7 LGBT+ Webcomics You Should Be Reading
When it comes to comics, telling DC from Marvel is about as much knowledge as I can muster on the subject. However, despite my ignorance on “why Batman is superior to Superman” or whatever the new debate surrounding something in the comic world, I do however self title myself a connoisseur of all things webcomic related.
Now, I’m not going to bash the likes of large publishing companies and businesses, but I personally find more joy and beauty in comics written and illustrated by talented independent creators. Yes, you might be waiting days or even weeks for a new page update, but you can practically sense the love that was put into every panel when that new update comes.
In the world of comics there will always be a wide variety to choose from, whether you feel like action and thrill, something with a little dark humour, or even slice of life, and the same rings true with independent webcomics. Today I thought I’d share with you seven of my favourite LGBT+ friendly comics, both new and old, and some in-between.
No End
So maybe ‘friendly’ wasn’t the best choice of words, as No End is in definite need of a content warning for occasional blood, gore, violence and strong language. No End is a weekly updating webcomic with LGBT+ themes, that follows a group of people who are trying to survive and make lives for themselves in a cold, post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by hordes of undead.
The comic was originally written as an RP between the creators Erli and Kromi. The emphasis of the story has always been on the characters and their personal relationships, making the comic more of a post-apocalyptic soap opera with a few zombies mixed in occasionally for suspense, rather than a horror zombie story.
You can read No End on Tapastic!
Avialae
For those seeking a beautiful, traditionally drawn modern fantasy BL comic, look no further! Described by the author and artist Lucid, “Avialae is about a gross bird boy and his nerdy wannabe ornithologist boyfriend neighbor who helps him out during the painful and bloody process of growing wings.” And it’s basically what it says on the tin, ladies and gents. The comic follows Gannet (yep, just like the bird) as he wakes up one morning to find he’s started to grow wings! Rated 18+ for some mildly NSFW content in the second chapter and blood, a lot of blood.
Avialae can be read here! And if you happen to fall as in love with the story as I have, you can support it and Lucid over on their Patreon, or their online store!
Capsilade
Capsilade is one of the cutest and more unique ways of running a webcomic. Instead of weekly page updates, the comic takes place over on their Tumblr page and is in the form of an ask blog! You send your questions and the adorable protagonist Charlie answers your every query along with his friends. The comic is described as being ‘Friends with diversity’, and hopes to deal with issues such as gender and sexuality, as it revolves around a group of five 20 year olds who have been friends for various amounts of time.
After starting up in June this year, the blog is on a roll with its content! You can read the whole thing in chronological order right here, and why not drop them and ask while you’re there!
YU+ME: dream
Completed in October 2010, YU+ME: dream is a whirl wind of a high school romance, adventure and a complete and total-mind-fuck comic by the renowned artist, writer and illustrator Megan Rose Gedris or Rosalarian. While many of Rosalarian’s comics are widely know, such as, ‘Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space’, fans agree that YU+ME: dream is one of her most beautifully crafted pieces.
The story follows Fiona Thompson, your average teen attending a Catholic high school, however until she meets Lia, a new girl at her school, her friends and social life were definitely lacking, and soon the two begin a relationship. Meanwhile, the people in her life have begun acting strangely, and even her parents are hiding someone from her past from reaching out to her. Just when Fiona thinks she has it all figured out, she discovers that the last six months of her life were merely just a dream while she was in fact in a coma. The whole plot would have been very cliche, if that was actually the end of the story, but Fiona manages to find her way back into the Dream World, ruled by a mysterious girl called Sadako, where Fiona is now literally searching for the girl of her dreams.
You can start the story from page one here!
Friends till Death
Another absolute favourite of mine is Milk-Assassin or Arcsin’s Friends till Death, a dark drama comedy about queer problematic teens as they face a world of unholy space creatures and friendship with their BFF, who coincidentally just so happens to be a monster boy with a holy mission.
