There has been numerous debates and discussions about not having diverse characters in comics that are produced by many publications. But due to the advent of webcomics, there are many new and varied characters. The webcomics are an excellent way for skilled writers to reach out to audiences that want to read about different characters and their lives rather than stick to conventions characters. These webcomics help artists enter this domain with the minimal investment needed and also reaches out to people who want to read about characters that are like them.
Social media also has a significant role to play in the webcomics gaining popularity, and that has made major publications take note. A few of the series has changed the world and brought about more diverse characters in the comic world. Find below a list of such series
The life and times of Abigail Waller: This is a series about the story revolving around people who are not white. It is based on Black Girl Nerds and has some funny moments which is pretty unconventional and has a huge fan following of nonwhites. This story was written by Kevin Sorrell and had even given his script to many agencies in Hollywood only to be rejected. When he did not succeed with that, he started an online web series called the Abigail Waller which lasted all of two episodes. Despite repeated failures, Sorrell decided to create a webcomic in 2015 out of the same idea he had presented as a screenplay and now is a fortnightly series.
Raising Dion: Dennis Liu has come out with a comic on a superhero’s life and is a new webcomic. It is a story narrated by a widowed black mother Nicole and her seven-year-old son who has superpowers. One of the powers he has is becoming invisible, and she recounts this story as a first person who is filming every minute of the life of her son as well as keeping an eye out for his moves. The story takes a twist when she realizes that she and her son Dion’s movement is being watched by unknown men. This webcomic is a hit among webcomic readers and has been received praises from the Huffington Post, Guardian, etc. for its precise characterization of single parenting. It has also received considerable attention due to all the main characters being black.
Marvel and DC: Major publications are now realizing the potential of webcomics and also have started to listen to readers. Marvel is no exception as there are reports that Marvel has appointed new writers to come up with a series on Black Panther which is because people are looking for diverse characters. DC also announced that they would restart Milestone media and even get back the 90’s colored characters.
Many companies are now keen on cashing in on the popularity of multiculturalism and due to social media publishers are forced to listen to fans. Due to the numerous options that fans have, if they see that their demand is not fulfilled, they move to other creators, so webcomics have brought a quality change in the world of comics.