In this last one of my contributions to the Daron fanposts this summer, I will present you with a few free LGBT-themed webcomics (earlier, we’ve done free short original fiction and free epically long original fiction). There are many, many, many LGBT webcomics, and I encourage you to explore as many as you can. There is a great, comprehensive, list (though not complete, new ones start every day, after all) right here, or you can poke around on Smack Jeeves, for instance, where you can do searches for BL (boy’s love), m/m, gay, transgender, or any other flavor of the rainbow spectrum.
New webcomics get started every day, many of which will be works-in-progess (WIPs) for a long time. Many sadly get abandoned, and some actually finish.
Eventually.
I have selected a few that have managed to keep my attention for several years.
Ones that are Finished.
For those of you that hate WIPs (really? And you’re reading Daron?)
The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver
In the span of a single day, Amal calls off his arranged marriage, comes out to his conservative parents, promptly gets disowned, goes on a bender… and wakes up the next morning to find TJ, a lanky, dreadlocked vagrant, frying eggs and singing Paul Simon in his kitchen.
TJ claims that the two have made a drunken pact to drive all the way from Berkeley to Providence. As it happens, Amal promised his sister he’d be there for her graduation from Brown University. And TJ, well… TJ has his own reasons…
The agreement is simple: Amal does the driving; TJ pays the way – but a 3500 mile journey leaves plenty of time for things to get complicated.
Khaos Komix by Tab Kimpton
Eight stories featuring a groups of teens in an English school. In each new story the POV shifts and we double back to the events in the previous person’s story before we progress to new events. All the flavors of the rainbow are represented in Khaos Komix!
WIPs that are still going strong.
Starfighter by Hamletmachine.
In an unknown time and place, there’s a war going on in space and mankind has developed a system of fighting that includes two sides of a team. One person is the fighter who pilots the spacecraft and his partner is the navigator who directs the way. (Very NSFW, just so you know).
Tripping over You by Suzana and Owen
Growing up is an awkward waltz. Between discovering sexuality, pleasing a strict parent, and fitting in with peers, the task of starting a relationship can seem impossible not to trip over. Add the uncertainty of whether or not you should date someone and you’re in for a roller coaster of blossoming neuroses.
Knights Errant by Jennifer Doyle
After war breaks out between Aster-Morgaria and Vetal, Wilfrid joins a Vetalian-aligned group of mercenaries called the Errant Knights. However, in his attempt to reclaim fame and fortune, Wilfrid finds himself intrigued by the mysterious mercenary captain, Oswald Dytel.
I know, this one doesn’t look LGBT, but it is a reboot. I followed the original, and trust me, it’s going to go there. In ways that you may or may not expect.
Tragically Abandoned WIP.
Teahouse by Emirain
Much like Melrose Place, Teahouse is a story about a bunch of whores living in the same building. Only without the pool.
Teahouse is the story of a fancy brothel in the country of Ivore following the lives of the courtesans who live there, as well as the lives of the people who seek them out.
Unfortunately, this webcomic has been discontinued, but it is so, so pretty, so you should check it out anyway!
And last but not least.
Minor Acts of Heroism by Adriana Ferguson and K. Van Dam.
Three young kids deal with life, love, water monsters, teleportation, super science, and all the other crazy stuff that comes along with being superheroes.
I am not even sure how LGBT this one is going to turn out to be, although we do get a nice vampire kiss and Sergio is developing a bit of a crush on Simon, but this one is gorgeous, adorable and funny and everyone should read it.
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A couple more fun webcomics for you:
Agents of the Realm (http://www.agentsoftherealm.com/) by Mildred Louis: Incredibly diverse cast of magical girls and magical women! We know of at least one F/F couple so far, and there may be more in the offing.
O Human Star (http://ohumanstar.com/) by Blue Deliquanti: Queers and androids! Queer androids!
Dicebox (http://www.dicebox.net/) by Jenn Manley Lee: Science fiction, diversity, genderqueer stuff, incredibly baroque storyline.
Oh! You know, I think I bought a Dicebox collection on PDF and then haven’t ever gotten around to reading it! I should do that! (Every minute I could spend reading, I spend writing… but I promise I’ll slow down after I turn in one more book to Hachette…)
Dicebox is awesome! And you just reminded me that I bought a lesbian vampire romance comic book in PDF from Melanie Gillman (http://www.melaniegillman.com/) and need to read it.
I’m choosing to blame you for my accidentally a queer urban fantasy/paranormal romance murder mystery novel via osmosis from reading all your posts about romance writing. (58K words since beginning of July. I should be working on the next Wonder City story arc! Augh!)
JUDE, zomg. If it’s my fault I feel I should offer myself as a beta reader if you need one for your UF/PN romance murder mystery. (I’m deep in the midst of my book on those lines right now…)
🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you! We’ll talk when it’s closer to the finish line. 🙂
Definitely!
Seconding the rec for most of these, but especially TJ&Amal and KnightsErrant!
I loved TJ and Amal. I think I started Knights Errant a long time ago but should take a look again!
You are killing me! Thanks to your goodreads list, I’ve already gone down the rabbit hole that is gayauthors.org and fictionpress.com, because I can’t *just* read the story that was recommended! And now there’s more! You are seriously feeding my reading addiction…not that I’m complaining 😉
I already have more than enough things distracting me from what I wanted to be doing but thank you for these links. I am two chapters into Minor Acts of Heroism and I can’t count the number of times I said, “Awww, they are so cute.” Totally adorable and funny.
I will definitely check out the others at some point too. Khaos Komix is the only one I have already read. I read it quite a while ago but I really enjoyed it.
Loved TJ and Amal, still following Starfighter although it’s not my fav, thought Teahouse was some of the best comic art I’ve seen in years (and am profoundly grateful they chose to give us prose summaries of all the story lines when they decided they couldn’t continue). Will definitely check out the others, and must recommend The Young Protectors.
Teahouse has the kind of art that makes other online comic artists weep–I have a friend working on Aikonia and they assure me there have been many tears.
I’d recommend Smoke, Fur, and Stone (http://smokefurandstone.webcomic.ws/) for anyone looking for a solidly sci-fi/fantasy queerly oriented comic. The art is also incredible, if occasionally overly influenced by a sort of male-gaze ideal of the women represented.
Always Raining Here is another along similar lines as Tripping Over You, in the sort undefined location, school boys getting together. It’s here: http://alwaysraininghere.com/index.php/arh/cover-2/
Vacan7 and Boned are the other two I’ve followed/am following. I’m way behind on Vacan7, but it’s another with strong supernatural elements. Boned is… the art is fantastic, the story is wacky, and the hover text makes the wait between updates worth it. I’ll look up the two links later and add them.
I’m going to have so much reading to do as soon as I have time to do any reading…