haurni
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2010
- Posts
- 978
Trans webcomics
I've found a number of webcomics featuring trans characters over the years and thought I'd share the list for any who are interested. The ones below are mostly about trans women/girls though trans men/boys appear in several of them. Most (but not all) are written by trans women. They generally aren't erotic in nature, though KhaosKomix and Questionable Content both have some sex in them. Let me know if you have others that you recommend. I've liked Rain, KhaosKomix and Assigned Male enough to actually buy them in hard copy.
Assigned Male (9/10)
A relatively new (Sept. 2014) comic about an 11-year-old trans girl named Stephie. Most of the dialogue is much more adult than the character would suggest; the main purpose of the strip appears primarily to be educational on the matter of trans issues. In one episode Stephie says "I wasn't 'born a boy,' just as much as I didn't 'become a girl." It's just that nobody cared to ask me first. The only difference with cisgender people is that they agree with the gender they're assigned..." For some reason I had initially given this 3/5 - it deserves to be bumped up to a 9/10.
Between the Lines (7/10)
Teen trans girls Dani and Shay. Very well drawn. Starts off right in the middle, seems a bit unfocused, and unfortunately ends rather abruptly, but it's worth reading even though it's fairly short. Touches on issues of acceptance by family, abuse and suicide. My main objection to this comic is that there isn't enough of it. The site also has a lot of information on trans resources (particularly in the Links section).
Chaos Life (6/10)
Mostly one-off semi-whimsical panels, often touching on issues of gender and sexuality. Or cats. One of the main characters is agender. Source of one of my favourite phrases for genitalia - "crotch giblets".
Closetspace (3/10)
The drawing is basic, I have trouble telling some of the characters apart, and the plot seems somewhat confusing initially, especially with appearances by the Grand Army of the Republic of Texas, but it gets less crazy as it evolves and is mostly normal by Act III. Issues touched on include AIDS and addictive behaviours. Seems to go on hiatus for months at a time. Includes a sort-of crossover with Venus Envy (see below), though it doesn't do the latter justice.
El Goonish Shive (4/10)
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this comic. There's a lot of magical sex-changing going on and I don't pretend to understand the story (I did skip a large chunk in the middle), but it's generally sympathetic to LGB and gender-variant/gender-fluid people (see here for an example).
KhaosKomix (10/10)
Very well-written and illustrated story in 8+ parts, it's a common thread seen from the perspectives of a number of LGBT characters including trans girl Charlie. Issues addressed include sexual abuse, particularly in Jamie's Story, which is very dark in general. The R- to X-rated side stories are found at Discord Comics but read the main stories first. They're all excellent.
Manic Pixie Nightmare Girls (7/10)
One of the better comics; though the drawing is not stellar and the panels are typically one-offs rather than part of an ongoing narrative, it has its own quirky style and a quality similar to "Assigned Male" in terms of vigorously addressing transphobia and similar issues.
Mock Girl (1/10)
A comic about a young trans woman, Sam, that includes dream sequences and subplots involving Russian criminals, Hollywood starlets, and scary clowns, so not particularly true-to-life. The fact that the character is trans is largely incidental to the story. I kind of have an issue with the title, too.
The Princess (5/10)
A story about a preteen trans girl that focuses mainly on seeking acceptance in her home and school life. Takes a somewhat whimsical approach, particularly in the personality of her gender-bending friend Irma. The majority of the conflict is psychological and social. This might be particularly interesting for people who are trying to raise kids without gender straightjackets.
Questionable Content (9/10)
A variety of interesting and occasionally dysfunctional individuals populate this universe, along with sentient robots. A dominatrix and some bi and lesbian characters are among the cast; a trans character is introduced around episode 2200, give or take (but is not identified as such until much later), though their transgender status is of minimal relevance (the few episodes in which it is addressed are sympathetic and, surprise surprise, treat them with the full respect and consideration they deserve as people). The strip is occasionally interrupted by foul-mouthed songbirds or turkeys for some reason.
