Publishers are falling for webcomics, and “everyone, including myself, wants more queer romance of all different stripes,” says Andrea Colvin, editorial director of Little, Brown Ink.
The category has long given cartoonists space to explore marginalized identities. ND Stevenson, whose hit Nimona celebrates the 10th anniversary of its print publication next year, recalls how the ease of entry to publish online gave many cartoonists the opportunity to take risks: “If we could do anything—if we could do absolutely any story that we wanted to—what would that look like? Webcomics gave us a place to do that.”
“People talk about Nimona as a queer book, but the themes were still ambiguous,” Stevenson says. Last year’s Netflix adaptation, on which Stevenson worked closely, brought those themes more boldly to the screen via the relationships between disgraced knight Ballister Blackheart, his rival Ambrosius Goldenloin, and genderqueer shape-shifter Nimona. In the new crop of queer webcomics since Nimona, “it no longer has to be subtext,” Stevenson notes.
Forthcoming web-to-print titles showcase queer love from the mundane to the fantastic, including a merman meet-cute, ice-skating warriors, and two small-town moms finding each other.
Blades of Furry
In a world where anthropomorphic animals compete in high-impact “skate battles,” cocky reigning champ Radu (a flying fox) and insecure up-and-comer Emile (a deer) spark heat while facing off on the ice. With more than half a million subscribers on Webtoon, this offbeat sports romance appeals to fans of both furry characters and boys’ love.
Ages 14 and up.
Castle Swimmer
Two mermen grow up under conflicting prophecies: Kappa is destined to save the undersea world, while Prince Siren of the Shark Kingdom is destined to kill him. But when they finally meet, they fall in love instead. This aquatic fantasy is a megahit on Webtoon, with some three million subscribers.
Hungry Heart
Laurie, a London food writer trying to manage anxiety and an eating disorder, gets the chance to conduct a series of in-depth interviews with his favorite celebrity chef, the handsome culinary prodigy Oryan Adjei, in this tasty romance. The Tapas series wrapped up online in October, and the publisher is hoping readers are hungry for the print edition.
Les Normaux
Sebastién, a magically gifted 20-something from the mundane world, travels to a fantasy version of Paris to study spellcasting. There he falls for Elia, a bisexual vampire learning the ropes at his family’s fashion house. PW’s review observes that the imprint’s first foray into webtoons is “a gentle queer romantasy” with cozy vibes for readers content to follow “amiable characters on the winding path to love.”
Nimona: 10th Anniversary Edition
Stevenson’s queer-coded fantasy about would-be villain Ballister Blackheart and his spunky, shape-shifting henchgirl Nimona is out in a new edition for fans of both the comic and its 2023 Netflix adaptation. The 10th-anniversary edition features an embossed cover with French flaps, a new afterword from Stevenson, and behind-the-scenes art for the fantasy that PW, in a starred review, called “funny, smart, and provocative... a world worth returning to again and again.” Ages 13 and up.
Motherlover
In this down-to-earth romance with plenty of family drama, busy moms Imogen and Alexis don’t think they have time for love—until they fall for each other while wrangling their kids. It’s a rare look at a protagonist coming out later in life—and the book’s publication is timed to coincide with conversations about queer families around Mother’s Day.
Semantic Error
Opposites attract when two college students—uptight computer science major Sangwoo Choo and handsome, gregarious artist Jaeyoung Jang—butt heads over a class project. Originally a serialized web novel, this series has been adapted into a blockbuster South Korean TV drama and as a film. Ize Press reports they are already making plans for a second printing of the manhwa.
