The Hues is a webcomic made by Alex Heberling featuring post-apocalyptic magical girls, a diverse cast, and a mysterious alien race.
…You had me at “post-apocalyptic magical girls.”
This webcomic centers around Sami, a 17-year-old girl based in Columbus, OH, who witnesses a mysterious signal from an alien race. Turns out the signal is a literal doomsday clock, and when it goes off, the aliens descend into the city and annihilate it completely. The ones left behind are Sami and other girls who have mysterious magical powers like her, and it’s up to them to fight off the aliens.
I love everything about this webcomic.
To start, the main cast is ethnically and physically diverse. Look at this line up!
You don’t see that often in magical girl stories.
Plus, the way the story opens is a nice change from the usual magical girl fare.
Because the USUAL magical girl fair opens with the protagonist waking up late for school and rushing out the door. But then she encounters something MAGICAL on the way to school and gets her powers.
Not with The Hues (thank goodness).
It opens with Sami making a YouTube video about the signal in the sky over her home city.
Horray! Originality!
Plus, the characters have a variety of personal histories. They’re not detailed in the first 2 chapters, but the hints leave you intrigued.
The art is actually a standout from other webcomics, in that it’s all digital painting. It almost looks like vector art. There are few comics that are drawn like this, but the artistic style suits the story it conveys. It’s animated and colorful, but also dark.
This series is definitely worth checking out. And the best way to do it?
Alex is actually running a KickStarter campaign to release the first 3 chapters in a book, featuring bonus materials and remastered art! I know I backed the campaign, and you should, too. It only has a few days left!
If you’re absolutely broke, though, you can read the comic online.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you support The Hues on KickStarter!
I’ll see you tomorrow.