In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the seventh entry, they’re checking out B-Positive.
B-Positive
Creator: Winston Broiles
Writer: Broiles
Artist: Broiles
Genre: Romance, Slice-of-Life, Comedy
Platform: WEBTOON
Rating: Young Adult
When I was a kid, my dad would pick up the newspaper and bring it home. Once this happened, I would immediately ask for the comics section and happily read short comic strips such as Nancy, Brenda Starr and Curtis. In particular, the latter was notable for being the first comic I read with a Black protagonist that did everyday things that I could relate to as a Black person.
In recent years, I’ve come across some modern day comics by Black creators with Black protagonists that remind me of Curtis’ bite-sized misadventures. One such comic is Chuck Collins‘ Bounce, which tells the story of two Black bouncers in New York through comedic comic strips. Some of them have been collected in a book called Bounce Vol. 1: First Round of Shots. It was this comic and Ray Billingsley‘s Curtis that I recalled as I read the Webtoon comic B-Positive by Winston Broiles.
B-Positive tells the story of a Black goth human man named Angel and a Black female vampire named Star. When Star decides to start dating Angel, it results in some hilarious events told through bite-sized chapters with some funky, slick art and relatable slice-of-life moments anchored by Angel, who is a coffee shop worker.
One of the first things that charmed me about B-Positive is the art style. I love seeing Black goths (real and fictional) so to see a Black goth guy drawn so authentically with locs, a nose piercing and a fishnet top underneath a ripped black shirt is so wonderful. Likewise, Star, the vampire, is also well done: a Black fat vampire in cute clothes that make pink and black look great together.
Besides the art style, the characters are fun as well. I particularly love Angel’s personality and how it shines through his dialogue. It’s giving snarky, deadpan Wednesday Addams realness and I am here for it. Meanwhile, Star is very playful and teasing towards Angel and it’s amusing to see how he reacts. She is very clearly into Angel, while Angel is a mix of attracted and also bemused toward Star. It is entertaining to see the two play off each other, talk and do everyday things.
Finally, I love the various scenarios that each four panel comic chapter puts Angel and Starr into. It sets up the slice-of-life setting well while giving the reader something to relate to. My favorite chapter occurs when Angel and Starr have a date night that involves Starr trying on various clothes at the mall. Angel is bored to the point where he nonchalantly offers his opinion on Starr’s lewks until he falls asleep and it’s so funny.
All in all, B-Positive injects some much needed positivity into the reader’s veins with comedy, stylish art and entertaining characters. If you love comic strips (newspaper, four panel or otherwise), comedy or vampires, B-Positive will satisfy your cravings.
B-Positive is currently available to read on WEBTOON.
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