Rain (10/10)
A long-running series about teen trans girl Rain Flaherty. Almost everyone she hangs around with expresses some non-conventional sexuality (by the author's express intent), which is fine if a little too convenient (and contrived). Still, it's a great story and one of my favourites. Volumes 1 & 2 are available for purchase on etsy (the print quality for v.2 is much better than for v.1). The art is fairly basic and sometimes it's hard to tell the characters apart. Issues touched on include acceptance by family.
Simply Sarah (6/10)
Primarily a lesbian comic, but it does have a trans/CD character, Nick/Nikki. The characters are believable and it is nicely drawn and well-written. It has some dark parts (including a murder, an attempted murder and a couple of non-explicit but still powerful scenes of rape and child sexual abuse), but nowhere near what Wildflowers (see below) does.
Validation Comic (7/10)
A story about geeky trans woman Ally. The strip touches on a number of stereotypes and 'mundane' issues that trans people face on a day-to-day basis. I did take enough issue with what I felt could be construed as victim-blaming in strip #78 to actually post a comment.
Venus Envy (8/10)
High-school trans girl Zoe and her family and friends. It starts a bit unevenly but bear with it as it gradually morphs from a series of sketches in various styles to a coherent narrative. As the story goes on it gradually gets darker. The series essentially ends abruptly on the March 16th 2010 strip though 3 more panels were published over the following 4 years; another artist also attempted to continue the story but that fizzled.
Wildflowers (9/10)
Not all that well drawn, but don't let that put you off - there are some very powerful scenes in this comic. Also a LOT of transphobic violence. Like, seriously. Lots. Enough that the third page is a trigger warning: "Wildflowers deals with some very hard topics. These include suicide, assault, rape and intense self hatred." You have been warned. Some of the character motivations don't seem to make a lot of sense (especially the protagonist's brother), and at times I get confused about which characters are which, but overall I find it intense and gripping.
I've found a number of webcomics featuring trans characters over the years and thought I'd share the list for any who are interested. The ones below are mostly about trans women/girls though trans men/boys appear in several of them. Most (but not all) are written by trans women. They generally aren't erotic in nature, though KhaosKomix and Questionable Content both have some sex in them. Let me know if you have others that you recommend. I've liked Rain, KhaosKomix and Assigned Male enough to actually buy them in hard copy.
Assigned Male (9/10)
A relatively new (Sept. 2014) comic about an 11-year-old trans girl named Stephie. Most of the dialogue is much more adult than the character would suggest; the main purpose of the strip appears primarily to be educational on the matter of trans issues. In one episode Stephie says "I wasn't 'born a boy,' just as much as I didn't 'become a girl." It's just that nobody cared to ask me first. The only difference with cisgender people is that they agree with the gender they're assigned..." For some reason I had initially given this 3/5 - it deserves to be bumped up to a 9/10.
Between the Lines (7/10)
Teen trans girls Dani and Shay. Very well drawn. Starts off right in the middle, seems a bit unfocused, and unfortunately ends rather abruptly, but it's worth reading even though it's fairly short. Touches on issues of acceptance by family, abuse and suicide. My main objection to this comic is that there isn't enough of it. The site also has a lot of information on trans resources (particularly in the Links section).
Chaos Life (6/10)
Mostly one-off semi-whimsical panels, often touching on issues of gender and sexuality. Or cats. One of the main characters is agender. Source of one of my favourite phrases for genitalia - "crotch giblets".
Closetspace (3/10)
The drawing is basic, I have trouble telling some of the characters apart, and the plot seems somewhat confusing initially, especially with appearances by the Grand Army of the Republic of Texas, but it gets less crazy as it evolves and is mostly normal by Act III. Issues touched on include AIDS and addictive behaviours. Seems to go on hiatus for months at a time. Includes a sort-of crossover with Venus Envy (see below), though it doesn't do the latter justice.
