Point Five
Between this post and the last, In Your Skin #2 came out.
Funny story about that.
I never got my complimentary copies for the issue. When I checked with Fedex, they said that the customs department had prohibited the book from coming into the country, and wouldn’t clear it. Turns out, they had blocked it for “absurd imagery” and “nudity”. Which … I can’t exactly argue with.
So I guess, if you want to read the comic the Indian customs department doesn’t want you to read, In Your Skin #2 is out now.
The last time I wrote to you folks, I was in New Zealand, relaxing with some friends. Now I’m back in India, and fully intend not to travel again for the foreseeable future (probably going to be proven wrong in 10 … 9 …).
Right after I got back, I had to move house (it worked out oddly – I got possession of the new place while I was in New Zealand, so I had to scramble to finish everything once I got back). Thankfully, I had friends and family helping me, so the last couple of weeks have been hectic, but (mostly) manageable. I also hit my head rather badly while cleaning out the new place – bad enough that I got it checked out – and the doctor said my head was fine, but I had (temporary) high blood pressure from the stress I was under. So, less of that, I guess.
I also came back to a bunch of pending lettering work, which I’m making my way through right now as fast as possible without triggering my back issues.
I’ve had this weird feeling for a bit that I started vocalising recently – it feels like my “real” 2026 hasn’t started yet. Much of what I’ve been doing this year has been finishing lingering 2025 commitments, and in the middle of those, I’ve been travelling a whole lot, and usually not for leisure. I didn’t have many set plans for 2026 – it was meant to be a year of exploration – but it feels like I haven’t really reckoned with this year yet. Five months (which will be nearly six months because of the lettering work) of that is a lot.
Of course, this doesn’t mean at all that I’m not happy with how this year has been going – I finished writing my first book, that’s huge. I travelled to two different destinations that I really loved, and I got to spend some time with some wonderful people – both friends and colleagues. In the last few months, my house has become a comfort den/unofficial co-working space for some friends, which I love. And next month, hopefully, I’ll be helping a friend make a short film. It’s good stuff.
In Your Skin News:
As I mentioned last time, I’m done writing In Your Skin. We got back the design on In Your Skin #3, and Dylan and Courtney have absolutely exceeded themselves – I think it’s some of the strongest comics design work I’ve seen recently (if I say so myself). I can’t wait for you folks to see it.
As I was about to post this, Som emailed that he’s wrapped up the whole issue (the final page, I won’t lie, genuinely got me emotional). Francesco is done with 15 pages. We’re getting closer and closer to the end.
One of my friends asked me recently if it felt bittersweet to be done with writing the book. But in the case of a comic, you’re not really done writing it until the art is done and it’s lettered. But now, so close to the finish line, it’s starting to feel bittersweet. I’ll be happy that the book is done, but I’ll miss working with this incredible, and I’ll miss being in this world in my head (I know a bunch of our characters are not the most pleasant people, but I’ll miss them anyway).
We’ve also had a few reviews of In Your Skin #2, which came out on May 27th.
Nerd Initiative, who gave issue 1 a 10/10 as well, called it a “daring tour de force”:
The issue has this near-perfect balance of the body and the psychological. Aditya Bidikar truly forces readers to be inside the skins of the two main characters, putting us through this psychological torture in the best way imaginable. I seriously can’t get enough of this series and am looking forward to a re-read as well as the next issue.
On the art, they said:
Matching Bidikar’s efforts to put readers in a horrifying position, the team does a stellar job depicting every moment of body horror. How those moments are drawn by [Som] just feel and look so twisted and gross, and I mean that as an utter compliment. For the first time in a while, I felt truly disgusted at times while reading, unsure of what awaited me on the next page.
Comics Watch said:
Aditya Bidikar continues this horrific rendition of Prince and the Pauper, but manages to keep its leads relatable. The feelings of inadequacy and just going through the motions are achingly human, as well as losing yourself to a personality that was crafted for you. Bidikar does an excellent job of making us sympathetic to Ayesha’s plight, while at the same time watching as Priyanka continues to succumb to her own vices.
[Som]’s artwork beautifully enhances Bidikar’s narrative in the most haunting of ways with gritty realism and striking body horror. Pal’s paneling is a marvel to look at as well, oftentimes visually descending down the page as if taking the reader into hell.
Major Spoilers gave us a 4/5:
The art of In Your Skin #2 is top-notch. Not only is it gorgeous to look at, even when things are going full body horror mode, but the way the art integrates itself into the story also elevates it to another level beyond just being pretty to look at. Little details and slight shifts in reality in key moments turn very simple scenes into something worth exploring and thinking about deeper.
Superpowered Fancast said:
Bidikar continues to craft a dark, thrilling and engaging story in this issue. There are moments of great body horror throughout the issue, but the drama of Ayesha’s life is almost as compelling as the horror elements of the story.
Lettering work is … a lot right now. I foresee myself doing full working days till the 19th to get all of this done, after which I’ll hopefully have a breather. I know full working days are not too bad – for me, that’s about 6-8 hours of work per day, five days a week – but they can still give me some back issues if I don’t take care of myself, so … I guess I need to take care of myself.
Since I got back home, I’ve lettered The Department of Truth #38, w0rldtr33 #21, True Weird #20, and I lettered 13 pages of Deicidium for … something you’ll find out about soon, I guess. For the rest of this month, I’ll be lettering The Perfectly Monstrous Life of Adam Frankenstein (starting tomorrow), as well as a new Monsters in Love backup that goes with it, after which I’ll letter the final 90-page book of Human Nature, and I’ll round off the month with In Your Skin #4.
In total, that’ll be 240 pages of lettering. I know many letterers who do more work than that every single month, but I’ve now gotten used to doing about 120 pages a month, so this is a heavy one.
BUT. On the fun side of lettering …
The Monsters in Love Pride Anthology came out yesterday, with stories by a who’s who of queer comics creators, and all lettered by me. I tend not to be very loud about my queerness, but I love making queer comics, and I love being a part of this community, so looking at that “All Stories Lettered by Aditya Bidikar” on the index makes me feel very proud.
A couple of days ago, I noticed that I’ve been on my phone a lot, scrolling, instead of wasting my time in more focussed pursuits like reading/watching a movie etc.
Between travel, the new Instagram reels thing (making them, that is), and moving house, I’d installed a bunch of social apps on my phone again. My television’s not set up in the new house yet (it miiiiiight just be too big for the wall meant for it, we’re yet to find out), and because I’ve been tired a lot, I’ve been doomscrolling more.
So this Sunday, I did a cleanse again – logged out of all the websites, deleted all the apps, including email, back to having nothing on my phone that doesn’t need to be there, and what do you know, I immediately finished the book I had started while on the way back from New Zealand (The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker – wondrous stuff) and finished another book, this time in a single day – after ages, I should say. (This one was Slow Gods by Claire North. Excellent science fiction novel, though I had trouble with the second half, mainly finding it a bit … unnecessary as compared to the excellent first half.)
Death to the attention leeches.