by Writing Barn Intern Lolo Maze
On-board “webcomic enthusiast” Lolo Maze urges that we not overlook the unique magic of webcomics as an ever-growing literary scene, rich in storytelling and visual design alike.
The webcomic marks our era – one of accessibility, collaboration across boundaries, genre-bending, and experimentation. The nature of webcomics influences their subject matter in a variety of ways, but above all, these works push the boundaries of storytelling because of the elements which allow their existence. Ignoring webcomics means ignoring a major location of literary development. That means missing out on some of today’s great stories or dismissing a domain in which your writing skills (whether learned with us or otherwise!) could flourish.
Joe vs. Elan School – Calling for Change
For example, Joe vs Elan School is a masterpiece of autobiographical activism written by “Joe Nobody,” with 51 chapters posted as of today. Combining horrific, raw storytelling and bold illustration, this work aims to bring attention to the traumas endured by victims of the Elan School, a place that pitched itself as a residential transformative experience for troubled kids and teens to hide a dark truth of abuse, exploitation, and further atrocities.
On his website, Joe says he writes the comic “not because I personally want to be famous… but because places like Elan still exist and this entire industry needs to be exposed.” This encompasses the undeniable power in the text and its intentions to change the world.
Rice Boy – Strange, Wonderful Sci-Fi
On the opposite end of the aesthetic spectrum, we find Rice Boy encompassing a sea of surrealism, from the whimsical to the melancholy. It perfects charming simplicity to tell an adventure story within a world resisting revealing its secrets. It is sweet, moving, and perfectly suited to inspire the dreamer inside you if you’ve found your creative side clouded.
Lackadaisy – Prohibition Drama, Adorable Faces
Some comics sit between the dark and the light, and Lackadaisy demonstrates a masterful balance of the two. Character design and expressions on par with Disney and a gorgeously detailed 20s setting come together in this hilarious and thrilling story. The titular speakeasy almost functions as a character itself, just one incredible element among the work’s fantastic writing.
Rice Boy and Lackadaisy both make the profound and the beautiful something “casual,” not in a reductive or limiting sense, but rather liberating for the stories themselves. They bring the fantastic and the dreamlike into our daily lives, peeking out from between looming documents and Zoom tabs. Like a good book, they expand our very world; the more digital our world becomes, the more expansive and transformative power the webcomic holds.
Webcomics are evolving literature as much as they are evolving the digital world, and they have a long legacy of doing such. The time for underestimating this ever-growing art form is over; click and read!
About Lolo Maze:
Lolo Maze is a sophomore English and Feminist Studies major at Southwestern University. She enjoys writing for its duality; it requires the pure creativity she learned in her childhood of neon comics and sci-fi, as well as responsible revision which pushes authors to say exactly what they mean, a skill she nurtured as head editor for a school literary magazine. Her dream is to help others create works that demonstrate their greatest capabilities as writers and visionaries.