Inumo

Gonna be honest: the more I read traditionally formatted comics (whether webcomics, manga, or otherwise), the less fond I am of the Webtoons/Tapas/etc-style infinite scroll. It's too... not-information-dense. Information-diffuse? Information-light? Point is, I've been reading (web)comics for ages, I'm skilled at processing & appreciating a page of comics panels. IIRC I read the entirety of Dunmeshi over the course of 2 or 3 days, I devour this stuff. What that means is if I'm reading a typical infinite scroll comic, where a screen-length tends to be one "panel," I'm just CONSTANTLY SCROLLING and it's a really unpleasant physical experience.

I'm sure someone, somewhere is doing interesting stuff with the format (similar to how Decrypting Rita did some neat stuff with infinitely horizontal paneling) but like, I dunno someone wants to talk about Making Use Of Browsers with comics¹ I say "check out the khert sequences in Unsounded" y'know?

(edit) Seriously though like I recognize Webtoons et al are designed for a mobile reading experience, they still Physically Suck on mobile and don't do anything all that novel. If anyone knows of a webcomic that's actually doing some interesting stuff with mobile's size/navigation/etc lmk, otherwise heavens help me I'll be tempted to try and do something myself with my piss-poor art skills.

1. Yes Homestuck is the obvious choice for "comic that does browser shit," but like, Homestuck has become not "a comic which can be read as a complete web product" but instead "a tightly controlled web experience invoking a zeitgeist," see also why the Homestuck Collection is The Way To Read It™ as it recreates the timeline of Homestuck's release (along with its peripheral media like the music albums & SBAHJ). Also, Homestuck's key feature is Flash; Unsounded sticks to GIFs and whole-browser-page HTML shenanigans, using them judiciously to sell the Weird Reality of the khert as distinct from the rest of the comic.

It's got 2 arcs complete and a third in progress (totaling something like 900 pages, the third arc also just hit its climax so things are schmovin'), and it's a really good & sincere story about one forever-optimistic girl with magic powers can change a whole lot of things. I love it 'cuz it avoids the very common pitfall in optimistic media of simply declaring "hope and a positive outlook solves everything." Like, to be clear, it does solve a lot of problems, but it's written in such a way that these victories feel earned – the optimism decalcifies a person's worldview so that it can change, with additional necessary action, rather than simply flipping a switch in the world. Also, the protag's optimism & sincerity doesn't drag everyone else into a unified positivity; in fact, the people she starts to accumulate serve to bring that endless "I can just fix it" optimism into something that is actually grounded and balanced. Really excited to see how this arc ends & where it goes next. :)

One of the things that I always think about w/ writing is like, I frankly suck at doing natural worldbuilding, or really any amount of describing. I'm really bad at conceiving of situations where haircut/color, body shape, etc are relevant, or aspects of world history become important without having a audience-insert character, etc. So, I'm always kinda on the lookout for when these moments happen to see how other people solve the problem (usually in all the ways that I hate doing; mirror reflections, audience-inserts, or just flooding an introductory paragraph with off-hand details).

Enter Seven Days in Silverglen, by walkingnorth.

Tess (purples, gorgon) is doing a huge favor for Mira (oranges, dryad): being her fake date for a big cultural holiday. Only problem is, Tess also has a HUGE crush on Mira. The solution? Make an extensive list of questions to ask in the hopes that you find some kind of dealbreaker, of course! Extremely normal romcom behavior between two girls, you know how it is. This particular page, though? This is probably one of the best ways of subtle worldbuilding I've seen in a while. Just, really casual, "Hey, here's information about the existence of divine powers & magic, the way the world defines history, some information about old historical landmarks, AND an insight into Mira's personality & what she wishes she could experience all at once!" Really well done, I hope I can incorporate worldbuilding into character exposition this well one day.