Me on My LGBTQ Webcomic Reading List Part 2

And we're back with part 2 of my list of webcomics to check out if you're looking for more LGBTQ in YA.

First is As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman. This is all about Charlie, a 13 year old black queer girl who finds herself in the worst place possible: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp. Complete with gorgeous hand-drawn in coloured pencil artwork (because how often do you see that in a webcomic??), this is a rather honest and powerful story. It's all about Charlie coming up against some rather serious topics, topics like feminism, religion, race, sexuality, and gender. A definite definite must-read for the YA crowd.

O Human Star by Blue Delliquanti is a sci-fi family drama, according to Blue's FAQ. At the start we meet Alistair Sterling, who suddenly dies. But then wakes up 16 years in the future in a new and advanced robotic body. Confused beyond anything, he seeks out his old research partner Brendan Pinsky to see if he was involved in his 'resurrection' and discovers a few more surprising things. Like the robot that lives with Brendan. Like why she looks familiar. Secrets abound in this webcomic, as do the queer characters and the diversity. I love Blue's way of drawing people, they look so realistic, and the colour scheme, shades of blue for the present and shades of red for the past, is great. While Brendan and Al are adults in their 40's, there's another main character who isn't. It is aimed at mature readers, so maybe don't give this a read unless you're over 16 or 17.

Star Trip by Gisele is about Jas, a girl fed up with life on Earth, and Khut, a shapeshifting alien travelling the universe after making a deal with Jas to take her on an adventure. This is a bright, at times fun and at times serious story about life, reality, compassion, and companionship. The real mystery in this is Khut, what they are and where they're really from. But who knows if we'll ever find that out?

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki is a huge mix of snarky characters, existential crises, performance art, and the daily inescapable grind that is high school. While this is coming out in print at the end of the month, you can read it online. Each comic page is like a snippit into the lives of the students, you never know what you're going to get.

Honourable mentions include the folklore and mythology heavy Skin Deep by Kory Bing, the super fun Lumberjanes (in the not a webcomic but still awesome category), and the gorgeously drawn Avialae by Lucid (note that while this comic seems to be in the early stages and nothing too graphic has happened yet, it is marked at mature/18+).

Remember that this is not a definitive list. These are just the webcomics I currently read. The internet is partially your friend in the search for more, as because it's the internet you might come across some rather explicit comics/art when that's not what you're looking for. A lot of the artists/creators I've suggested have their own webcomic rec lists on their websites. Also, maybe look into who's going to comic conventions like ECCC, MoCCA, TCAF, VanCAF, SPX, or your own local conventions.

At the moment, this is the end, but check back in the future because I might be posting a general webcomics to check out reading list. Happy reading! :)

Me on My LGBTQ Webcomic Reading List Part 1

So I was watching the latest Epic Reads Tea Time video about diverse reads and LGBTQ YA and thought, why limit it to prose or verse novels? What about graphic novels? Or webcomics? So I thought about the webcomics I currently read. Some of which are explicitly about LGBTQ characters.

Which is how I came up with this list. A lot of these have teen-aged characters, some are a bit more adult, but hopefully you'll all find something new to read. :)

First up is Eth's Skin by Sfé Monster. Set in a futuristic but decayed version of the coast off BC where raft cities are were the majority of people live (I once saw Sfé call it "barnacle-punk"), it's about a genderqueer fisher named Eth and the time they mistook a selkie skin for their own. Full of mermaids and monsters, masked land-dwellers called Beachwalkers, non-binary characters, and a pygmy seal named Goblin, this comic is sure to please those looking for something magical and different. Sfé is also the editor of the Beyond Anthology, if you're looking for a sci-fi/fantasy LGBTQ comic anthology to support.

Always Raining Here by Hazel and Bell is cute and fun but also has moments of seriousness. There's Carter, who's gay and is looking for a relationship (basically, he's looking to have sex), and there's Adrian, who's also gay but is also shy and more than a little heartsick. They're total opposites and full to the brim with teen angst. They're witty and snarky and at times complete jerks to each other, but their awkwardness makes them endearing. Well, to me, at least. Some might find it a little sappy or cheesy, but hopefully you'll see its good points, too.

Monster Pop! by Maya Kern is lots of cute fun and friendship. It's about two friends, George the cyclops and Franny the witch, and their shoujo manga-inspired slice of life adventures in an alternate Earth where monsters and magical creatures exist along with humans. There's also some serious talk, as some of the human characters are rather prejudiced towards the monster characters. There's a bit of a prequel before the main story of George and Franny heading off to university and the hijinks they get involved in. Straight characters, queer characters, non-binary characters. Everyone's there. There's currently a Kickstarter going on to publish the first volume, but there's only a few days left!

Princess Princess by Strangely Katie is all about princesses and heroes and flipping gender roles and awesome hair. Princess Amira is travelling one day, setting out to be a brave warrior, and comes across Princess Sadie stuck up a tower. Their following adventure contains grappling hooks, a horse that eats cookies, a chubby dragon, and smashing gender roles in order to be who they want to be, not who people expect them to be. So what if a princess wants to serve her country in a way that doesn't mean marrying some guy? So what if a princess isn't stick thin and is a coward? For any Toronto readers, Katie will be at TCAF with finished copies that have a new epilogue!

Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell gets an honourary mention because while it's not an LGBTQ webcomic, I still think it's a great read. It's one of those epic stories that feels like it'll never end but things are always changing. It's all about a girl named Antimony who's sent to school at Gunnerkrigg Court. The Court is a rather mysterious, secretive, complicated, and dangerous place, and Annie has no idea what she's walking into when she arrives. Or who is around her who knows the secrets of her past. Like those about her dead mother and her distant father. She has an awesome best friend in Kat, the smartest girl around. I will admit that it takes a while for the LGBTQ characters to finally make themselves known, for their stories to be told and their relationships to come out in the open, but I think it's worth the wait. If you don't, There's also a lot said about the wars between magic and science, about pride and greed, and about what it is to be the awesome trickster god Coyote.

So there's part 1. Hopefully you all enjoyed this. Check back on Monday for part 2!