... I would like to present to you...
... and a lazy day in space.
Okay, it’s Day 2 and I’m gonna mention Lore Olympus again, but I swear only in passing!
Discovering that particular webcomic opened me up to two things, more webcomics and also the reintroduction of Greek Mythology into my life.
The first is simple, I started reading Lore Olympus on WEBTOON, an online platform for people to webcomics, and one by one I started reading more and more webcomics and I love this platforms content. It’s full of incredible art and illustration, and whether you like romance, horror, mythology, science fiction, fantasy or comedy, there’s so many different and wonderful series to be found. And bar the one I’ll try not to mention again (please read it!), I have found some of the silliest, most heart warming and beautifully illustrated content, that otherwise I would never have come across. For example here are a few I’ve been reading:
Hannah, is a reaper, or at least she will be, but for now every day is take your daughter to work day, and Hannahs father has to not only teach his kid the job, keep her safe and most importantly keep her occupied, but also answer any and all of her questions… and Hannah has a lot of questions. The first episode, Poke, instantly charmed me with its sweet and silly treatment of death and childhood.
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A Kid Named Hannah by Hey Bob Guy
Hayan, is a high school student who works up the courage to confess to her crush, but she accidentally ends up confessing to the wrong person, the rumours school bully and womaniser, Bakha. In a strange twist of fate, he’s not only incredibly flattered by this confession but even when Hayan tries to hide that it’s from her, he begins to teasingly peruse her and their feelings for one another grow and change. I started reading this comic in the pursuit of coins (Webtoons method of payment for unlocking new episodes early, which can either be bought or gained through frequent events) and I just found it very sweet, and I’m a sucker for a, bad boy is actually a cinnamon bun, storyline. It has become one of my Sunday morning, in bed with a cuppa reads.
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Can I Take It Back by Shinmae
The webcomic Chronicles of a Depressed Death, is a collection of anecdotes and contemplations of a depressed death trying to find a little beauty in their life, even as it’s full of death and despair, and I just love the illustrative style of it.
Some comics on Webtoon are full blown graphic novels, with overarching stories which run for series after series, but others are one off little comic posts that stand alone like those we used to see in newspapers. The latter is the case for Crow Times, which is a series of little silly comic sketches about a murder of crows and the animal and objects they come into contact with. Having a murder of crows in the tree in your back garden can be loud and annoying (especially when they’re constantly fighting with a mischief of magpies) but having them appear in your Webtoon or Instagram feed, is delightful.
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Crow Times by Secondlina
Another delight is the comic cells of two depressed dinosaurs trying to find comfort within one another… this is another one which is sweet and poignant, especially if you suffer from depression and anxiety. This is a comic I follow both on Webtoon and Instagram, and every time it pops up in my feed their sweetness instantly makes me smile.
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Dino Comics by Hey Buddy Comics
One of my three favourite webcomics, alongside the delightful blue and pink beauty who shall not be named, is Fins & Crinolines, and it is b e a u t i f u l ! When a landlocked mermaid accidentally meets a centaur, it isn’t the beginning of a joke, instead it’s the beginning of an adventure, a friendship and the sweetest of stories. My only criticism of this series is that there are simply not enough episodes yet, so every new addition is even more special. It’s a lovely story, the art style I am truly in love with and I’m already too invested in the potential romance between the characters… as you may notice in a lot of these comics, I’m a sucker for a romance.
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Fins & Crinolines by Leslie Stock
Gecko Chan, is a young monster who is very large, and very strong (he can also breath fire), and this webcomic is about Gecko learning how to fit in a new school, a big city, that isn't quite big enough and how to make new friends who are fascinated with him, for both the right and wrong reasons. Again, another delight, Gecko Chan is adorable.
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Gecko Chan by Meritxell Garcia
If you thought I’d miss out on one of Webtoons biggest success stories, you’re very wrong. Now a wonderful Netflix series, Heartstopper began life as a webcomic, and when I tell you it is adorable and addictive, I’ll point out that in my Webtoons 2022 Wrap Up, Heartstopper was my most read series, I’ve read it twice and though author Alice Oseman has been on hiatus, whenever a guest illustrated episode appears, I rush to read it. I was hooked as soon as that blue fountain pen exploded.
Heartstopper is a LGBTIQA+ love story, focusing on Charlie Spring, who is an anxious, openly gay high schooler who over thinks everything and is still reeling from the bullying he experienced when he came out and the psychological consequences of that experience. Sitting down in class beside Nick Nelson, a popular rugby player. Charlie thinks this will a disaster, and another bully will be added to the roster, but instead he sits down beside the biggest, softest, kindest cinnamon bun of a boy covered in blue ink he could every have encountered. This is the story of their growing friendship, the questioning of one boys sexual identity, the consequences of bullying and a growing romance. It, with Lore Olympus and Fins & Crinolines, is an absolute favourite, and I will almost certainly be revisiting it later in the 12 Days posts.
