The Future of Comics: Strong Female Protagonist, Atomic Robo, and 17776

While I wish I could have only read comics over thanksgiving break, I was only able to make a dent in a few of the webcomic recommendations, but I adore the ones I read and intend on continuing to read them in the future!

I started with "Strong Female Protagonist" which is both incredibly insightful and acutely aware of the problematic situations that real-life superheroes can create, as well as being very realistic in how there are real-world ramifications and how it might actually feel to be a superhuman in a society that is a mixture of normal humans and supervillains. I also enjoy how complicated the main character is, and how she isn't handed anything on a silver platter, but instead is having to deal with real-life situations that are only amplified negatively by her powers at some point. She struggles deeply with what it means to be a hero, and how she can impact the world around her after quitting the hero's life. She is deeply flawed, violent, and sometimes emotionally unstable, and it's so much easier to connect to a character that can be just as flawed and human as I am.

I also read "Atomic Robo" which I feel shares a less gory kinship to that of characters like "Deadpool" and "Captain America." I was pretty much sold on the comic after he wrote "Steven Hawkings is a bastard" on Mars with rocks, because Atomic Robo is a character who you are almost 80 years old, and struggling to continue fighting evil forces as the future continues to push past him. He's incredibly tough and hardworking, while also showcasing a snarky sense of humor that I deeply enjoyed. Even though I'm still not entirely clear on Atomic Robo's past, how he was made by Tesla, and why he was made in the first place, I'm pretty hellbent on finding out. 

Last, but not least, is my own personal recommendation to...well I wouldn't go as far as to call it a "webcomic," so maybe the term "web narrative" is a better solution. While it may not fit the parameters of a comic in full, I think it is a brilliant work of multimedia storytelling that is available to read online. The page is titled "What Football Will Look Like in the Future" but the true title of the work is called "17776." It was created by Jon Bois and is posted on a sports blog page, but don't let the page deceive you when you click the link below. Simply scroll to enter the wonderful, crazy experience! I would say more, but it sort of ruins the fun. Enjoy!

https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football