While most of the nominees for the Eisners are for comics published traditionally there is a category for webcomics. These comics are either found on a website set up by the creator or on a service like WebToons. Some of these stories are newer while others have been around for years. Whatever the case their work is no less important and deserves to be recognized. Here are the nominees for Best Webcomic.
The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)
Christian Giroux’s webcomic, The Accidental Undergrad, chronicles his twenty years as a university professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario. Documenting his twenty years of teaching through short stories, Giroux’s experiences are diverse and touch on several topics and his interactions with his students. What stands out in the writing is the way he processes the past and how he could have done better. It’s an honesty you don’t always see in a comic that drives the emotional narrative of each reflection.
In addition to writing, Giroux does the art, most of which is colored in monochrome with rotating colors between each chapter. While Giroux’s art may be simple, the color choices are well thought out and affect the tone in these deeply personal stories. The Accidental Undergrad is available at Solrad.co or at diewithmecomic.com, where you can purchase the stories collected in one graphic novel.
Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto
With a double-entendre title referring to counting music and the jump in time telling the story, Keeping Time is about Daniel, as he begrudgingly returns to Chicago for the first time since moving away after his sister’s death six years prior. He is convinced to rejoin his old band by an estranged friend, Denver, after he discovers Daniel playing at a piano bar in town. While the music brings them closer together, their feelings for each other might just be what breaks the band up. It asks the question: what’s more important art or the relationships around them?
Created by Kody Okamoto, Keeping Time is their first solo comic. Posting one page every Tuesday, they have created a serialized story that hits on a number of topics and handles them well: death, past lives, and disappointment as life changes around you. The art itself almost has a Don Bluth feel to it, with characters that feel more emotive than most comics or even cartoons. The world is sprinkled with references to bands using the T-shirts the characters wear, but also in the chapter names. Keeping Time is a love letter to punk rock, but also seems like a Dear John letter to the past. You can find it at, keepingtimecomic.com.
The Legend of Parvaterra by Raúl Arnáiz (WebToon)
If fantasy is your genre, Raúl Arnáiz’s The Legend of Parvaterra may be for you. Foreshadowing the last day of Parvaterra, the comic deals with the rise and fall of the land through the eyes of three different factions vying for control of the island: the yellow-haired knights, the red-haired pirates, and the black-haired wizards. Broken up into episodes like most of the stories on WebToons, each season of The Legend of Parvaterra tells the story of these factions and what leads to the fall of Parva Terra from their perspective.
Inspired by JRPGs and anime, Raúl Arnáiz is a veteran animator with several projects under his belt such as, Robot Dreams, Deep, and Giasaku. The Legend of Parvaterra does what all good fantasy does: it builds the world while telling an interesting story. However, it’s Arnáiz’s experience in animation that helps this comic move. The Legend of Parvaterra is a beautiful book and definitely one to add to your WebToon subscriptions.
Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge
A gothic horror story with anthropomorphic animals was not one I expected to like a lot, but here we are. Rough-and-tumble Teddy has anger issues. He finds comfort in the Sable books written by his estranged uncle Martin. Teddy has been in contact with Martin against the strict orders of his mother but soon finds himself at his uncle’s house in Wit’s End. While there, Teddy runs into Graham, an old associate of Martin, who is digging through the house. The mystery builds as Teddy learns more and more about his uncle’s past and his strange house.
Written and drawn by Ethan Aldridge, Sable: A Ghost Story is a beautiful book and a slow-burn gothic horror story. Masterfully using the slow panel beats and negative space, Aldridge’s quiet moments hit just as hard as when he ratchets up the horror. It’s Wind in the Willows meets Edgar Allan Poe. There are currently five completed chapters, with the sixth just starting. One thing is for sure: you won’t want to miss what’s next. Check out more at sablecomic.com.
Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON)
DJ wants an uncomplicated life. While exploring an old mental institution with some friends, he falls into a portal that leads him to a witch named Superfish’s house. After being attacked by Superfish’s rival, he becomes bonded to Superfish’s core, or source of magic. This bonding attracts monsters and creatures and puts DJ under Superfish’s protection until they find a way to separate him from his core.
Full of adventure and humor, Superfish is written by To The Stars and Back scribe Peglo. This manga-styled comic was a lot of fun with eye-catching colors and mile-a-minute jokes that land well. Fans of modern fantasy, take note: this may be the book you are looking for. Find it at WebToons.
Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden
Terran Omega: The Ghost of War is a sci-fi story set thousands of years after humanity’s destruction. As a biological weapon herself, Terran Omega wants to get rid of the remaining Earth weapons. Alternating between the haunting emptiness of space and the cramped quarters of a space station, this current story deals with a machine that was supposed to help bring soldiers back to life, but has been repurposed for something much more sinister.
Known for his work on Judge Dredd, PJ Holden is a comic artist based in Belfast, Ireland. “Gorgeous and haunting” is the best way to describe this sometimes liminal space story. Holden describes Terran Omega: The Ghost of War as “a haunted house in space.” While the monochrome version is free, head over to the Patreon to see this comic in full color. You’ll be glad you did. Head on over to pauljholden.com for more.
Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund
When Lady Ludovica takes her brother’s identity as a ship’s captain, she bargains for a lot more than she expects. She may be on a mission to write about sea sponges, but her disguise will get her into more trouble than she knows. This swashbuckling tale is one for the ages.
Tiger, Tiger is written and drawn by Petra Erika Nordlund. While the art feels like a 1990s Disney adaptation of a classic novel, the story takes the tropes from these classic works and repurposes them for a new generation not shackled to a draconian code of ethics. One of the longer-running comics and a previous nominee in the same category, proves once again that the longevity, autonomy, and experimentation of the medium no matter how it’s delivered is inspiring. Find it at tigertigercomic.com
Good luck to all the nominees. All of these comics are fantastic reads. For more info about the Eisners and other nominated works please visit their website. For more coverage on the Eisners, check out Forrest’s list of some of the more indie Eisner-nominated books you may have missed, here.
