Wednesday Webcomic: Paranatural

Webcomic Wednesdays is a weekly feature here at Girls Read Comics Too. Each week, we like to shine a spotlight on one of the webcomics that we happen to keep up with on the interwebs.

As much as I love being the one to discover a webcomic on my own, I also love getting recommendations for which ones I should check out. That might be kind of obvious, given that part of these posts is to share the love and hope that others will pass along what they get a kick out of. So this is my first time talking about a comic that I didn’t know existed until I started doing these posts. Let’s just say that I’m really glad that I asked for input.

Paranatural came to me as a rec from a good friend of mine, whose taste I happen to trust which made me a lot more willing to just jump on in. Now that I’ve been reading it for a couple of weeks (and caught up on it), I’m seriously regretting that I didn’t find it first. Which is some seriously high praise.

Written and drawn by Zack Morrison (who can be found here on Twitter), Paranatural follows the Activity Club at Mayview Middle School and the adventures that they have. That description in no way really sums up what this comic is about. You see, the protagonist is 12-year-old Max who happens to both be the new kid at his middle school and the new kid when it comes to being able to see ghosts. It turns out the Activity Club is chock full of kids who can see ghosts and happen to have objects or skills that allow them to do extraordinary things all while participating in a school-sanction after school club.

Have I got your attention now?

Well drawn and populated by a variety of fleshed out characters, there’s action all over the place and plenty of adventures to follow. But what makes this comic really special is the way that it balances the paranormal elements with those that are just plain normal. There are plenty of characters without any special skills who still get in on the action. Middle school rivalries and grudges, teachers exasperated by their students, and family members who don’t seem to be operating on the same wavelength are all hanging around, adding to the story. It provides a good balance, a lot of levity and a puts in a sense of realism. Not everyone can be in on the big, crazy, otherworldly mystery and I like it better when stories include that.

It’s fun reading, perfect for catching up from your mobile device during a long commute after an even longer work day (aka how I read it). It’s now being updated twice a week which is always fun. I encourage everyone to check it out. Sure, some of the characters can be a little annoying, but I think that’s a complement since most middle schoolers are somewhat annoying to anyone outside of middle school. Check it out today!

Are you the creator of a webcomic? Do you have a webcomic that you love and think more people should check out? Then drop us a line either here in the comments or shoot us an email! We’re always looking for new things to read and get excited about!