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Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
The Chthonic gods, are the gods of the Underworld, and in this particular webcomic they’re Greek, and in in another series based on this world of mythology, these Gods must deal with the heroes of those stories and all the ways they’re intent on ruining a quiet days work. In the underworld Nyx is trying her best to welcome the new shades, though Hecate isn’t making it easy, and she is trying to make sure they end up in the correct place in the underworld. But for anyone who has ever work in an office would know, it doesn’t matter how careful everyone says they’re being, something always goes wrong at the eleventh hour, everyone always wants to talk to the boss and the boss is more than likely spending a little alone time with the Mrs. I’ll admit I haven’t read too much of this yet, I keep meaning to go back to it and getting distracted, but when I do I really like the way the underworld Gods are characterised and the art style is simplistic, but in a really lovely way, it also has a watercolour texture which I find really attractive. Looking back at it for this post makes me want to spend a little more time reading it.
Swordfish is a little dragon, in fact as a hatchling he and his friend Pondhopper, are only just learning how to be a dragons, and they’re adorable. While some dragons wish to hoard gold and breathe fire, Swordfish hoards frogs and “breathes” water… he’s wanting to learn, but he also wants to have fun. This webcomic is, short, silly and fun.
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How To Be A Dragon by Fishtrouts
Ingrid didn't want to be in the town she’s in, she definitely didn't want to be their doctor, but after the wheels of her wagon collapse and a patient appears before her, she has to help. Though technically she shouldn’t, since Ingrid never qualified as a doctor due to her over reliance on leeches. But that’s fine, they’re happy setting up the house while Ingrid is out at work. Quite an old school looking comic strip - Ingrid kind of reminds me of early Mickey Mouse - about two episodes in Ingrid is drunk and flirting with a barmaid. Between that and talking leeches, this was a very easy addition to my subscribe list.
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Ingrid the Plague Doctor by Harry Amorós
Growing up in the 90’s with Disney princess movies in vogue, The Little Mermaid (1989) was, and always will be one of my favourite Disney animations, but how would Ariel fare today with mass amounts of water pollution? Well the answer is the dinglehopper wouldn’t be the weirdest object that she would turn into useful treasure, and thus Ariel would become The Little Trashmaid. Love this whole concept.
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The Little Trashmaid by s0s2
Now, if anyone else has been experiencing Marvel fatigue, I feel you. As much as I loved and was excited for the original films, enjoyed the performances of some of the actors and actually really enjoyed the more recent series Disney+ has offered (Wandavision, Loki and surprising She-Hulk), I have to admit that if I never watched another new Marvel movie again, I think I would be quite happy. So perhaps a webcomic about Loki, Lord of Chaos wouldn’t appeal, but this version is softer, he’s in love with his brother Thors’ future bride Sith, who is also his best friend, and I was pulled into reading it by its art style. This is another I’m not too far into, but thought I’d mention.
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Loki, Lord of Chaos by Carolyn Fallon
Another more recent addition to my roster is, Maybe Meant To Be. This story is about Jia, who is a thirty two years old, freelancer who is currently (and generally) out of work, who is currently, and for far too long, been living with her parents, who are constantly nagging her about why her life is the way it is and why isn’t she married. Frustrated by another night of nagging and comparison with her perfect sister, the happily married mother of two, Jia goes out for a smoke and runs into her childhood friend Mincheol, who is also being pressured about his single status by his family. Can you guess what happens? They get married to stop the nagging. Can you guess what’s very slowly happening as the series progresses… predictable perhaps, but I enjoy the storytelling along with the art style and as I said I’m a sucker for the romantic stories on the site.
Written by a clinical therapist who uses art to process life,
Mindful Love is all about the inner workings of the brain (
Brainworld), the politics of the many disparate parts that control it, and the unexpected romance between
Anxious and
Sorrow, after their accidental meeting. I really enjoy the way
Nécole Bee uses colour to associate characters with their particular emotions, and honestly it was the reason I started reading this webcomic, the thumbnail image at the time was of the main characters
Anxious (Yellow) and
Sorrow (Blue) and I was drawn in by it.
“A glimpse into the relationship of two blanket burritos that just want to warm your heart. And sometimes make you cry:)”, I think that says pretty much enough. I started following this creator on Instagram and moved over to Webtoon because I saw it, her comic makes me laugh and they’re sweet and relatable. So I was more than happy and willing to support a creator on multiple platforms.
