bitch 6PM: it's just like you to get mad 8PM: Just like a bitch
June 25, 2024 at 1:40 AM
hopetantrum.com
no I didn't get your email; I was busy exorcising some product manager's attempt to hit a KPI

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: An androgynous person on their phone, thinking to themselves: "Buying from a smaller business is a more ethical move." They click the "Pay Now" button on their phone. Panel 2: a blue little imp whooshes in. "the pact is sealed," it says, surprising the person Panel 3: An email notification. The person looks confused, the imp is snickering Panel 4: The emails are flooding in! The imp is stomp-dancing on the person's head, crowing "you will never be free!" Five email notifications: "10% off TODAY ONLY", "We saw you looking...", "Rate your [purchase]", "We miss you already! Check out these deals", "Buy even more! Aren't you supposed to be ethical?!"
June 20, 2024 at 4:10 PM
hopetantrum.com
starving artist

(content note: disordered eating)

#webcomic #webcomics
Panel 1: Two women on a TV talk show set. Interviewer: "You looked so different for this film! What did you have to do to get that kind of transformation?" Panel 2: Close-up on actress, hands up, earnest and a little defensive. Actress: "It was quite a severe diet. Actually it was very bad for my long-term health. I'm still dealing with the health problems from it. Nobody should do what I did." Panel 3: Close-up on the interviewer, hand to her heart for sincerity: "That sounds so hard." Panel 4: Back to the wide shot. Interviewer: "But what a change! Tell us more about exactly what you ate on this diet." Audience: "yeah!" "deetz on the eetz" The actress is frowning.
May 30, 2024 at 6:29 PM
hopetantrum.com
the eclipse 40 years later was really cool too!
A photo of the pencil sketch for panel 7, with a pinhole image of the crescent mostly-eclipsed sun on April 8, 2024.
April 24, 2024 at 4:48 PM
hopetantrum.com
a short memory about an eclipse in 1984, that I sketched out while also experiencing an eclipse 40 years later

#webcomic #webcomics #eclipse #watercolor
Panel 1: Caption "The first eclipse I remember was when I was in kindergarten." A teacher is pointing to a diagram she drew on the chalkboard of how an eclipse works, on May 30th, 1984. She says "but never look at the sun, you can go blind!" Panel 2: Caption: "After that warning, it was time for recess." A small girl in a yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants is crouched in a grassy yard, covering her face. Her thoughts: "is sunlight safe?" "everything is lit up!" "nowhere is safe from the sunlight" Panel 3: Caption: "I walked home to my grandparents' like this:" The girl is walking along a grass-lined road, peeking out from between her fingers. Her thoughts: "will I be blind tomorrow?" "...why is no one else worried?" Panel 4: Caption: "Only to find my grandpa looking right at the sun." A slightly-hunched older man in suspenders is in his garage, looking at the sky, while wearing a strange helmet with a mask over his face. Girl: "what are you DOING!?" Panel 5: Grandpa, holding out the helmet: "You wanna see? It's still going." Girl, looking aghast with arms out: "No! My teacher said you could go BLIND" Panel 6: Grandpa, holding out the helmet, grinning proudly: "Your teacher ain't a welder. Come on. It's safe." Panel 7: View of a partially-eclipsed sun through the welding visor. It's blurry but the sun is slightly crescent. Thoughts: "I will look, for just one second." "...just one second..." "oh wow it's so cool" Panel 8: Grandpa is putting on a different welding visor. "This visor isn't as safe but you can see better." The girl is still wearing the first one. Surprised at his words, she says, "that's okay! This one's fine!"
April 24, 2024 at 4:46 PM
hopetantrum.com
🧵 (1/57)

#webcomic
Panel 1: a woman at a microphone, lit up on stage. "I don't know who out there needs to hear this" Panel 2: rear view of the woman showing a dark audience. "I don't even know who's listening to me" Panel 3: "But I know I'm smarter than you, so listen up"
April 3, 2024 at 8:15 PM