Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 5th Read Harder task. Sign up for our new Read Harder newsletter to get recommendations for each task delivered straight to your inbox! https://bookriot.com/newsletter/read-...

One of my favorite webcomics is Check, Please -- which has also been published in two paperback volumes as well.

My least favorite challenge this year lol

I did a little trawling, and will be reading one I've never heard of: A Redtail's Dream by Minna Sundberg. I don't think it got published physically, but hey! At least I'll be reading in original format!

I was thinking about Artifice, but Check, Please! looks really good. Thanks, Michael!

Check, Please! and A Redtail's Dream sound great. Thanks!

I'm not even sure how to go about this challenge

I second recommendations for Check, Please! and Artifice. Both are great! I'd also recommend Nimona, and Magical Boy.

If anybody happens to be looking for a gay, spicy suggestion, I've got you covered.

Check out Starfighter Chapter 1 by Hamletmachine. It's so good. Here's the webcomic site: https://starfightercomic.com/comic.php

Less spicy, but still gay:
The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal, Vol. 1: Poor Boys and Pilgrims. The webcomic site: https://tjandamal.com/

I'm currently thinking either A Redtail's Dream or Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey, but I'll see how I'm feeling. I've been trying to get into webcomics lately and the unfinished aspect of so many is a hindrance, so I'm looking forward to seeing suggestions.

Planning on Roar Street Journal and/or Jingle Jungle

Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend Always Human. The first season is published and the second (and final) season is coming out in summer 2023. It's also available to read on WebToon

Going in a sci-fi direction for this one—going to read On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. https://www.onasunbeam.com/

Laura wrote: "Going in a sci-fi direction for this one—going to read On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. https://www.onasunbeam.com/"

Thank you! On a Sunbeam was already on my TBR but I had no idea it had been a webcomic.

For others looking for recs, I thought Artifice was delightful when I read it years ago. It's also a single-volume story, which is nice since webcomics can get very long. Here's the webcomic link: https://youngprotectors.com/artifice/...

https://gizmodo.com/17-fantastic-comp...

Viggo wrote: "I second recommendations for Check, Please! and Artifice. Both are great! I'd also recommend Nimona, and Magical Boy."

Magical Boy is going to be my pick. Thanks for the rec!

Carly wrote: "I'm not even sure how to go about this challenge"

Some webcomics have print editions. It doesn't have to be any different than buying/checking out a book.

I'm going to add onto the pile of recs for Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey

I'm a huge hockey fan so Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey it is!

I just happen to have Birding is My Favorite Video Game out from the library, which is “drawn from the popular webcomic Bird and Moon” so I think it would count.

Blacksad. It's anthropomorphic animals in old timey detective stories.

Debbie Tung has some web comics that she has published into physical copies.

So with that I'll be going with Everything Is OK

Fangs is fantastic and can be found as either a book or as a webcomic on Tapas. The book has some bonus pages but only a few that aren't online. It's a slice of life romance between a vampire and werewolf and very funny.
I also recommend Digger, Volume One which can be found online or in print. The plot is hard to summarize, but it earned every award it won (and it won a lot of awards).

I'm going with Magical Boy Volume 1: A Graphic Novel.

They’ve ended the walking dead series as a comic does that mean that counts?

Liz wrote: "They’ve ended the walking dead series as a comic does that mean that counts?"

The Walking Dead wasn't a webcomic. It was published as a print comic so it wouldn't work for this prompt.

About Death sounds really interesting!

I just finished Mooncakes which was a webcomic before it became a published book, and it was a delightful queer witchy story.

Homestuck Book One via https://www.homestuck.com/ which I have never heard of until just now looking up options for this challenge.

I just read Fangs and it was great. Short and adorable, but not your typical webcomic style. Perfect for someone intimidated by the prompt: https://tapas.io/episode/1559785

These options have been recommended to me, but I haven't read them yet. I have confirmed they are all complete:

Tripping Over You: https://www.trippingoveryou.com/comic...

Long Exposure:
https://tapas.io/series/Long-Exposure...

Avialae: https://yaoi.biz/avialae/chapter-1/pa...

