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Our ocean, land, and the array of species that call it home are succumbing to the poison of plastic. According to the United Nations, at least 800 species worldwide are affected by marine and land debris, and as much as 80 percent of that litter is plastic. It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year—the equivalent of a rubbish or garbage truck load’s worth every minute.

And the ones that suffer the consequences of this are not only humans themselves, but also animals. To bring some awareness to the state of our planet and its inhabitants, Joan Chan, a 32-year-old comic artist from Hong Kong, started a comic series called "Just Comics."

More info: Instagram | patreon.com

#1

These Comics Showing The Suffering Of Animals Will Make You Think ( 77 Comics)

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Goth mouse (they/them)
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do find loads of straws when im beach cleaning but most of it is bits of net and really thin plastic fishing twine 🙁

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"Just Comics” is a project that’s meant to educate people and bring awareness about the state of our planet and topics such as factory farming and animal cruelty. Joan hopes that her informative comics can help reduce the suffering of animals that are bred for meat, clothes, or any other industrial production where there are conditions for animals to be raised all year-round.

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Nixxy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The earth definitely matters, and like this girl we should all protest to show this.

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Bored Panda reached out to Joan to find out a little bit more.

"I create these comics because of my love for animals.

Having worked in the defense of animals for over 10 years, I understood how smart they are and the scale of their suffering in the agriculture and fishing industries.

They are in my heart and mind every day."

First, we asked the artist if she had any major influences in her life that might've helped her to develop and refine her style.

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"It's a mix. I have liked reading Hong Kong and Japanese comics since I was young, like Dragon Ball, Doraemon, Old Master Q, and some old western newspaper comics like Vater und Sohn. My parents own a newspaper store so I read all kinds of comics when I was young and went to the public libraries often."

#4

These Comics Showing The Suffering Of Animals Will Make You Think ( 77 Comics)

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Sakuri
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the stories are all incredibly to the point and presented in a very touching way. i hope it helps people rethink their behavior and change it. thank you for your valuable work

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#5

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Nixxy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good on you! I’m glad there is more that just me and my school club helping with what they can do about plastic

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Art, in any kind of form, takes a lot of time not only to practice but also to produce, therefore we asked Joan how long it takes her to fully finish her comics.

"I draw very slowly, so it usually takes 1-2 days."

Being an artist is not easy, one can easily encounter a lack of inspiration, burnout, etc, so we wanted to ask Joan about her ideas for the comics.

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"I’ll think of what issues I want to work on, doing research, and narrow down the message. I will try to form a story and see if there are any new connections. If I can't come up with a good idea, I will move to another topic.

I usually have lots of ideas.... lots of bad ideas. For me, the hard part is to recognize it's not a good idea and keep on thinking.

I try to focus on the large-scale problems of “production” animals and those that humans have a harder time empathizing with like fish and crustaceans."

As we mentioned before, sometimes creative work can cause quite a burnout, therefore we asked the artist how she dealt with that as well.

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"Yes all the time, every time after I get one good idea I will worry about the next one….and then it repeats."

We also asked Joan about how people reacted to her work.

"I often draw sad animal stories. I think it's relatable in some ways. We all experience the same, non-human animals have emotion and are able to suffer too,  although we don't feel it exactly the same way, but we do share the same living experience as we are all sentient beings. Many people feel sad and heart-breaking for what is happening to animals."

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The creative process is not easy, but there are some enjoyable parts about it.

"My favorite moment is the moment when I finally figure out the best way to tell the message."

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We also asked about the inspiration behind the artist's Instagram account.

"After graduating from university, I had a regular column in a Hong Kong Newspaper Am730 but I wanted to reach a larger international audience, so it naturally drew me to the biggest platforms like Instagram and Facebook."

Digital art and art, in general, is not easy and requires a lot of patience, time, resources, and in most cases even money, therefore we wanted to know how the talented comic artist started her own career in digital art.

"I always liked digital more. It feels more fun and easy for my ADHD mind. I can go back and forward to make changes any time."

Artists tend to get motivated by a lot of things such as curiosity, the search for beauty, or even meaning. Therefore, we asked Bonnie about that too.

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"What keeps me creating arts is because I still have something that I strongly want to share. I care about animal suffering deeply, I hope my work can speak for all animals."

#13

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Michael Fuhry
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to drive OTR up until roughly three years ago. A few years ago, walking across a truck stop parking lot, I passed a bull hauler. Hadn't been cleaned yet, and of course it possessed an odor beyond rank. I swear, by Cthulhu's tentacles, I could smell s***, p***, and fear. Vegetarian since March 10, 2003.

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#16

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Petra, princess of Brigid
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is actually a really interesting article I read about this! Here's the link, you can copy and paste it into your web address box! https://www.livescience.com/goldfish-memory.html#:~:text=Goldfish%20memories%20can%20actually%20last%20for%20weeks%2C%20months,that%20these%20creatures%20have%20a%20mere%203-second%20recall.

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#23

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ArwenUndomiel
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

how on earth could someone buy it??? Their heart must be made of stone

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#24

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Random person
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I looked this up, thinking it must have been fake for sure, but according to my 5 second google search it's true 0.0

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E Bytes
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trying to figure out how to plan my life better with all this new knowledge is difficult. I want to do what’s best and reduce the suffering and death. I’ve got to take it one step at a time.

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Goth mouse (they/them)
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poison is horrible too and a very slow and painful death, i found a rat dying in my garden struggling to move and gasping for air i think he was poisoned 😞

Duck with a Top Hat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People talk about how the regular snapping mouse traps are in humane but at least it kills the animal quickly and doesnt starve them to death

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Leigh C.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my caretaker set a sticky trap in my place and got a bit angry when I threw it out. It didn't catch anything thankfully but come on.