El Goonish Shive (4/10)
I'm not entirely sure what to make of this comic. There's a lot of magical sex-changing going on and I don't pretend to understand the story (I did skip a large chunk in the middle), but it's generally sympathetic to LGB and gender-variant/gender-fluid people (see here for an example).
KhaosKomix (10/10)
Very well-written and illustrated story in 8+ parts, it's a common thread seen from the perspectives of a number of LGBT characters including trans girl Charlie. Issues addressed include sexual abuse, particularly in Jamie's Story, which is very dark in general. The R- to X-rated side stories are found at Discord Comics but read the main stories first. They're all excellent.
Manic Pixie Nightmare Girls (7/10)
One of the better comics; though the drawing is not stellar and the panels are typically one-offs rather than part of an ongoing narrative, it has its own quirky style and a quality similar to "Assigned Male" in terms of vigorously addressing transphobia and similar issues.
Mock Girl (1/10)
A comic about a young trans woman, Sam, that includes dream sequences and subplots involving Russian criminals, Hollywood starlets, and scary clowns, so not particularly true-to-life. The fact that the character is trans is largely incidental to the story. I kind of have an issue with the title, too.
The Princess (5/10)
A story about a preteen trans girl that focuses mainly on seeking acceptance in her home and school life. Takes a somewhat whimsical approach, particularly in the personality of her gender-bending friend Irma. The majority of the conflict is psychological and social. This might be particularly interesting for people who are trying to raise kids without gender straightjackets.
Questionable Content (9/10)
A variety of interesting and occasionally dysfunctional individuals populate this universe, along with sentient robots. A dominatrix and some bi and lesbian characters are among the cast; a trans character is introduced around episode 2200, give or take (but is not identified as such until much later), though their transgender status is of minimal relevance (the few episodes in which it is addressed are sympathetic and, surprise surprise, treat them with the full respect and consideration they deserve as people). The strip is occasionally interrupted by foul-mouthed songbirds or turkeys for some reason.
Rain (10/10)
A long-running series about teen trans girl Rain Flaherty. Almost everyone she hangs around with expresses some non-conventional sexuality (by the author's express intent), which is fine if a little too convenient (and contrived). Still, it's a great story and one of my favourites. Volumes 1 & 2 are available for purchase on etsy (the print quality for v.2 is much better than for v.1). The art is fairly basic and sometimes it's hard to tell the characters apart. Issues touched on include acceptance by family.
Simply Sarah (6/10)
Primarily a lesbian comic, but it does have a trans/CD character, Nick/Nikki. The characters are believable and it is nicely drawn and well-written. It has some dark parts (including a murder, an attempted murder and a couple of non-explicit but still powerful scenes of rape and child sexual abuse), but nowhere near what Wildflowers (see below) does.
Validation Comic (7/10)
A story about geeky trans woman Ally. The strip touches on a number of stereotypes and 'mundane' issues that trans people face on a day-to-day basis. I did take enough issue with what I felt could be construed as victim-blaming in strip #78 to actually post a comment.
Venus Envy (8/10)
High-school trans girl Zoe and her family and friends. It starts a bit unevenly but bear with it as it gradually morphs from a series of sketches in various styles to a coherent narrative. As the story goes on it gradually gets darker. The series essentially ends abruptly on the March 16th 2010 strip though 3 more panels were published over the following 4 years; another artist also attempted to continue the story but that fizzled.
Wildflowers (9/10)
Not all that well drawn, but don't let that put you off - there are some very powerful scenes in this comic. Also a LOT of transphobic violence. Like, seriously. Lots. Enough that the third page is a trigger warning: "Wildflowers deals with some very hard topics. These include suicide, assault, rape and intense self hatred." You have been warned. Some of the character motivations don't seem to make a lot of sense (especially the protagonist's brother), and at times I get confused about which characters are which, but overall I find it intense and gripping.
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(Bridges does too, so we'll see if that one becomes a 5 over time.)