Christy, goes on a bad date, and as she drunkenly stumbles from the bar, her date follows wanting more from it than Christy is willing to give, fortunately Dani comes to her rescue, transforming into a dragon to protect this cute drunken maiden before her. Taking her home, things quickly escalate and it’s stupidly sweet. However, I am struggling to catch up, this particular Webtoon creator updates so frequently I can’t read quickly enough!
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My Dragon Girlfriend by Fawnduu
“Jun Watanbe is your average outcast. He’s a third year in high school, but he looks like a first year. He wants to play soccer, but he sucks at sports. And to top it all off… he’s gay. However, when Akihito, the school giant, comes to his rescue, Jun finds out that looks can be deceiving, first loves are often full of misunderstandings, and what matters most, is not how you look, but what’s in your heart.”
Another romance, and a slow burning one, as since the unfortunate death of the author EAB, the uploads have been very infrequent and they are also much shorter episodes than they were originally. The art style has - to me at least - changed quite dramatically as the series has gone on, initially starting as a very softly drawn illustrations with fine line work, progressively the line work has become much more prominent, thicker and darker, and I like this less. It’s still a sweet story about discovering yourself and your sexuality, I will continue to read it as it uploads, but it was the softness of the artwork I was originally drawn too, and while there’s nothing wrong its new look, I feel the sentiment within suited the old style better. That said, it’s currently focussing on other characters, who are fighting over a girl, so perhaps the change in style is to suit these characters, and not Jun and Akihito.
Another story about a couple of very different heights. Creator Fishball writes about life with her boyfriend, who is over a foot taller than her, and the minor inconveniences which ensue because of it. This is really funny and I tend to read this more on Instagram than Webtoon, but the latter is a great choice for catching up on the eight hundred episodes which have already been published, and again, I like supporting talented, funny creators over multiple platforms..
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My Giant Nerd Boyfriend by Fishball
In Operation: True Love, Su-ae’s boyfriend, Minu, pays her little attention anymore. In fact no one pays Su-ae much attention, especially when her step-sister Raim is in the room. Then a Jellypop phone appears in her locker and, being sentient, it has a lot to say about her romantic life or more like, the lack thereof, given her “love score” is literally non-existent, making her an anomaly. Add in her suspicions about her boyfriend and sisters possible (confirmed) infidelity and her score is the only thing on Su-ae’s mind, and she starts to desperately look to how she can boost her score, the Jellypop making threats against her life if she doesn’t. And her plan is to make Minu jealous and win back his undivided attention by engaging his best friend, Eunhyeok, into a flirtatious deceit. Any guesses where this will end up? I don’t know if that synopsis made any sense, sentient phones threatening your life because you’re out of luck in the love department now being a fear of mine, but I’m strangely and unsurprisingly enjoying the ludicrousness of the story.
A comic about the antics of the trash panda… I love this series of funny illustrations. And raccoons, I love that they like to wash their food and hands, they’re a very pandemic friendly animal in my mind.
Spooky friends go on adventures in their second lives, rediscovering the world around them. This webcomic is very sweet, with lovely illustrations.
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Spooky & Skelly by Huntress Studios
When you were a kid, did you think that when you weren’t looking, or left the room, your toys came to life? This is a comic about just that, starting when Dragon becomes the newest toy his little human acquires and he meets Unicorn, his new best friend, and then it’s about their day to day life with their little caretaker. This is another incredibly sweet and silly comic and it makes me smile. I guess my preferences on Webtoon generally swinging between sweet, romantic and deathly.
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Stuffed by Extended Play
Speaking of which, we have This Life To The Next. Childhood friends Isaeng and Jeongto, used to be inseparable, spending every day together. Isaeng’s family run a local funeral home and she has the gift of seeing the souls of the deceased, and because of this, and a vengeful spirit takes her friends fathers, a doctor at the nearby hospital, tragically dying long before he is scheduled too. Ten years after his death, and the breakdown of their friendship, the pair reunite, one (Isaeng) guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife, while the other (Jeongto) as result of his childhood grief, strives to give these souls another chance, keeping them on earth, and pissing off the Kings of Hell. This a daily pass comic, meaning that every day on Webtoon you get one free pass to an episode of an applicable series, and so as I’m reading a couple of others, I’m making very slow progress with this one, but really enjoying this deathly story.
And finally, a hopelessly romantic robot, a confident and promiscuous witch, and a laid-back grim reaper are all characters in War and Peas, a comic full of surreal humour and ridiculous stories, it’s just really funny.
Okay, that was more than a few, and definitely more than I intended, but that’s why this website has been such a big part of my year, I’d go online to read one thing, another would be recommended or have a curious looking thumbnail, or had become a series on Netflix, and I would end up suckered into another story and thus another webcomic would be added to the growing list. It sometimes didn’t even matter if I wasn’t in love the art style, I just liked the story, and could see the charm in its illustration. Or visa versa.
