In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the twelfth entry, they’re checking out Vast Cerulean Sea.
Vast Cerulean Sea
Creator: EuroCabbage
Writer: EuroCabbage
Artist: EuroCabbage
Genre: Slice of life, fantasy
Rating: Teen
Platform: WEBTOON
Mia is a young painter who lives by the cliffside after her father dies in a shipwreck. One day, a mermaid named Marian washes up during a storm and Marian can’t bring herself to kill them. Instead, Mia and Marian slowly become friends as deeper feelings sprout between them. Yet both Mia and Marian’s respective pasts must be overcome for them to find the love they both need in their life.
One of the best things about this comic is the artwork.There is an almost watercolor-like quality to it, the way Mari and Mia are drawn with soft skin and silky looking white air. The backgrounds enhance this as well, especially the fluffy-looking clouds. Adding a bit of garnish to the artwork is the blue ink-pen looking letttering, with block letters for Mia’s dialogue and cursive letters for Mari. The different lettering for each character conveys the tentativeness and tenderness of their conversations.
Moreover, the main characters Mia and Marian are wonderful to watch each chapter. Both are like onions, with more of their layers revealed as you read more. For instance, Mia doesn’t expect Mari to return after nearly killing them, but once they do, Mia tries to make amends. Meanwhile, Mari is shown to have some curiosity about humans, as demonstrated in one chapter when they ask Mia why humans hold hands.
Both the artwork and the main characters create a simplicity that makes the comic easy to follow and engrossing. By teasing both their burgeoning relationship and the character’s backstories, it makes you want to keep reading to see what happened to the two prior to their unexpected meeting and if they will still get along after everything comes to light.
Another thing that adds to the simplicity is how the two characters have small, tender moments together within the larger storyline. One moment is when Mia gives Mari a shirt to wear and say that they look like a prince. Moments like this allow the two to get to know each other without rushing their relationship.
All in all, Vast Cerulean Sea is a beautiful sapphic comic for mermaid and slice of life fans. If you need a lowkey fantasy romance comic, sit by the sea awhile and give this a read.
Vast Cerulean Sea is available to read on WEBTOON.
Keep up with every entry in K-Comics Beat’s Magic From The Margins column by clicking here.
