5 Local Queer Komiks To Read For Free
Komiks started to become popular after World War II, with influencers being comic books and strips left by the Americans. Fast forward, this has led to the creation of popular komiks like Darna, Dyesebel, Lastikman, Panday, and Trese. The komiks we have today are endless, you can find them on online platforms like Penlab and Webtoon.
5 Local Queer Komiks To Read For Free
Celebration of Pride doesn’t stop after the month of June so here are five queer komiks you can read for free:
Dante, Damian, and Pascal the Pusang Kalye by Levi
This komiks shows the daily life of Dante, a security guard, and his boyfriend Damian with their cat named Pascal. Starting in September 2021, the ongoing series currently has 66 episodes available online at Penlab for free. Romcom, breaking norms and stereotypes, and addressing social problems — these are what to expect on this BL komiks!
DanDamPas is a story to which Filipinos can laugh and relate at the same time. Moments we just stepped into September but there are already Christmas decorations up in the house and streets. There are also jokes like the typical Filipino household where there’s ice cream in the fridge but it’s just galunggong.
Aside from comedy, the komiks also tried to break norms and stereotypes in the Philippines. An episode showed a friend asking Dante and Damian who’s the girl in the relationship, resulting in them being uncomfortable. This educates people who assume someone is the girl in the relationship just because they look feminine and vice versa.
While breaking stereotypes, the characters also tried to give attention to important problems in the Philippines. Since the komiks started during the pandemic, there’s a part where people were avoiding a nurse, making her uncomfortable. Pascal and Dante however approached the nurse and Pascal gave her a letter saying she appreciates what she does.
It also educates the readers on sexual harassment, rape, and homophobes. Like when Dante’s colleague said that their co-worker experienced harassment by their boss and assumed that they liked what happened. This gives a message to readers that just because someone who remains rich harassed a person doesn’t mean the victim likes it. Sexual harassment will never be okay, regardless of who the perpetrator is.
There’s also a message to stop commenting on someone’s body or weight. When Dante was just a teenager, he experienced receiving negative comments from a family member about his body and weight. This act will never be okay and will just turn into insecurity for most, just like Dante.
Lastly, Dante and Damian promote a healthy relationship. There’s an episode where Dante was looking at the mirror and it seems that he doesn’t like his appearance. Damian passes by and reassures him that he’s still sexy, making Dante smile and forget about his insecurities.
Dante, Damian, and Pascal the Pusang Kalye can be read online on Penlab! This komiks is published under Komiket, with physical copies available for only 500 pesos. Support local creator Levi and read DanDamPas!
Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise by Tsambolero
The hit BL webcomic turned novel is about Leo and Tomas who are couples in their mid-twenties. The catch? Tomas is actually a manananggal, a self-segmenting winged creature. It currently has two volumes: Volume 1 with 20 episodes and Volume 2 is ongoing with 14 episodes.
While providing readers with romance and comedy between the couple, it also educates readers about the Philippine mythical creatures. Stuff like how they don’t like garlic and a manananggal producing a ‘tik tik tik’ sound meaning they are close. It also introduced creatures like a Sigbin who sucks the blood of their victims. Tomas said that it brings wealth and luck to their owners, making the couple adopt it.
There’s Anggitay, a creature whose upper body is a female human and whose lower body is of a horse. Angie, the Anggitay, shows up as the love interest of Leo’s friend, Sammie, a professional monster hunter. Lastly, the Bakunawa, a sea serpent deity said to eat the moon every now and then, causing the eclipse.
Having a boyfriend who’s a manananggal has its downsides but the couple navigated it through being each other’s anchor. There’s a part where Tomas drank too much blood after his hunt and seems disoriented. Leo immediately understood what was happening and just hugged Tomas until he came back to reality.
They ground each other when there are times when the other is unstable and feels like everything is too much. There’s a part where Leo had to leave the country and Tomas just found out about it at the last minute. After talking, Tomas and Leo agreed they should give each other a chance to grow separately. At the end of the day, they know they will be the person they’ll go home to.
