Hey, are you in the mood for some darker reading? Do you have work that would fit the bill? Post your work here! Comics and novels welcome! If your work has some extreme elements (violence, NSFW, triggers) try to post warnings. Other than that, anything goes!
Last thing is to have fun!
Jan '21Aug '21
There are 73 replies with an estimated read time of 7 minutes.
No replies yet, so I'll go ahead.
Warnings:
Bleak situation
Heavy arguing
May not be suitable for those who have experienced domestic abuse (due to all the arguing)
There is violence/torture, rape, and craziness. Also, the world is "horny". Still, this isn't a feast of dark desires, rather, is the journey of a woman getting out of the darkness. It won't be easy, though.
My novel Jade Kingdoms fits the bill. Kindly be warned for domestic violence, severe mental health decline, suicidal thoughts/intent, psychosis, cultural abuse and PTSD. The full tag list in actually in my descriptions too. I would actually ask minors not to interact.
I respect someone who can write with darker elements and also try to protect the younger readers from said elements. I tip my hat to you.
Read your first chapter. The world building is really well done and the writing feels very atmospheric. It's not exactly my taste, but that's a me problem, not a your story problem. good work!
Thank you 
I did a rewrite of the story after a review on RR pointing out everything was a mess. I'm glad I improved my story.
I appreciate that thank you. 
My novel is loosely based on personal experience, and I wish no one to go through what I went through (especially kids). But if I can help someone that might be suffering is silence still, it is truly why I am sharing this. 
Dark story? Then I think Fingerprints is something for you.
I didn't post a lot yet. Tomorrow comes a new chapter 
A overall TW! for this Novel!!!
rape, depression, self-harm, strong language, toture, verbal abuse
I read your first chapter, and I can safely say that this is too scary for me. Your writing filled me with dread in a way that shows real talent for emoting. Sorry I'm too much of a wimp to go further, but know that you are good!
Dark? Well, my thing is a slow burn with emphasis on slow. Its starts off as a slightly melancholic slice of life with an air of oddness before becoming a psychological horror. But so far I'm still on my lightness for now
But it does get dark later on with eventually of Abuse, emotional manipulations and really messed up thought processes are some of the general things that will or eventually will happen. With a dash of descriptive bloody imagery.
I would have to edit the first few episodes on a later date once I write 80k words total. (right now my draft is at only 60k)
Here's my post-apocalyptic comic!!! It's about a world taken over by demons, and among them there is a demon slayer who roams around the deadlands with a taste for revenge. I add trigger warnings every episode just to be sure !!! Warning: Blood, gore, vulgar language, weapons!!!
((I'm really new to making comics))
I've been reading! Your art style is amazing! It reminds me of a lot of classic cartoons. really good stuff here.
I can say this, in only a few episodes I was already getting a feel of your characters. It kinda gave the feeling of being around your not so plesant relatives who are not a big fan of one another and I love it.
My personal preference for a story with a main plot line aside, if this was supposed to be a look and insight of your characters in a bleak world, you achieved it with flying colours. I might occasionally check up on it for when it gets a significant number of updates ready. Not my thing but a well done your thing. If I make sense. I will keep an eye on this
Reading your comic, and I have to say after one episode. (I'm still reading right now, your episodes are looooooong) This feels like is should be a animated. Even though you are new to comics it already shows alot of potential. As for dark content, maybe it just me but I see it more revarly ie "Fuck yeah" rather than dark. But that energy makes it unique among comics here especially with your style
Hello!
I'm almost done writing this one! Any feedback is also appreciated.
CW: depression, anxiety, violence, gore, suicide, drug use
Thanks so much for the feedback I really appreciate it !!! Later on in the story I'm actually planning to have more darker story lines but I'm still not there yet, but still thank you so much! Glad you like it!!
Your writing style is very compelling and the illustrations are beautiful. The world building is also worked in very naturally.
Here's mine. A good comic for those who like existential dread:
Thank you. I'm glad the world building didn't come off too awkward here, cus. Like I didn't want to give a long mandatory info dump on people(only when its optional and skipable)
I hope it can continue to be so.
