I didn’t realize, when I started reading webcomics years ago, that they’re so ephemeral. They don’t get finished! Some of them even disappear!
This post is all my fave webcomics that still exist only as webcomics, i.e. as far as I can tell they haven’t been turned into an ebook or print book that you can buy. (The buy-able ones will are being migrated into my comics & graphic novels posts.)
Any webcomic on this list I loved at the time I read it, whether I had a chance to write a review or not. Obviously a re-read years later might reveal a problematic aspect I didn’t pick up on back then. Please let me know via my contact form if you find something yikes in a book I recommend.
All Night by B. Sabo
What it’s about: “All Night takes place in a world that has come to a halt. Day and night appear permanently fixed and the seasons never change. Whatever has happened to this world has not ended humanity, however, and on the day side of the planet life continues on. But things from the darkened half of the world have been slowly creeping further into the light, and very few know how to stop it…”
Why I love it: The art in this one is amazing, especially the coloring and the characters’ large, expressive eyes and detailed hair. The story is intruiguing, especially the magic system which our main character has… kinda mastered. He’s not perfect, either at magic or at relating to people. (He may not even be a very good person. Unclear.) If you enjoy seeing people of color leading comics, definitely visit this one.
Status: ended after an initial installment.
Fascist Friends by Erin Lux
What it’s about: “Fascist Friends follows a boy who wanted to be a fashion major, but got confused and enrolled as a fascist major at a boarding school for young evil dictators.”
Status: suspended.
The Fox Sister by Christina and Jayd
What it’s about: “…our Korean Supernatural thriller/dram-edy story […] it’s really all about Yun Hee hunting down the Kumiho which has taken on the appearance of her sister, Sun Hee. Revenge story!”
Why I love it: It’s so, so gorgeous. The art is amazing. The story is very emotional but in a quiet way. It feels creepy and dangerous, much more than a standard demon-hunting action comic. Faith and magic both suffuse the interactions between Yun Hee and the Christian missionary who befriends her (almost against her will.) I would pay money for an animated movie of this comic.
Status: suspended.
Grassblades by Anna Landin
What it’s about: “The wandering swordsman Masahiro, on the road to somewhere, finds himself caught up in the tangle of lives crossing his path. Much as he would like to keep his distance, the world has a way of insistently getting in his way. The anchor-weights of the past hold him back just as they pull him relentlessly forward, and there are shadows slowly catching up. This is a story about journeys, about vengeance, redemption, and all the small things that we can’t seem to leave behind.”
Status: ongoing, slowly.
Greasy Space Monkeys by Reine Brand and Mark Kestler
What it’s about: “Greasy Space Monkeys is the adventures of two idiots in a dead end job on a run-down space station. Occasional profanity and frequent absurdity.”
Why I love it: Working class life on a space station, entangled in bureaucracy, instead of the thrilling adventures of the highly trained beautiful people. The art is crisp, the coloring is solid, and it’s a good mix of one-shot jokes with longer storylines. The short commentary under the strips is great, too, so don’t miss that.
Status: discontinued, but not in a bad place.
The Immortal Nadia Greene by Jamal Campbell.
What it’s about: “Nadia Greene, armed with her baseball bat and dominant will, beats up death and becomes a little bit immortal. Sort of.”
Why I love it: OH MY GOD NADIA IS AMAZING. (That’s her beautifulness in the promo images at the top and end of this post.) She’s an African-American kid with natural hair and a bat, and Campbell draws her with so much respect and love. She takes no bull from anyone, even supernatural beings.
Status: suspended after two chapters.
The Life and Times of Abigail Waller by Kevin Sorrell
What it’s about: Abigail is “[the] star of the series. Smart, polite, witty, optimistic – and sometimes a bit naive. The consummate working girl, Abigail generally finds herself the quieter, sarcastic straight woman against the craziness that surrounds her. A lover, not a fighter…” Her friend Tracy is “[the] fighter. Abby’s best friend and social chameleon, Tracy can schmooze high-powered CEOs one second and cut down trifling lowlifes the next. Everyone needs a goon to have their back when things get messy, and Tracy can be as grimy as they come.”
