Today, I want to talk about webcomics.
I have been reading comics online since I was twelve. I think that webcomics are an interesting and distinctive medium because they are intensely serialized: most of the webcomics that I read update between 1-2 times a week. Webcomics are often passion projects done in an artist’s spare time. They regularly go on hiatus or just end mid-story due to changes in the creator(s)’ life circumstances.
I went into this thinking that webtoons were rather niche in the comic industry, but I may be wrong in that assumption. Webtoons, an online comic platform, is, according to this article, the ‘most successful comics publisher’ in the world.’[1]
As an art form, webcomics have some barriers to entry. People do not want to spend large amounts of time reading on their computers, or to install yet another app on their phone. It is also hard to know where to look or what to read. However, there are some webcomics out there which I think tell truly impressive stories with beautiful art, so I have a few recommendations for anyone who is interested.
Midnight Furies is an urban fantasy comic. It is about a secret basketball world for social rejects, where winning can allow you to live forever. It is amazing. Great characters, a fresh magic system, and zany art. I liked it so much I backed the Kickstarter for a physical copy. If you like fantasy at all, I cannot recommend Midnight Furies enough.
2. Space Boy
It is hard to have more heart than Space Boy. The comic is classified as sci-fi, which is technically accurate, but I think any fan of fiction can enjoy it. The story also has some wonderfully philosophical elements. It centres around a girl whose family travels ten years in cryosleep and must deal with feeling out of time and out of place (and then a government conspiracy, eventually).
Unlike Space Boy the Dragon Tutor is not for everyone. It’s silly, and weird, and yet surprisingly sophisticated fantasy. The initially light tone makes the actual conflicts of the story hit harder than they otherwise would,
Kill Six Billion Demons is ‘fantasy/new-weird’ webcomic, according to Wikipedia. The art certainly can get pretty weird, but under the hood I would say this is just really really good fantasy. NSFW.
Ten Earth Shattering Blows is apocalyptic fantasy in the vein of Mad-Max. Great art, great characters. NSFW.
[1] I don’t think this is an entirely accurate description of the platform, but that is neither here nor there.
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