Herz Wolfram is the comics protagonist, and despite his odd appearance, he has a heart of pure gold. Herz being the monster boy he is, is emotionally unstable and suffers from a bad case of depression, caused by being different, and not being accepted by society, leading him to depend on antidepressants. Though Herz is tortured throughout his life by endless bullies, he refuses to fight back and hurt humans, and on one unlucky (or lucky depending how you look at it) day as Herz transfers to a new school and is again bullied, he’s surprised to find his soon to be BFFs Jura and Vanilla, who stick up for him. And thus their friendship bloomed over free food and arguing about My Little Pony.
The entire cast of the comic are all bright and colourful characters, from a tiny pipsqueak with a short temper and unnaturally strong abilities, to the casual and laid back college student with a bad history and reputation to match, to the calm and collected, loving and caring older brother who only wants the very best for his family. Each character are exciting and different in their own way, and this comic is nothing short of badass and thrilling!
Content warnings for amazing monster fights and blood/mild gore.
Friends till Death is available to read on Tapastic here! You can also support Milk Assassin and Friends Till Death on Patreon!
Clarence Angell’s Supernatural Detective Agency
Now, while CASDA is still new to me, as well as new to the webcomic world, it’s still one of the most interesting I’ve come across. The description Frannipan, the creator gives the comic is purposefully vague to catch your interest, going on to say, ‘In the year 18XX, a demon’s life is saved by a mortal.
In the year 20XX, the mortal lives on, and the demon falls in love. This story follows the clientele of Clarence Angell and his companion, Hogarth.’
And if that didn’t pique your curiosity, maybe the minimal colour palette of white, black and magenta will, and if not that, maybe the almost spooky feel the comic possesses right from the get go. Because the comic is so new I’m vary of giving away spoilers for new readers, but hey, just trust me on this one yeah? Cause you’re definitely going to be hooked once you start it!
Much like the other’s I mentioned, you can read Clarence Angell’s Supernatural Detective Agency on Tapastic right here!
Starfighter
Probably one of the best sci-fi action webcomics around, but that’s just my own personal opinion.
HamletMachine’s Starfighter is another BL webcomic, set in a futuristic world of war between humans and Colterons, an alien species trying to take over the world. The comic takes place in space and follows the lives of Federated Alliance soldiers, Cain and Abel. The duo are partners of the Starfighter ship the Reliant, where Cain is the ships Fighter, and Abel is the Navigator.
Starfighter is an 18+ rated comic from the very beginning as its plot revolves around a shady plan, otherwise known as ‘Project Thebes’, that has Cain willingly seducing Abel so the latter can fulfill his ‘true potential’ as a navigator. Abel is unaware of his involvement in Project Thebes, and over time it starts to appear that he may hold some genuine feelings for his violent and possessive fighter partner, and in turn it’s looking as if Cain too isn’t as abrasive as he firsts seems, as they spend some tender moments together.
While the character development is outstanding, making Starfighter a pleasure to read, it’s also important to take note of the breathtaking world building HamletMachine has indulged us in. It’s done so subtly and carefully that you almost don’t notice that you’re suddenly immersed in a new atmosphere. Hamlet has created simple yet gorgeous designs for both Earth, where Abel is from, and the Mars Colonies, where many people are of Russian descent but were born and bred in the Colonies, much like how Cain was himself. As well as the character’s home worlds, Hamlet also shows us beautiful shots of both space, and the insides of not just one, but three ships, making you bound to stare at each page to take it all in.
Starfighter has also been so successful that in 2015 it launched an 18+ visual novel game, which introduced a new Fighter/Navigator team, Helios and Selene of the ship Edifice.
Starfighter can be read here!
The artists and creators of the comics I’ve shared that currently host their work on Tapastic would highly appreciate it if you could disable your ad block extensions on the site, it helps them gain more ad revenue and in turn the money they make can be put towards making their comics faster or better quality. Disabling ad block is a quick and simple way of supporting your favourite artists! All ads on Tapastic are tiny and non-intrusive, and I guarantee you wont even notice them!
Just perpetually screaming about fictional boys