Why I love it: Because of Tracy. I know Abby’s name is in the title, but it’s Tracy’s antics that get me laughing. Granted, she would be nowhere without Abby to react to, so it’s good they’re a team. This webcomic is about life, love, hair, friendship, all the things women sometimes talk about and deal with. I’m glad Sorrell found a way to get this project out to the world even though the web series version didn’t work out. I will buy a collection of this in a heartbeat if he ever publishes one.
Status: suspended, but not in a bad place.
The Lost Oracle by Lho
What it’s about: “A fantasy story about a girl, raised in the abandoned ruins of Blue Gold City. She is the lost oracle. But she’s about to be found.”
Status: discontinued, without a story end.
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things by Kelly Turnbull
What it’s about: “…it’s a comic about dudes who are too macho to function in society getting support from a chill supersoldier who just wants to work a desk job and raise his kids. Sometime this is a comic about macho action heroes from various vidja games and the like. Sometimes this is a slice of life comic about a time traveling Navy SEAL single dad from the nonspecific spacefuture.”
Status: suspended, not a problem given the format.
Minor Acts of Heroism by Adriana Ferguson and K. Van Dam
What’s it about: “The first, and wildly popular superhero sidekick Everywhere Kid; The magical ruler of Atlantis, her Royal Highness King Nilus; And Sergio…he’s very emo. These three kids have to deal with life, loss, and friendship, all while trying to figure out the hero-ing thing.”
Why I love it: I bought print copies of this at the first Geek Girl Con, not realizing it was a webcomic. (I may not even have known webcomics existed back then.) I opened the first issue just to see what it was, started laughing, and gave them my money for the first three issues. Best purchasing decision of that weekend! The series is really funny, but I didn’t realize until I got deeper how much heart it would also have, and how scary things would get. Ferguson and Van Dam are skilled at working all along the emotional spectrum. They give their trio of kid superheroes depth and personality.
Status: suspended, not sure if the story concluded.
Missing Monday by Elle Skinner
What it’s about: “Missing Monday is a coming of age webcomic that follows Foyle Leaf and her growing relationship with Monday Rhodes, a girl from another world who appears one day through a doorway in an abandoned clocktower.”
Why I love it: Two young women falling in love. One of them kind of blowing off her job because she has a crush on a pretty girl and that might not end well but hey, many of us have been there. Mysteries and magic. Soft, hand-drawn panel edges that fit the nostalgic tone of the story. It’s like the soft warm blanket of web comics on a grey, drizzly day. All the heart-related emoticons for this one.
Status: complete, yay!
Radio Silence by Vanessa Stefaniuk
What it’s about: “Hitting the road on a journey of self discovery and acceptance, this coming-of-age tale gives a backstage look at friendships and the plights of fame as experienced by a modern British rock band.”
Why I love it: The ensemble diverse rock-and-roll drama of my dreams. The art started out good and has gotten even better in the years it’s been running. Go now, read!
Status: ongoing, slowly.
Runewriters by Shazzbaa
What it’s about: “It’s a fantasy webcomic about a mundane deaf girl trying to help her shapechanger friend and a mute necromancer fix some embarrassing magical mistakes.”
Why I love it: This takes place in a super fun fantasy world full of sorcerers, soldiers, and spells gone awry. The two lead characters are both so great: a magic-using man who’s a person of color, and a white deaf woman. Two comics in one post with a character who’s disabled?! No, surely not! Oh wait yes, and hurray for that. I loved how this gal’s communication is portrayed – her friends have learned sign, she’s learned lipreading, and she’s also learned vocal speech for occasional use. Her deafness is occasionally a minor plot point but isn’t the story. Instead, it’s about her goofball best friend who’s managed to turn his arms into tentacles. It happens. Anyway, this is one where you must read the artist’s commentary under the pages. Look out for the mention of Skeletor.