Jerry Mathers
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, this method is unnecessary, inhumane, and should be banned.

Charlotte collett
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yikes I think some people are missing the point, considering the other comics - if you have rodents or something you can live catch them and let them go. There’s no need to kill them just because they found food and shelter in your home, they can’t understand that you don’t want them there, and they shouldn’t have to die for that

Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It gets worse. Rats caught in glue traps have been known to gnaw off their own limbs to escape.

Ivette P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I found a baby mice and her newborn babies living on my deck rug I had folded and put away ....I was thinking on putting my deck rug away but I folded back and let the momma and her babies stay there ...they are wild mice and will be food for nature I won't kill them

Laurie F. Daut
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While at work, I rescued a rat from a glue trap using hand lotion, then threw all glue traps away. Those pads are sooo sticky. Horrible! Use a live trap for heavens sakes.

Iapetos
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it was realistic, the picture would be filled with gore. Rat poison causes internal bleeding that seeps through all soft tissue.

Jaimi Royal
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friends dog was poisoned by there neighbors who left out wolf poison and wolves aren't in there area

Sylvia Clifton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love rats T-T one time my relative used poison for her problem, rat crawled into her vent and died. It’s a cruel, painful way to die

EJN
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I assume this is a sticky trap that immobilizes the animal and then they slowly starve. It can also be dangerous for pets!

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#30

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Jef jeffin mcjeffy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like meat better. Also, if everyone stopped everything, it would go down 9%. If corps stopped, it would go down 91%. Corps are responsible for the vast majority.

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#32

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ArwenUndomiel
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People are not evil for eating meat. We should definitely eat less of it though and the way animals are treated on 90% of factory farms are atrocious.

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#37

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Nixxy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Helium sucks, not only is it wrapped with plastic for single use, but it is a rare material that adds to greenhouse gases

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#38

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Nixxy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their habitats are being destroyed, and only for oil to make things shinier. Then they are put in cages. What the hell is wrong with us

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#41

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Nixxy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And this all ties back to humans, sure they are creating the emissions, but we evolved them to do that! Some Humans are horrible

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#42

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Random person
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those just make me sick when I see them, that's worse than Jesus being crucified as they weren't mercifully jabbed with a spear to quicken their death.

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#43

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RandomX123
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bet that guy will starve to death gloating about his carrot, rather than eat it

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Bernardita Valdés
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This s**t is supposed to be considered elegant. Fur coats, fox scarfs… YOU ARE NOT ELLEGANT, YOU ARE CARRYING A CORPSE. Millionaire ppl, famous ppl, use this kind of stuff like if they are competing on killing counts. Wearing an animal makes u look like a brainless human turd

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#45

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Random person
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember for a short time we had to keep our dog on a chain as she kept running off chasing sheep, and the local farmer said he would shoot her if he saw her chasing his sheep again, and that was one of the most painful experiences of my life, seeing her locked up most of the day :'(

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#49

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Nixxy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s absolutely horrible that we eat only the fins, and we don’t even harvest them sustainably

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#51

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DUN DUN
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw my late grandma put live crabs into boiling water. I cried so much that day

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#52

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Bobbie Meyers
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And yet they serve the little ocean insects with head attached. Try that with a cow, see how that goes over. Leave sea food for the creatures that live in the sea.

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#55

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Nixxy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

:c never eat caged food people! Only freerange meat, or no meat at all.

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#58

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Bobbie Meyers
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Catch and release is cruel torture. Let's rip you up by a hook in your lip, into and environment you cannot breathe. Manhandle you so you loose a bunch of your protective scales, rip that thing out of your lip, throw you back and pretend everything is ok. Damn, you just wanted something to eat.

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#61

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Ryan Deschanel
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the reason it is still getting worse. The ones who are responsible are not impacted by the consequences of their own actions, only innocents who are not involved are. Life sucks.

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#62

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Titas Burinskas
BoredPanda Staff
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plants feel pain, but their screams are ultrasonic. Some speculate that this might be the reason why bats don't live in forests but in caves, as they can hear thousands of trees screaming and it throws off their coordination.

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#63

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Tami
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good forest management, which includes removing trees, can reduce the severity of wildfires, save a lot of wildlife, eliminate a lot of pollution due to smoke, and conserve the resources otherwise used to rebuild destroyed properties.

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#65

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James Hardin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is why i stopped eating chicken. i only eat ones who had good, free range lives and they were cared for.

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#66

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Sylvanticx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

milk isn't an issue like meat. it's not great, but if you buy responsibly why be full vegan? milk is good, it takes less cows to make milk than to make meat so it's better to the environment, and it doesn't result in anyone's death!

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#69

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James Hardin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

petition to stop those chipotle ads that say "eat mor chikin" upvote to agree.

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#73

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Bernardita Valdés
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh no :( this reminds me of baby rhinos by the side of their mutilated and dead mothers :(

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#78

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Huckleberry Soup
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not meaning to be rude, if you're vegan, love you, but cows get really uncomfortable if you don't milk them and can even die.

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#81

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snipergun
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Point is not how we produce meat (or vegetables for that matter). Point is how we treat it before. Nothing can be good produced in large quantities in super small spaces. Vegetables are treated with substances which cause permanent defects in pollinators. Meat can't be tasty if animal was stressed when alive. Buy local. But from people who care about their product while it's alive / growing,try to grow your own if you have chance. And yes, you'll still eat meat and vegetable but knowing that your food was cared about with love. Had nice respected life, got good food and space. Not eating meat solves nothing. And "cruelty free" lifestyle is biggest lie on this world now.

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