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Word of Caution--some of these are enticements and only give the FIRST comic book/episode.
19 Webcomics To Keep Kids and Teens Engaged
19 Webcomics To Keep Kids and Teens Engaged
by Mahnaz Dar
Apr 06, 2020 | Filed in Reviews
Looking for ways to keep your comics-loving kids and teens occupied? These free webcomics promise to eat up hours of time.
Middle Grade
Written by Michelle Wright and illustrated by Courtney Huddleston, Francesco Gerbino, and Tracy Bailey, this webcomic, now a series of graphic novels published by Farthing Press, centers on a black orphan adopted by a well-meaning but clueless suburban white couple.
House cats Elvis, Puck, and Lupin report on such breaking news stories as “The people are missing!” and “There’s a box with a towel inside it on the kitchen table.” Georgia Dunn’s hilarious webcomic, with its feline’s-eye view of the world, is also being published by Andrews McMeel as a series of graphic novels.
In GiGi D.G.’s video game–esque tale, adorable Cucumber the bunny and his sister Almond go up against a series of baddies. A vibrant palette, nonstop action, and a bizarre cast of friends and foes make for immersive reading. Also available as a series of graphic novels published by First Second.
Andrew Hussie’s wildly popular webcomic follows John Egbert, who on his 13th birthday plays a video game that unleashes the apocalypse. Available in print from Viz Media.
Two anthropomorphic foxes navigate the world in this sweetly snarky webcomic, now a graphic novel published by Andrews McMeel, by Dana Simpson, creator of the best-selling “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” series. Enjoy the archive, or check out reruns on GoComics!
Though being the new kid is never easy, it’s especially hard for Peter, an average kid whose classmates include a mummy, a pumpkinhead, and a skeleton. Creator Dylan Campbell updates this hilariously creepy webcomic every week.
Still reeling from the loss of his mother, Jonas escapes into his vivid daydreams. After making his way through a portal in his grandmother’s strange painting, he finds himself lost in a fantasy world, unable to return. Daniel Lieske’s arresting comic series has also been published in print format by Lion Forge.
YA
Dami Lee’s self-deprecating webcomic details her quest “to be a real lady person,” from dating woes to FOMO in the age of social distancing. The graphic novel Be Everything at Once, available from Chronicle, collects many of the entries in her webcomic.
Two outsiders endure microaggressions on a Christian backpacking trip and find solace in each other. Melanie Gillman’s contemplative, poignant webcomic was published as a graphic novel by Iron Circus Comics and won a Stonewall Honor in 2018.
Bird and Moon—Science and Nature Comics
Whether naturalist and science writer Rosemary Mosco is describing how to distinguish a dolphin from a porpoise, offering improvements on bird species (like hummingbirds that are 10,000% bigger), or urging readers to join the fight against climate change, her abiding passion for the natural world comes through loud and clear in this delightfully quirky webcomic. Available from Andrew McMeels as Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons About the Natural World from Bird and Moon.
When a happy-go-lucky former figure skater joins his college hockey team, hilarity ensues, but so do lasting friendships and even a burgeoning romance between protagonist Bitty and team captain Jack. Ngozi Ukazu’s webcomic has garnered a loyal fan base, and the graphic novels, published by First Second, are just as popular.
What became of Alice, Wendy Darling, and Dorothy Gale after they returned from Wonderland, Neverland, and Oz? Though few believed their stories, the three girls meet and find kinship in one another. Andy Weir and Sarah Andersen’s enchanting webcomic–turned–graphic novel (published by Ten Speed) will inspire readers to write their own fan fiction.
Hamish Steele’s webcomic, now a print series published by Nobrow, centers on an amusement haunted house with a mysterious portal that entices demons, ghosts, and angels.
Fran Krause creates mordantly funny yet tender comics based on emails submitted by readers detailing the absurd but deeply resonant fears that plague them (What if, while walking over me in bed, my cat steps on both my eyes? What if, when I take off my goggles, the suction yanks out my eyes?). Two graphic novels, Deep Dark Fears and The Creeps, based on the webcomic have been published by Ten Speed.
Now a graphic novel series published by PM Press, this raw, deeply funny, provocative webcomic from Juliana “Jewels” Smith, Ronald Nelson, and Mike Hampton follows a black revolutionary college freshman and her friends dealing with racism, gentrification, and privilege at Ronald Reagan University.
Since 2016, Alice Oseman has been chronicling the burgeoning romance between Nick and Charlie, two secondary characters from her prose novel Solitaire. Her sweet, manga-flavored tale will be published in graphic novel format by Scholastic next month.
Tillie Walden’s mesmerizing, strikingly original space epic seamlessly blends romance and sci-fi. In graphic novel format, published by First Second, On a Sunbeam has racked up accolades, making its way onto numerous best books lists and being named a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel.
To make the long trip back home to Earth from a mining colony deep in outer space, Amy and her family must be cryogenically frozen, and when Amy returns, her friends are far older, and she’s not sure where she fits in. With fluid linework and a pitch-perfect palette, this tender webcomic from Stephen McCranie, now published by Dark Horse as a graphic novel series, is ideal for sci-fi readers and newcomers to the genre alike.
Ariel Slamer Ries’s webcomic, now published in graphic novel format by Lion Forge, takes place in the magical world of Hyalin, where witches’ magic depends on the length of their hair. But revealing one’s power can be perilous.
Mahnaz Dar (mdar@mediasourceinc.com) is Reference and Professional Reading Editor for Library Journal and School Library Journal and can be found on Twitter @DibblyFresh.
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