Status: discontinued, without a story end.
ShootAround by suspu
What it’s about: “When a zombie apocalypse hits during the practice of a high school basketball team, it’s a whole new life for the coach, Jeff. The world’s turned upside down and the girls seem to be handling the changes way better than Jeff, who has troubles adjusting. A close-knit group of friends, the girls are eager to tackle this new world with its challenges!”
Status: complete, yay!
Snow Daze by Leonardo Faierman and Marcus Kwame Anderson.
What it’s about: “Loosely based on Faierman’s experiences shoveling snow as a teen in Queens NY, the story concerns enterprising teens of color in a strange suburban land, navigating the bridge between childhood and adulthood. Tales of race and class struggles, family, friendship, conflict, humor and more unfold against the snowy mid-nineties backdrop of the town of Oxenvale, a suburb which is quickly becoming more diverse. Part noir-tale, part silly adolescence, and part coming of age story, Snow Daze is a lavishly illustrated B&W urban pulp-fiction unlike anything else on the shelf.”
Why I love it: I dragged my heels in reading this. I thought “how interesting can a comic about snow shoveling be?” I’M SORRY! I WAS WRONG TO BE SKEPTICAL! It’s fascinating! Not the business of snow shoveling, but the micro-culture and the personalities and the deep personal energy that Faierman and Anderson bring out so clearly for their characters. I was riveted.
Status: one issue complete, and I hear tell the next one will be out this year
Spindrift by Elsa Kroese and Charlotte E. English
What it’s about: “…comic featuring a modern fantasy story about intrigue, warfare, family, love and betrayal.”
Why I love it: There are people with wings and people with horns. Wait, you need more? Okay, the art is this beautiful polished style, and there’s magic, and people double-crossing each other and keeping secrets all over the place. Very dramatic, with some intriguing characters, and some that should be dropped in a hole right now because otherwise they’re liable to cause a whole bunch of trouble. Of course, some characters are in both categories… Did I mention the wings? They’re cool.
Status: discontinued, without a story end.
The Substitutes by Myisha Haynes
What it’s about: “What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire powerful magic weapons destined for someone else? What happens when the aforementioned “someone elses” fall from grace and public favor in the aftermath? What happens when you’ve suddenly found yourself as the hero to someone else’s story…?”
Why I love it: Intensely detailed, beautiful art. A fantasy world that’s not a replica of European history. A diverse cast. A mysterious intro.
Status: discontinued, without a story end.
White Noise by Adrien Lee a.k.a. thephooka
What it’s about: “In the early 1900s, the nation of Aetheri came out of its long interdimensional isolation and revealed to the humans of the Symphony Archipelago that they were not alone in the multiverse. Things swiftly got ugly after that. In the early 1990s, Aetheri’s leadership changed, and in the Archipelago, a tiny broken family of half-siblings banded together in the face of the bile and hate that was boiling up between the humans and the non-humans. In the early 2000s, that family was split apart. Hawk Press and his sister Liya Kiski both begin a long and exhaustive journey towards understanding the difference between friend and enemy–and between the family you’re given, and the family you make.”
Why I love it: The long conflict between humans and non-humans here feels so heavy. You don’t really know who to trust, although definitely don’t trust the reports on the radio. Hawk’s and Liya’s stories are both interesting, so you’re not just waiting to see if they can reunite somehow.
Status: ongoing
Yellow Peril by Jamie Noguchi
What it’s about: “Sure, there are plenty of office humor type comics. And yes, plenty of comics out there star Asian people. But none have been drawn by me… until now!”
And those are some awesome contemporary webcomics to help you use up all that annoying free time! If you enjoyed this post, I’d appreciate any sharing you could do to help others find it. These comics all deserve more readers!
Status: suspended, but not in a bad place as best I can recall.