Webcomics galore!
These online comics, recommended by School Library Journal, are all available free--take a look:
Middle Grade
Audrey’s Magic Nine
Written by Michelle Wright and illustrated by Courtney Huddleston,
Francesco Gerbino, and Tracy Bailey, this webcomic, now a series of
graphic novels published by Farthing Press, centers on a black orphan adopted by a well-meaning but clueless suburban white couple.
Breaking Cat News
House cats Elvis, Puck, and Lupin report on such breaking news stories
as “The people are missing!” and “There’s a box with a towel inside it
on the kitchen table.” Georgia Dunn’s hilarious webcomic, with its
feline’s-eye view of the world, is also being published by Andrews
McMeel as a series of
graphic novels.
Cucumber Quest
In GiGi D.G.’s video game–esque tale, adorable Cucumber the bunny and
his sister Almond go up against a series of baddies. A vibrant palette,
nonstop action, and a bizarre cast of friends and foes make for
immersive reading. Also available as a
series of
graphic novels published by First Second.
Homestuck
Andrew Hussie’s wildly popular webcomic follows John Egbert, who on his
13th birthday plays a video game that unleashes the apocalypse.
Available in print from Viz Media.
Ozy and Millie
Two anthropomorphic foxes navigate the world in this sweetly snarky
webcomic, now a graphic novel published by Andrews McMeel, by Dana
Simpson, creator of the best-selling
“Phoebe and Her Unicorn” series. Enjoy the
archive, or check out reruns on
GoComics!
Scared by the Bell
Though being the new kid is never easy, it’s especially hard for Peter,
an average kid whose classmates include a mummy, a pumpkinhead, and a
skeleton. Creator Dylan Campbell updates this hilariously creepy
webcomic every week.
Wormworld Saga
Still reeling from the loss of his mother, Jonas escapes into his vivid
daydreams. After making his way through a portal in his grandmother’s
strange painting, he finds himself lost in a fantasy world, unable to
return. Daniel Lieske’s arresting comic series has also been published
in print format by Lion Forge.
YA
As Per Usual
Dami Lee’s self-deprecating webcomic details her quest “to be a real
lady person,” from dating woes to FOMO in the age of social distancing.
The graphic novel
Be Everything at Once, available from Chronicle, collects many of the entries in her webcomic.
As the Crow Flies
Two outsiders endure microaggressions on a Christian backpacking trip
and find solace in each other. Melanie Gillman’s contemplative, poignant
webcomic was published as a
graphic novel by Iron Circus Comics and won a Stonewall Honor in 2018.
Bird and Moon—Science and Nature Comics
Whether naturalist and science writer Rosemary Mosco is describing how
to distinguish a dolphin from a porpoise, offering improvements on bird
species (like hummingbirds that are 10,000% bigger), or urging readers
to join the fight against climate change, her abiding passion for the
natural world comes through loud and clear in this delightfully quirky
webcomic. Available from Andrew McMeels as
Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons About the Natural World from Bird and Moon.
Check, Please!
When a happy-go-lucky former figure skater joins his college hockey
team, hilarity ensues, but so do lasting friendships and even a
burgeoning romance between protagonist Bitty and team captain Jack.
Ngozi Ukazu’s webcomic has garnered a loyal fan base, and the
graphic novels, published by First Second, are just as popular.
Cheshire Crossing
What became of Alice, Wendy Darling, and Dorothy Gale after they
returned from Wonderland, Neverland, and Oz? Though few believed their
stories, the three girls meet and find kinship in one another. Andy Weir
and Sarah Andersen’s enchanting webcomic–turned–graphic novel
(published by Ten Speed) will inspire readers to write their own fan
fiction.
DeadEndia
Hamish Steele’s webcomic, now a
print series published by Nobrow, centers on an amusement haunted house with a mysterious portal that entices demons, ghosts, and angels.
Deep Dark Fears
Fran Krause creates mordantly funny yet tender comics based on emails
submitted by readers detailing the absurd but deeply resonant fears that
plague them (What if, while walking over me in bed, my cat steps on
both my eyes? What if, when I take off my goggles, the suction yanks out
my eyes?). Two graphic novels,
Deep Dark Fears and
The Creeps, based on the webcomic have been published by Ten Speed.
(H)afrocentric
Now a
graphic novel series
published by PM Press, this raw, deeply funny, provocative webcomic
from Juliana “Jewels” Smith, Ronald Nelson, and Mike Hampton follows a
black revolutionary college freshman and her friends dealing with
racism, gentrification, and privilege at Ronald Reagan University.
Heartstopper
Since 2016, Alice Oseman has been chronicling the burgeoning romance
between Nick and Charlie, two secondary characters from her prose novel
Solitaire. Her sweet, manga-flavored tale will be published in
graphic novel format by Scholastic next month.
On a Sunbeam
Tillie Walden’s mesmerizing, strikingly original space epic seamlessly blends romance and sci-fi. In
graphic novel format, published by First Second,
On a Sunbeam has racked up accolades, making its way onto numerous best books lists and being named a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel.
Space Boy
To make the long trip back home to Earth from a mining colony deep in
outer space, Amy and her family must be cryogenically frozen, and when
Amy returns, her friends are far older, and she’s not sure where she
fits in. With fluid linework and a pitch-perfect palette, this tender
webcomic from Stephen McCranie, now published by Dark Horse as a
graphic novel series, is ideal for sci-fi readers and newcomers to the genre alike.
Witchy
Ariel Slamer Ries’s webcomic, now published in graphic novel format by
Lion Forge, takes place in the magical world of Hyalin, where witches’
magic depends on the length of their hair. But revealing one’s power can
be perilous.