Keep up your own work, as well
I dunno if I would call Nowhere, South Dakota dark so much as just realistic, but it's definitely bleaker than most BL-type webcomics.
TW: Domestic violence, alcoholism, casual homophobia, the prison industrial complex
Started reading your work, really liking it so far! The mood is set perfectly and kept really consistent. The characterizations are also just so good. seems like my wheelhouse.
Hey, this is really cool! Great job keeping a balance with the super saturated colors and exagarrated shapes, without it ever feeling overwhelming or confusing to look at. Same with the text, I love those exaggerated colorful words. Reminds me of Tank Girl in the best way. I've only read the first chapter, so can't say too much about the writing yet, but I'm definitely subscribing.
Been a while since I posted to one of these, so here it goes! My series "The Devil's Colt" definitely fits the bill. It's a dark fantasy series that blends action and romance with more light-hearted elements to create a blend of Western, Noire, and Japanese Seinen. It's a Grim-Dark universe, but with a satirical twist that gives it some light-hearted moments among the heavy sea of implied hopelessness that the series suggest in regards to the battle for ownership over the human race's immortal soul. (spoiler alert: there are no real good guys in this series. Moral ambiguity abound.)
TW: My biggest trigger warnings would be graphic violence and the occasional themes of depression and PTSD.
I read your comic. And... uh... that tuned into a binge-read really quickly. I love the art and I'm always looking for traditional stuff. I'm very invested!
Hey.
I read your story. It's very good. I like the atmosphere of Carol and the mysterious city. You do a really good job at describing your characters and showing and not telling, which brings the reader into wonder. Usually, I don't read novels, but the drawings you've added add a lot to the story and I like your color palette choice. The warm reds and purples add a sense of danger to the story as well as the red smog.
Nice work 
Oh, thank you. I just want more long slow burn mysteries in the world, I can barely find any on tapas (or any site really). So I'm glad I created a good atmosphere to keep it interesting.
Ooo I love dark stuff! I'll have to go through all of these.
My comic could fit the bill? I've been told by a few that it's pretty chill, but by most that it's a hard read, and I intended it to be kind of difficult. The story is a psychological drama about an awful people with awful issues, trauma and abuse. It's pretty much a character study, if anyone is looking for a story similar to As Good as it Gets, or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (Just slower, and more torturous)
Current CWs -cracks knuckles-: Abuse, mental illness, discussion of suicide, mild body horror, self-harm, trauma, implications of sexual assault, substance abuse, blood, violence, full-frontal nudity, profanity and queerphobia/slurs.
Attempted suicide, manipulation, attempted murder, mild gore, hospitals, severe injury and illness, implications and discussion of torture, discussion of sexual assault, discussion of characters being drugged.
Let me know if anyone wants specifics on the mental illnesses, I just did an umbrella thing because there is more than a couple.
Okay read your work and although I was first turned off from the it being pictures taken of the comic rather than uploaded making it seem amateurish. I was sooooo wrong , you put alot of effort in the traditional medium I'm impress how far you went with the medium of paper and coloured pencils. Popup, flip books I can only imagine how long it took. As for the story its melancholiac and feels almost personal. I love it. keep it up
Thank you.
My comic is done in a Sketchbook to keep myself organized. Unfortunately, I have tried and it does not fit in a scanner, so I am trying extra hard to take good pictures in natural lighting, with as little distractions as possible, which is why I'm going back and retaking photos for some pages. It is time consuming, but I do not mind because art is fun, and when you're having fun, you don't notice.
I'm also surprised I got this far. I am nearing my first anniversary on tapas, and had to restart my comic three times. Thankfully, I think I have found something that works for me, and it is something I want to continue for a long time. I'm glad it feels personal to you, and you like the art style.
Take care and thanks a lot for your kind words.
mine a post apocalyptic scifi fantasy where the world is dying and the only hope may be in the hands of ones once made to destroy, there is violence ,and mature subject matter
https://tapas.io/episode/6488883
