Sorry! I got distracted by Julian’s face.
This week’s spotlight is on This Is Not Fiction by Nicole Mannino.
Updates: Tuesday and Friday Recommended if you liked: Lucky Penny; Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun; Love, Simon; Scott Pilgrim; Starward Lovers
This Is Not Fiction ( @tinfcomic ) by @nicoima is the story of my life. Or, it would be if I were a teenage boy in love with a dreamy romance novelist. The story follows Julian Drees as he experiences his all-consuming first love for the anonymous novelist Sydney Morgan. Julian’s best friend, Isaiah Holloway, and the class troublemaker, Landon Addison, team up with Julian to try and find the true identity of Sydney Morgan. Unfortunately, even with the help of Isaiah and the self-named “Godfather of High School” things don’t always work out as smoothly as Julian would hope.
I absolutely adore Julian and how expressive his face is! Contrasted against Isaiah’s more “normal” range of emotions, Julian is a constant tidal wave of happiness, worry, angst, and anger. He’s an emotional icon. However, I never felt that Julian was being made fun of for either his crush or his expressiveness. The other characters support him in his endeavours, whether they are widely successful or embarrassing failures.
Alongside Julian, the other part about this webcomic that also makes it so endearing is the romance angle. It’s so relatable when Julian discusses how all he does is think about romance, but he just can’t seem to make it happen in his life. This “unlikely” quality to his life really got me hooked on seeing what would happen to him next: I just want him to be happy and in love!
So if you’re someone who loves getting lost in a story where people are chasing their happiness (or trying to!), and you love to root for characters who considers themselves ordinary (but you can see their strengths!), this is the webcomic for you.
The chapter title cards are so incredibly adorable; I cannot do them justice! Please read this comic!
Read it HERE from the beginning.
Support independent artists! Nicole’s Patreon