Wednesday Webcomics: “Timeless Melody”

Timeless Melody by barutwt and Kisai Entertainment is a beautiful story about discovering love and music during the 1960s.

I’ve been granted free access to Timeless Melody from Tapas in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jeon Byunghoon, the son of Korean immigrants, runs away from his home in Hawaii to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. It’s the 1960s, and at first, Byunghoon finds it difficult to achieve his goal even when he’s been performing on the streets for a while. When he accepts an offer to work at a local bar, he meets Yoon Miseok. Soon, Miseok becomes his duet partner, and the two become closer.

The story begins in the present. Byunghoon has been married since and is now a grandfather. His grandson discovers the letters from Minseok and asks Byunghoon about them. Jeon, on his deathbed, shares the story about his relationship with Yoon and the reason why they’d parted.

This gorgeous webcomic is a highly recommended historical Queer story. The ending brought me to tears, something that doesn’t often happen to me. The story does not hold back on the racial and social restraints during 1960s America. Byunghoon gets passed over during an audition because he’s not white. Miseok’s childhood in Korea (during the Korean War) is shown through his nightmares and PTSD symptoms. The lack of LGBTQ+ representation and understanding at the time made Byunghoon and Miseok’s feelings for each other complicated and confusing. But, spoilers withheld, their story doesn’t end in tragedy.

The first seven episodes of Timeless Melody are available to read for free on Tapas.

For more great webcomic recommendations, check out our Wednesday Webcomics archives! If you’re interested in more webcomics that highlight Queer history, check out SuperButch!

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.

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary