2021 November Webcomic Roundup: Found Families, Part 1
I’m dedicating this month and December’s roundups for the LGBTQ+ people struggling with unaccepting and toxic families and company. Webcomics featured in this roundup are from WebToon, Tapas, and other platforms/domains.*
The twelve webcomics listed below entail stories and concepts about found family and finding love and acceptance even when we least expect it. Also called “chosen family” or “family of choice”, found family narratives/themes show the ones who accept and love us aren’t always blood related. From learning to live through an apocalyptic future to learning the meanings of birth and rebirth, the webcomics featured here demonstrate the power of found families.
Please note that not all the webcomics here are necessarily about found families, but each of them contains Queer characters discovering new friends and or partners. So here we go!
Paint the Town Red by J. Kiakas & Tasha Mukanik (Volume 1 complete) (16+)
Winona is coping with life after getting bitten by a werewolf (and becoming one herself) when she encounters a vampire named Victoria. The two form a loving and open relationship, but then something happens to conjure painful memories from Winona’s past.
Winona lives with her friend Odile and then with Victoria in the same place. I admire the creators’ imagination and focus on interpersonal relationships and mental health.
Volume 2 is available in print for now.
A guy learns the difference between surviving and living after encountering two other survivors (one of them part zombie) during the zombie apocalypse. A found family story with endearing characters and consistent tension.
How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by kit N sarosz
Jon, seemingly the only human survivor of this zombie apocalypse, befriends an immortal skeleton called Sebastian. Later on, they encounter a zombie named Jeffery. Together, they learn how to ride through their drastically changed life. A webcomic with characters to care about.
Oz makes it his mission to kill every zombie he sees. A zombie killed his sister, so he has to make them all pay. After enduring zombie bites and trying to survive, he ends up in the last place where he wants to be: in a survivor’s group. Oz encounters rival groups that fight for resources like toilet paper. The balance between humor, action, and drama works well here.
Eugenée, an aspiring birthworker, is thrown (through dreams) into the middle of a millennia-old conflict involving shamanic wives fighting against a higher power. A well-constructed narrative with excellent visual pacing (especially those effective dialogue-less panels!). I also admire how the story defines the ways someone can be born or reborn.
Read more webcomics by Black creators here.
Enne and Luna eventually flee their hometown of Kai after it gets bombed. They meet other devils like themselves and learn how to survive in the forest. The second part of the story follows a girl named Opal who sets off to sneak through the fence that guards her area against the Devils.
The second part is still ongoing, but I’m excited to see where the creator goes with the story.
A friendship between a human and a Tebrian (beasts of the forest) begins to bloom into something more. But such a relationship is forbidden in the village. Jay doesn’t feel that his path of a hunter, set by his father, is right for him. The village healer eventually helps Jay who has to hide his Tebrian friend from his father and the other villagers. A sweet human-monster romance that shows how relationships and the people we come across can influence the paths we take.
Lesbian Mershark Adventures by triangiart
Worlds and hearts clash when a lifeguard and a mershark meet and fall in love with each other. Although this webcomic is on hiatus since 2019, I’m still listing it in this month’s roundup because it’s heartwarming.
Avril the Divine Being by Charlie Genmor
Avril becomes smitten with Cat, a regular customer at the French café where Avril works. The two soon start dating, but their blooming relationship takes a complicated turn. Avril finds herself in the world where Cat is from, a place with fantastical beings and higher stakes. A narrative about the risks we take for the ones we love.
Frequency Overload by Freemints30
As soon as Axelle steps into East Wis, she knows that something unusual is going on there. She receives help from friends to figure out the source of the static. Apparently, the residents of East Wis are entranced by this static and the hypnotic show that appears in between. A steadily paced and engaging mystery webcomic.
Read more webcomics by Black creators here.
How to Take Care of Your Human by yurineseventeen (Complete)
Fairies Rei and Faya are assigned to watch over and take care of a heartbroken human. The heartbroken human in question, Sammy, has broken up with her long distance girlfriend. What’s harder is that Sammy’s parents don’t know that she’s a lesbian or about her relationship.
After Sammy discovers the fairies’ existence, she learns how to move on and continue with her goal of being a travel videographer. This short webcomic manages to pack in enough worldbuilding and character development to create a compelling story.
Sea Angel by Sarcasticbirb (Complete)
A human crash lands on an unfamiliar planet and is rescued by a merman-like being. The human, Trevor, grows closer with the merman he calls Noel. As Trevor attempts to contact his fellow crew members, he learns how to adapt to Noel’s world. The character dynamics and concise worldbuilding make this a gorgeously constructed short webcomic.
Milo lives with his two adoptive dads, but he wants to know why his biological father vanished nearly ten years ago. With his friend Cody, Milo searches for clues and leads but then realizes that there’s more to what really happened to his father. The narrative structure and character dynamics shine in this webcomic.
Pandora’s Tale by Xanthippe Hutcheon
Pandora is a Helper, an artificial person created to serve and pleasure their human owners. Pandora is created as male, but she knows that she’s a girl. She escapes before she could be “fixed” and finds herself in a rebel group. Isabelle, a member of that group, takes Pandora in and helps her in living and thinking for herself.
This webcomic is as adorable as it is inspiring. Pandora’s character development is one to watch.
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Webcomics I’ve Reviewed This Month:
Cemopoaxochitl by Rosalba Jaquez
Rise From Ashes by Madeleine Rosca
As the Garden Grows by coldpups
Daughter of the Wrath of the Sun by KnitWithCharm
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Do you know of a webcomic with found family themes? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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For more great webcomic recommendations, check out our Wednesday Webcomics archives! You can also check out previous roundups here.
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*My mentioning of any platforms on this post is unsponsored.
Author: Bradda M.
Bradda M. currently lives in Virginia. He teaches ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) at a public school and spends his free time reading and watching movies each night with his partner. For The Geekiary, he writes about webcomics and SFF media.
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