A.C. Esguerra (a.k.a. blueludebar) is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator who blends history and fantasy in bold, intricate traditional ink and watercolor. Their storytelling centers people of color and queer characters and perspectives while drawing inspiration from Golden Age illustration, manga, literature, fashion, poetry, and world history and culture. Their debut graphic novel was Eighty Days, a queer historical epic about pilots, romance and rebellion in an alternate-1930s. The self-published first part of the comic won a PRISM Comics Queer Press Grant in 2016. The complete graphic novel was published by Archaia in 2021 and received a starred review from Booklist as well as features from the L.A. Times, Publishers Weekly and Buzzfeed. The following year, Eighty Days was named one of YALSA (Young Adult Library Association)’s “Great Graphic Novels for Teens”, shortlisted for the International School of Beijing Panda Book Awards, and nominated for the 33rd GLAAD Media Awards in the Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology category. A.C.'s second graphic novel was Who Was A Daring Pioneer Of The Skies?: Amelia Earhart (Penguin Workshop Books, 2022), a nonfiction comic written by Melanie Gillman for younger readers. As a freelance illustrator, A.C. has worked on a range of projects: from a tarot card deck based on the world of M.A. Carrick's Rook & Rose fantasy trilogy, to various sci-fi and adult comics, to City of Poets, a series of public art comics posters about revolutionary poets of color throughout history for the San Francisco Arts Commission. They have also exhibited and sold artwork with Gallery Nucleus, Nucleus Portland and internationally. They continue to self-publish short comics and zines at various comic conventions and festivals and are a member of the Cartoonist Cooperative. They regularly contribute writing about stationery and analog lifestyle to Baum-kuchen Studio. A.C. is a Visiting Author for the Lambda Literary LGBTQ+ Writers In Schools Program and has spoken on panels about the intersections of queerness, history and comics at events including San Diego Comic Con, Toronto Comic Arts Festival and West Hollywood Pride. They are represented by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency for publishing and Sean Watkins at Athenaeum Comic Art for original art sales. Born in Manila, Philippines, A.C. now lives in Los Angeles with their partner and pets.