Misanthrope and Sunshine are Neighbors
Title: To The Stars and Back
OEL and Other Webtoon/Comic Reviews
OEL Comic Review | Achilles and the Boy Next Door by Twoony
Title: Achilles and the Boy Next Door
Adrian Brent is a physical therapist. He does his best to keep a peaceful life of solitude, and not just because he’s an introvert. Adrian’s real identity is actually Achilles, the Greek warrior from legend. For whatever reason, Achilles hasn’t aged a single day and, as a result, has experienced all manner of history, both violent and peaceful. Tired of all of the loss that unending life comes along with, Achilles would love nothing more than to work, make money, and live a quiet life. But these plans go out the window when a new neighbor moves into Adrian’s building.
This new neighbor is none other than vibrant and extroverted social media influencer Harper Holmes. Adrian doesn’t know him, but many people do, which leads to all manner of people coming and disrupting the peace, whether it be obsessive fans or raucous party-goers. Whoever Harper is, Adrian is ready for him to move along so he can go back to his quiet life. But no matter how hard Adrian tries, he can’t seem to escape Harper and all of his chaos. After an unexpected wrist injury to Harper ignites Adrian’s medical inclinations, the two end up spending far more time together than Adrian would prefer.
Unfortunately for Adrian, as they spend more time together, he finds himself drawn into Harper’s orbit. But can a man who lives forever allow himself to be hurt by love’s brevity once again? More importantly, can Adrian figure out why it seems Harper can read his very thoughts?
OEL Comic Review | Pain Killer (PainKiller) by HamletMachine
Title: Pain Killer (sometimes stylized as PainKiller)
The world is overrun with monsters and there is a group of warriors designated to clear the surface. Juan is one of these warriors. He travels to the surface to fight these creatures, and while many of the monsters do exclusively want to kill and eat these warriors, many also want to dominate them. These monsters crave more than the taste of human flesh, and though Juan tries his best to fight them off, he finds himself in the throes of passion with these creatures.
Of course, he shouldn’t want it. He shouldn’t enjoy it. But after he’s rescued and integrated back into human society, can he ever forget the pleasure he experienced?
OEL Comic Review | Starfighter by HamletMachine
Title: Starfighter
A Navigator is given the name “Abel,” and he’s paired with a Fighter who is given the name “Cain.” They are part of the Federated Alliance Fleet, a military force that protects Earth and her colonies, including Mars, where Cain is from. As Navigator, Abel’s role is to pilot a ship through space, while Cain, the Fighter, acts as the gunman. The two have to work together, especially in this time of war with the looming threat of the Colterons, an alien race that seeks to take over Earth and her colonies, even if it means decimating all human life. However, Abel isn’t initially keen on pairing with Cain, as Cain starts their new partnership by biting Abel’s lips, leaving them scarred.
A scar, Cain says, proves that Abel is his.
Abel is thrown off and not sure their partnership is going to work, but even when he knows he should be hesitant around the unknown Fighter, he can’t help finding himself attracted by his dominance. Ultimately, after only knowing each other for a few hours, the two sleep together. What begins as nothing more than a physical relationship quickly develops into an emotional one, one that Abel is determined to protect while out on the battlefield. What Abel doesn’t know is that this relationship might not have started as randomly as he might have thought, and Cain doesn’t realize just how important Abel will be to him.
OEL Comic Review | Lucifer’s Garden by HamletMachine
Title: Lucifer's Garden
Elisah is an angel. But though he is an angel, he can’t help being drawn to the forbidden, specifically sex. He finds himself being drawn to the nude and lustful, which his fellow angel Gabriel chastises him for, trying to keep him in line. While out with his fellow angels, Elisah sees an apple, a vibrant red fruit. He’s drawn to the produce, but when he reaches for it, he’s captured, and his wings are clipped by devils from hell. He is then confined in a cage and chained, taken to a festival of physical pleasures, and presented as a gift to Moloch.
Moloch is initially disinterested until he sees that Elisah is an angel. Moloch fully intends to educate the broken angel on the pleasures of the flesh, sating his desires. And though Elisah has fought against these lustful wants, now that he is in hell, how could he possibly ignore the temptation?
OEL Comic Review | Bloom by Kevin Panetta
Title: Bloom
Aristotle, or Ari as he prefers to be called, is ready to leave his hometown. Unfortunately, his father is unwilling to let him go, as the small family bakery they own and run isn’t doing very well, and Ari is the only other person his parents can rely on. Ari has bigger dreams than being a baker, though. He and his friends are part of a band, and Ari wants nothing more than to move with them to the city and play music. But as it stands, it seems the only way for him to escape is if he can find someone to take his spot at his family’s bakery.
After many useless interviews, Ari finally meets Hector. Hector is in town to tie up his grandmother’s affairs, having put a pause on his schooling to do so. Unlike Ari, Hector loves to bake, and when Ari pulls him into the bakery, it’s clear that if anyone is going to be able to take over for Ari, it’s Hector. But as Ari begins to work alongside Hector, Ari finds himself enjoying working in the bakery again. The summer is hot, but the relationship between Ari and Hector is getting hotter.
OEL Comic Review | Obnoxious Hero-kun by Amanduur
Title: Obnoxious Hero-kun
Hiro is the perfect man, at least in his own mind. He has a slew of women vying for his attention, all of whom he dubs his “girlfriends.” He’s got it all except one thing: experience. While he is popular with the ladies, he has yet to take the next step with any of them. He hasn’t even kissed anyone yet! This is a well-kept secret… except from the aloof Takashi, one of Hiro’s classmates. Somehow, Takashi can see right through Hiro’s confident performance.
Hiro is determined to put Takashi in his place and ends up in a standoff with Takashi, daring Hiro to kiss him. This starts what Hiro sees as his ultimate high school friendship. After the kiss, Hiro finds himself watching Takashi all the time, in what he can only guess is admiration and the burgeoning flames of friendship. Meanwhile, Takashi seems all too keen to grow closer to Hiro in private but just as often pushes Hiro away. When Hiro discovers Takashi’s fetish gear collection, will this tie them closer together, or will it keep them apart?
OGL Comic Review | Star Collector by Anna Backhausen
Title: Star Collector
Fynn is far from a model student. He’d much rather spend his time smoking and lazing about than going to class, and he does so quite often. He is even less inclined to attend class when his girlfriend breaks up with him. She was very kind about it, but her reasoning has Fynn rather stumped. She implies he might be interested in other things, only being with her because it’s easier to go with the flow. He can’t imagine what other things that might be as he mourns the end of their relationship.
That is until he sees a guy with a telescope after spending a night on the nearby hillside to smoke. The young man is named Niko, a new student at his school. Fynn isn’t interested in the stars, but he is definitely into Niko. For the first time in a long time, Fynn makes a concerted effort to attend class, all because he wants to learn more about Niko. Can he draw Niko’s gaze away from the skies and onto him? More importantly, is his interest in Niko love or just curiosity?