And finally, Starfighter, which is complete and excellent. I have read this one and highly recommend it. It is NSFW. https://starfightercomic.com/comic.php

I just finished Artifice yesterday. It was a nice, quick read. I'm not a big fan of many webcomics, but this one was ok.

My DH reads webcomics and suggested Marry Me, which was made into a movie last year starring Jennifer Lopez. http://marryme.keenspot.com/d/2012073...

The author has another called Last Blood that he didn't think was as good.

Yeah, no. If a webcomic is online and can be enlarged dramatically, it might be possible for me to read. I’m way outside the target demographic anyway, so this is not for me.

This looks really good, thanks for the recommendation!

NancyJ wrote: "Yeah, no. If a webcomic is online and can be enlarged dramatically, it might be possible for me to read. I’m way outside the target demographic anyway, so this is not for me."

Of course you can adjust the challenge however you want, but I don't think there is a specific target demographic for webcomics. That's like saying there's a specific target demographic for books. It's just a matter of finding one that speaks to you. If you're interested in giving it a try, I recommend you look at Fangs. It's more like a newspaper comic, with individual one-page jokes like you would have found in the sunday paper. The first 10-15 panels are in order as the foundation is set, but after that, they are really just funny and sweet, about an unlikely couple who make an unconventional relationship work in their own unique way.

https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysid...

DM of the Rings

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but there is a list of completed webcomics at the TV Tropes website: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

The site also gives a description of each comic.

Gail wrote: "Fangs is fantastic and can be found as either a book or as a webcomic on Tapas. The book has some bonus pages but only a few that aren't online. It's a slice of life romance between..."

I went with Digger, Volume One and loved it! I'll definitely be looking up the rest of the series.

I'm currently enjoying Rice Boy by Evan Dahm which was originally a webcomic, but has since also been published on paper.
http://www.rice-boy.com/

I read Earth in a Pocket for this task. Very impressed with the illustrations. This would be a great book for children, especially girls.

I am an older reader and very unsure about just what a webcomic might be - but, I read an interesting review in The Guardian today about the Egyptian writer Deena Mohamed and her work - "Originally published in three volumes as Shubeik Lubeik in Arabic, and the winner of the Grand Prize at the 2017 Cairo Comix festival, Your Wish Is My Command is set in an all too recognisable modern-day Egypt". Sounds like it might fit. Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed

Einstein by Ottaviani and Dye. Fully illustrated, satirical at places, well researched and fun to read

Viggo wrote: "I second recommendations for Check, Please! and Artifice. Both are great! I'd also recommend Nimona, and Magical Boy."

I didn't realize Nimona started as a webcomic; I might pick that one.

I found a couple of lists that might be helpful:
https://bookriot.com/books-that-start...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/webc...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/b...

Been meaning to read something by Haley Newsome for years, so Unfamiliar it is! Newsome has a Youtube channel (LavenderTowne) where she gives a lot of helpful art tips, and her cute art style made me want to check out her work.

I just finished reading Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey for this task, I loved it so much!! It was sweet (which I expected) and also made me laugh out loud (that was an unexpected bonus). I must read book #2 now! One of the beautiful aspects of this challenge, reading things you adore that you would never have sought out or picked up otherwise ♥️

Cardi wrote: "I just finished reading Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey for this task, I loved it so much!! It was sweet (which I expected) and also made me laugh out loud (that was an unexpected bonus). I must read..."

I read the same. The best part is it's a webcomic, so I can read years 3 and 4 whenever I want.

I'm reading [un]divine by Ayme Sotuyo.

I have completed this one without realizing but The Horizon is a 3 volumes/21 chapters long manwha/webtoon that I recommend to all post-apo lovers. The version listed on Goodreads is the korean one (i assume it's the only one that was published as a book) but the webseries is easily available in english. It was a good read.

Milena wrote: "Cardi wrote: "I just finished reading Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey for this task, I loved it so much!! It was sweet (which I expected) and also made me laugh out loud (that was an unexpected bonus..."

There's more!?! Happy days!! Thanks for the heads up :)