Another in my series of posts recommending web comics:

“Strong Female Protagonist” by Brennan Lee Mulligan & Molly Ostertag  is a superhero comic, sort of. The protagonist, Alison, was not just any superhero, she was Mega-Girl, completely invulnerable, super strong, could fly, et cetera. During her teen years she was a member of a superhero team called The Guardians, but now, at 20 years of age, she’s a college freshman trying to live an ordinary life. The reasons why, and the reasons that is such a struggle are revealed over the course of the story. This isn’t the first time that someone has tried to tell a tale of how the real world would be with super-powered people in it, but I really like this tale for a number of reasons: 1) Alison a very relatable and believable character, 2) the comic is not all gritty, and 3) the tone of the story is not “most people are awful most of the time.” It’s not a happy, fluffy bunnies story, but it isn’t all anger and cynicism, which is an incredible breath of fresh air. If you enjoy the comic, please consider supporting the creators by checking out their store or hit up the Donate link!

“Unshelved” by Gene Ambaum & Bill Barnes recounts the adventures of a teen services librarian named Dewey. The web site is also an online book club, with reviews, links, and samples of various recommended comics and other books. This should not be a surprise, since one of the creators of the strip, Gene Ambaum, is a librarian in real life. The strip is funny, and is available for free syndication on non-commercial websites. They’ve printed a number of collections of the strip and have various other cool things related to the love of reading and libraries for sale on their online store.

Some of the comics I’ve previously recommended:

“Mr. Cow,” by Chuck Melville tells the tale of a clueless cow with Walter Cronkite dreams. If the twice-weekly gags about a barnyard of a newsroom aren’t enough excitement for you the same artist also writes and draws (and colors!) some awesome fantasy series: Champions of Katara and Felicia, Sorceress of Katara. If you like Mr. Cow, Felicia, or Flagstaff (the hero of Champions of Katara) you can support the artist by going to his Patreon Page. Also, can I interest you in a Mr. Cow Mug?

“Deer Me,” by Sheryl Schopfer tells the tales from the lives of three friends (and former roommates) who couldn’t be more dissimilar while being surprisingly compatible. If you enjoy Deer Me, you can support the artist by going to her Patreon Page!

And I love this impish girl thief with a tail and her reluctant undead sorcerer/bodyguard: “Unsounded,” by Ashley Cope.

Muddler’s Beat by Tony Breed is the fun, expanded cast sequel to Finn and Charlie Are Hitched.

The Young Protectors by Alex Wolfson begins when a young, closeted teen-age superhero who has just snuck into a gay bar for the first time is seen exiting said bar by a not-so-young, very experienced, very powerful, super-villain. Trouble, of course, ensues.

Tripping Over You by Suzana Harcum and Owen White is a strip about a pair of friends in school who just happen to fall in love… which eventually necessitates one of them coming out of the closet. Tripping Over You has several books, comics, and prints available for purchase.

If you want to read a nice, long graphic-novel style story which recently published its conclusion, check-out the not quite accurately named, The Less Than Epic Adventures of T.J. and Amal by E.K. Weaver. I say inaccurate because I found their story quite epic (not to mention engaging, moving, surprising, fulfilling… I could go on). Some sections of the tale are Not Safe For Work, as they say, though she marks them clearly. The complete graphic novels are available for sale in both ebook and paper versions, by the way.