In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the fifteenth entry, they’re checking out The Fantasy Book Club.
The Fantasy Book Club
Creator: The EvilNae
Artist: TheEvilNae
Genre: Supernatural, Drama
Rating: Young Adult
Platform: WEBTOON (self-published on CANVAS)
Some read books as a means to escape from their troubles. However, what if a cursed book amplified them instead? When anti-social student librarian Fiona discovers a mysterious book covered in slime, it literally tries to destroy her from the inside out. When it fails, she discovers she must learn to rely on her old friend Tristan and the members of his fantasy book club in order to figure out the mysterious force behind the book before it destroys her for good.
One of the best aspects of this webcomic is its protagonist, the snarky red-headed goth girl Fiona. She doesn’t mean to be mean; it’s just a defense mechanism she uses due to trauma she experienced at home. She decides to be mean and push people away to avoid being hurt more than she already has, and she has to learn to trust others again. Sometimes, her snark is funny like when she mocks others for calling her “the bitchy one”, but her using snark as armor to keep future pain away is relatable.
Speaking of pain, this webcomic doesn’t shy away from sensitive topics such as child abuse and mental health disorders. They are never featured as shock value, but rather as the painful circumstances that they truly are. This comic shows that magic isn’t a cure-all for trauma, and that you yourself have the power to survive and heal from it. For readers who might be triggered by certain topics, the author provides content warnings at the beginning of each chapter so they can prepare themselves or come back to it later.
Besides Fiona, the other characters are a good foil to her. Tristan seems to be Fiona’s ex and childhood friend who is loyal. Eremis is a young psych major who can see glimpses of the future. Not much is known yet about Tristan’s other friends other than Brie, who is helpful and empathetic. She also seems to have a crush on Eremis, which I would love to see returned.
As for the antagonists, they are the medieval alchemist Metordain and his followers Osrick and Ebissa. Not sure what they mean to gain by cursing and destroying Fiona, but they are interesting.
Besides the characters and the deft handling of sensitive topics, I really enjoyed some of the lettering for the comic and how it enhanced the supernatural elements. I like the bright blue lettering when Eremis uses her abilities and how certain letters ooze when Fiona is first cursed. It makes the supernatural events pop, especially considering how most of the panels backgrounds are black and the magical lettering is colorful.
All in all, The Fantasy Book Club is a surprisingly fun and emotional blend of fantasy and reality. With a relatable and fun heroine, a fun cast of characters, and stunning artwork, it provides magic, hurt, and comfort all in one. Come for the magical powers, stay for the repressed trauma and new friends.
The Fantasy Book Club is currently available to read on WEBTOON.
Keep up with every entry in K-Comics Beat’s Magic From The Margins column by clicking here.