I just really enjoy this brand of art and storytelling.
If you like illustration, webcomics or graphic novels, give Webtoon a try, it’s a great place with an absolutely huge number of terrific reads on it, and it's very easy to while away the hours at this time of year with a big cuppa and a good read.
But what if I don’t want to read? What if you want to listen to a good story? And now we go back to Greek mythology.
Now, I’ve probably - definitely - mentioned that I don’t sleep well, or at least not deeply, and I find it really hard to get back to sleep if I’m disturbed. I’ve tried ambient music and white noise, rainstorms and rainforest noises proving more stressful than restful. A good audio book was great, but I’d be constantly rewinding to the same place and make little to no progress, so I wanted to find a podcast to listen too, something which if I didn’t sleep would entertain, but wouldn’t keep me awake either.
That’s maybe not the best way to big up someone’s creative work, but actually it’s a deep compliment. I needed something I found entertaining, interesting, with someone whose voice wasn’t irritating and more over, I specifically wanted to find someone who was talking about Greek mythological because Lore Olympus had reignited my childhood fascination. Finding someone who would be relaxing and comforting enough that I could fall asleep to them would be the icing on the cake.
Initially I started to listen to Lore OlymPOD, a podcast dedicated to guess what, Lore Olympus. This was simply because of the subject matter and because I'd heard good things, but I tried listening during a gale, with an accompanying thunderstorm that literally shook the house and took down a tree from my parents garden. It wasn’t a good mix because I was so anxious (as was the cat) that I couldn’t sleep. At all. This was the wrong time for this particular podcast, the hosts were so excited about the subject matter that it was too much, they were at that moment, too loud and boisterous to bring down my anxiety and lull me into any degree of sleep, and while I do intent to return to it, the podcast I eventually settled on was, Let’s Talk about Myths, Baby! by Liv Albert.
And yes, I picked this podcast because of the title, which instantly made me chuckle.
A graduate in Classical Civilisations and English Literature, Liv was exactly what I wanted, someone who, as she reminds us every episode, just “fucking love[d] this shit,” and wanted to talk about the myths with a modern, feminist eye, in all there fucked up glory. Because as wonderful as Greek mythology is, they are full of the Gods (mostly Zeus) who go around raping any women they come in contact with, manipulating others, and murdering whoever they want, but generally just fucking over women. It’s the stuff that Disney and writers of wonderful novels and webcomics glean over, that including my much loved favourite spinning the rape and abduction of Persephone into a soft, wonderful love story about a pair of damaged cinnamon buns.
Liv manages to address these issues, and state her feminist views on the tales, without losing the fact that these are enjoyable stories, and as a podcast it’s great, she's witty, sarcastic, she doesn't sugarcoat the unpleasant parts, and she's funny and it makes for a very easy and enjoyable listening experience. Even to the point where I feel relaxed enough to sleep (with a sleep timer on, of course).
As the joy 2020 began, Liv, like many, was on furlough from her day job, and by this time the podcast had already been going on for three year (since 20/07/2017), and with extra time on her hand she decided to treat her listeners, who she knew were in the same predicament, to an extra episode a week in which she would read us a translation of Homers, The Iliad.
Throughout the whole year Liv’s interpretations of the Greek myths have been a huge part of my life. Some days I would listen to it throughout the day as I went about tasks, some nights I would fall asleep to half an hour of an episode (which I would dutifully rewind back the following day) and I found a huge comfort in it. Plus the further Liv has progressed in her podcast and the further she’s gone into the lore, the more I’ve learnt, like why Daphne became a laurel, why Medusa was completely misrepresented and Theseus was the worst. She has even been revisiting her earlier episodes to take a deeper dive, elaborating on the details she missed and the multitude of different versions of myths that exist, to further expand on her interpretation. Because she is so enthusiastic to learn more, even about the myths she’s well versed in, she is constantly doing more research and passing that information on to her listeners. It’s certainly influenced my opinion on some of the Gods and Heroes we’re all familiar with.
(I’m looking at you Achilles!)
There are lots of podcasts about mythology, I was lucky that this was the first I picked because I found one that was well researched, funny, smart, feminist and incredibly easy to listen to, and that is all down Liv and her own love for what she’s talking about. This is a hobby turned career, even spinning into two recently released books, and I still haven’t managed to get through the backlog of episodes and catch up yet. But I’m working on it.
Read comics, listen to podcasts, and recommend them to everyone else! And if people are snobby about the fact that you like those things, ignore them and talk to me! You might find the next one to add to my favourites.
Once again, Happy New Year to all and part three will be coming soon to a web page near you…
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Listening: Daphne & Apollo - Nerina Pallot
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