One episode shows Leo introducing Tomas as his boyfriend and a manananggal. Tomas being afraid showed his appearance as a manananggal, and it turns out Leo’s family accepted him. Just like a manananggal, Tsambolero wanted to show that regardless of who and what you are, someone will accept you.
Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise is currently at its second volume with Episode 14 being the latest issue. This queer komik is free online on Penlab and physical copies are available at Psicom for only 420 pesos. Support Tsambolero’s work and read Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise now!
Careless x Confidential by logihy
Careless x Confidential is a webcomic about Florence Silva who suffers heartbreak right after she’s accepted at her dream company. She went out in the rain and met a stranger who listened to her rants. Thinking she will never see her again, she was confident to start on her first day on the job and meet their boss; it turns out, her boss is the stranger from that night.
Eugene, the President of ReminiScents Co., is portrayed as a woman who values her privacy. She immediately fires employees who violate their agreement. She is also addicted to gambling, making her assistant encourage her to date in order to be distracted from it.
There’s more to come as the author, Logihy, is currently working on the next volume. Get to know more about Florence and Eugene and how their relationship develops as a boss and employee! Started in October 2022, Careless x Confidential has now published Volume 1 with 8 chapters. Readers can browse this queer komik for free at Penlab and Webtoon!
Nang Mainlove Ako sa Isang Sakristan by Richard Mercado
This short BL komiks is about Francis and Didoy who are always looking at each other at church. After finding out they have mutual feelings, they kissed at the back of the chapel and were caught by their parents. Scared for what they are going to say, they escaped and went on a journey with neither having any plans.
Although it was only a five-part komiks, Richard Mercardo was able to show what the readers need to learn: the community will always have your back; you and your experiences are valid; and there will always be parents and guardians that will understand and accept you for who you are.
When Didoy and Francis escaped, they instantly went to a salon to borrow the keys of the tricycle of Didoy’s friend. One character said they experienced what Didoy and Francis are currently going through and they understand what they’re doing. This shows that the community will always help each other out because they have also gone down that path before.
Francis is a rich kid and Didoy, a sakristan, is unlike him. Even though they were different, they still related to each other’s experiences. They were both scared of what their parents are going to say about them being gay. They ran away but what comforted them is the fact that they are not alone. It’s enough to comfort their fears because they know that there is one person who understands and relates to them.
Lastly, there are still parents out there who will understand and accept you. Didoy and Francis were afraid of what their parents were going to say but it turns out, they accepted them. Father just wanted to understand Didoy and assure him that God will still love him for who he is and Francis’ mother is not angry that he is gay, she was just not comfortable handling situations like that since it was usually his late husband who was in charge of it.
The komik shows the journey of Didoy and Francis, starting from when they were scared of not being accepted until they were validated and understood by their parents. Support local creator Richard Mercado now and read this BL komiks for free at Penlab! His other works include Uy Si Crush, No Boyfriends Since Birth, and Moving On.
Sari-Sari Story by Kar Vic
The last recommended queer komiks is about Sean, Mon, and the mascot Dipper working at the Big Dipper’s Sari-Sari Mall. It shows the daily life of Sean and Mon where they show friendship, love, kilig, and hugot moments while working in the mall. The ongoing series currently has 26 episodes all available to read for free at Penlab.
It’s usually random happenings between Sean and Mon that Filipinos can relate to but at the same time, get their dose of kilig and hugot lines. If you’re looking for romance and a good laugh, try to read Kar Vic’s Sari-Sari Story on Facebook and Penlab! Physical copies are also available at Komiket for only 500 pesos.
Where to read for free?
Penlab is an online website that offers various komiks and graphic novels created by Filipino artists. Readers can also read at Webtoon, a South Korean webtoon platform that hosts webtoons and digital comics. Readers can browse through high-quality comics and join the community for free.
Support local creators now and read these queer komiks!
