Comics Alliance Best of 2015: Best New Webcomic of 2015

Finally, a comic that dares to ask the hard questions, such as, "How would an all-girls high school basketball team and their coach handle the zombie apocalypse?” The girls take the zombie apocalypse in stride, with a limb-hacking ease the eludes their hapless coach, who quickly figures out he’s in over his head and goes along for the ride. This is an “infinite canvas lite” comic, with its Finnish creator Suspu making use of vertical scrolling and carefully spaced panels to pace out jokes and communicate loneliness, ensuring that this story never gets too dark, or too safe.

Frankenstein endures as long as our conflicted relationship with our creations and our children endures, and in this comic, Frankenstein (okay, Frankenstein’s monster, you no-fun sticklers) endures as the inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera, with all the romantic horror that implies. Everything about this comic, written and drawn by Beka Duke, is drenched in atmosphere, with thick scratchy inks, bold lettering with perfectly chosen fonts, and desaturated colors wringing the operatic melodrama for all that it’s worth. If you love stories like Wuthering Heights and Crimson Peak, this comic should do right by you.

This is a world where there are humans and there are lycanthropic dogs, and the humans have won. Dogs have no rights, no prospects, and no future, and they all push back against these circumstances in their own ways — our main character, a dog prizefighter, included. Written and drawn by Kez, Until The Last Dog Dies presents a world drained of every color but blood red, merging the color theory of Sin City-era Frank Miller with the texture of faded newspapers, creating a world that feels tired, where the sun shines only reluctantly — a perfect case of the art fitting the subject like a glove.

The town of Silverdalen has a monster problem, but luckily, it also has a teen hero ready to defend it — assuming he doesn’t flunk out of science class, is home before curfew, and can figure out how to throw a punch. The timeless young superhero story gets a fresh take via Swedish writer and artist Falke, crafting a world where every facial expression is bold, every setback feels like the end of the world, punches send people through buildings, and everything is bright neon colors. Tokusatsu fans, superhero fans, and fans of great art will find a lot to love here.

What's it like to have to compete for the job of magical representative of your fantasy nation, with the help of your familiar and a group of street urchins? The nonbinary one-eyed apprentice Lucy and their familiar Ivy are going to find out, with no help whatsoever from live-in master Rothhart, and maybe too much help from a group of street urchins with more skill than sense. A delightful webcomic by Taylor Robin, with sharp artwork, artful storytelling, and a colorful, diverse cast of characters, Never Satisfied is a deserving winner of best new webcomic of 2015, and hopefully will go from strength to strength in 2016.