As a child, I was obsessed with comics. There was nothing I loved more than stealing the Sunday paper from my parents, just to get my grubby hands on the beautiful, multicolored Sunday comics. This love of comics continued, even after my parents eventually canceled their newspaper subscription. In the age of internet access and smartphones, I now had entire subsets of talented webcomic artists at my fingertips. I didn't have to wait until Sundays anymore. Not only that, but with the freedom of the internet, there was now much more diversity in comics - both with the artists who publish them and in the subject matter. You can now find dark humor, raunchy subjects, slice of life, niche nerd humor, and sweet wholesome comics - all of which might have been passed up by typical print newspapers.
I could honestly create an entire series highlighting the different genres of webcomics I've grown to love (and maybe I will make this a series), but I had a rough week this week, and I imagine I may not be the only one. So today, I want to focus on the wholesome comics out there - the ones that are gentle, the ones that address mental health, and the ones full of themes so sweet, they might even bring a tear to your eye.
Putting this special collection together really brightened my day, and I hope it can do the same for you. So without further ado, here are 5 webcomic artists that will completely warm your heart, and make you feel less alone out there in the world.
1. Shitty Watercolour
Instagram: @swatercolour
Twitter: @swatercolour
Shitty Watercolour is a series of (maybe not so shitty) watercolor comics that often involve conversations between a boy and his cat. These conversations reflect on the state of the world and the emotional lows we experience. However, in the end, the comics often have themes that things will always get better, and that we are never truly alone.
2. Lunar Baboon
Instagram: @lunarbaboon
Lunar Baboon is a sweet and funny comic that explores creativity, parenthood, and depression. What I love about these comics is that they always honor the magic of childhood and imagination, but also don't shy away from moments of unexplainable and intense sadness. Also, I admire that this comic artist genuinely seems to love his children and his wife, which is a far cry from the "hating my wife is the punchline" genre of comics that some of us grew up with.
3. Dinos and Comics
Instagram: @DinosandComics
Dinos And Comics is created by a Finnish writer named James and a Canadian artist who goes by K. These comics feature dinosaurs (and sometimes turtles) who are going through life, therapy, and relationships. These comics don't offer answers, but they are great reassurance that other people (dinosaurs?) might be experiencing what you are going through, and that the people around you will always love you for yourself.
4. Buddy Gator
Instagram: @buddygatorcomics
Buddy Gator is a lovely comic that often centers around animal friends supporting each other in the cutest ways. The comics are absolutely laced with positivity and give a heartwarming example of what it looks like when we all love and care for each other.
5. Crazy Head Comics
Twitter: @crazyheadcomics
Instagram: @crazyheadcomics
Crazy Head Comics is run by Swedish artist and mental health advocate, Matilda. Many of the comics are less like traditional comics, and more like pseudo-infographics, expressions of honest emotions, and quotes about the rollercoaster of life. However, I wanted to include Crazy Head Comics because her posts are refreshing and often wholesome breaks in my social media feed.
If you need help:
A lot of these comics center around mental health, and if you are relating strongly to these comics, please remember you are not alone. Here are a few places where you can reach out if you need to.
SAMHSA Hotline
To get referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations try SAMHSA’s National Helpline in two ways:
Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or
Send a text message to 435748 (HELP4U).
This service is available at all times and is a confidential and free information service for individuals struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts to end your own life, you may choose to instead call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English
1-888-628-9454 for Spanish.
And Finally...
Thank you for reading, and please, let me know if you would like to see more webcomic features. You can leave a heart to let me know you like this series, or you can let me know on Instagram or on Twitter!
02/22/22 Edit: I did ultimately decide to make a webcomic series highlighting the different comic genres. Please check out my other articles with the links below:
- Animal webcomics that don't bite
- Delightfully dark webcomics for my fellow weirdos
- Sweet and silly slice of life webcomics
- Webcomics to make you laugh and make your mother blush
- Universally Likable Webcomics
- 21 Preposterous Pokemon Webcomics
The Complete Collection
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.