Some Webtoons You Could Read Instead of Whatever This Year's Eisner Nom Is

[mozaikmage]

 I wrote up a long post and then DW deleted it. I am furious. But not so furious that I will not rewrite the post to the best of my memory. Because I have good content here.

The biggest award in comics, the Eisners, always seem to nominate webtoons to spite me personally. The year before last, they nominated Lavender Jack by Dan Schkade, my beloved, but also Let's Play, my beloathed. Last year, it was Third Shift Society, whose crime was being boring. This year, it's The Kiss Bet, whose crime is being unlikeable and having awkward art and characters that do not behave like people or even approximations of people. 

And what's most baffling about this is there are plenty of good comics with similar basic concepts on that same platform that didn't get that acknowledgement! Why!

One of these comics is The Four of Them by Mai Hirschfeld, about four friends and their romantic entanglements, but mostly their friendship. It's a satisfyingly slow burn with really great characterization. Also, gay people exist in it! Amazing!

I also love the newer comic Seasons of Blossom by Hongduck and Nemone, also about four high school students, but mostly about the romance between them. The plot twists in ways I don't expect, and you end up really rooting for these hets!

Odd Girl Out by Morangji also has awkward art, but the growth and development its characters go through keeps readers invested for hundreds of episodes. I couldn't put it down. It's another school dramedy with romance in its second season, but the focus is on how the protagonist Nari comes into her own as a confident, capable leader. I love her and want the best for her.

If you want something completely different, Yuna & Kawachan by Lauren Schmidt is ending soon, and it's got a really unique and appealing art style and concept. A schoolgirl and a mascot with PTSD try to make their way to a safe zone in the middle of a monster apocalypse. 

Also completely different: Heir's Game by Suspu. The Three Musketeers for gays. Although with more graphic violence than the Soviet live-action miniseries of The Three Musketeers (the definitive version of the story, naturally.)

Both The Makeup Remover and Surviving Romance by Lee Yone are incredible, intelligent webtoons. The Makeup Remover is a deconstruction and critical reflection on how makeup and beauty culture affect all kinds of people in our society, while Surviving Romance is a fun mashup of "reincarnated into a romance novel" + "zombie apocalypse" + "time loop." Their character writing is really compelling, and they make such good, thought-provoking points.

I recently caught up to How to Become a Dragon by eon and it's so good. Do you like exam arcs? Fantasy/distant past characters having to adapt to the modern world? Reigen Arataka? This is the webtoon for you. It's hilarious and has such a unique premise. I'm into it.

Romance 101 by Namsoo is a cute romcom with a really appealing art style and a really relatable nerd of a protagonist. It's funny and I like it.

I hope you enjoy these recommendations I have made!

Comments

[serkestic]

i already tweeted at you lol but leaving a comment anyway: love these recs!!!! there are many i've not heard of before and i'm immediately checking them out now!

[mozaikmage]

!!! I hope you have fun! And thank you for reading!