For all my fellow sapphic Swifties, this has been a roller coaster of a time. The U.S. leg of the Taylor Swift's Era's Tour is ending, but we did get an announcement of 1989 Taylor's Version releasing later this year. Even with the news, the ending feels like an end of a...well, era. Many of us went to the tour, spent countless hours watching videos on Tiktok, and recounted the various tour drama with our friends. It was a unifying Swiftie moment in time. I have the collection of friendship bracelets to prove it. If you, like me, are having an Eras Tour hangover, this list may provide you with a balm for those feelings. Perhaps at least, it may provide you with a little drama to tide you over until 1989 is released again.
Here are 5 sapphic webcomics you can read for free on the Webtoons app if you are missing the Taylor Swift Era's Tour:
If you are in your Folklore era where you are finding yourself feeling moody and broody, connecting to soft lyrical phrases, and staring out rainy windows, then you are ready to read the sapphic story of Nevermore. Nevermore is an Edger Allen Poe-inspired tale of two women that wake up on a beach with no memories of who they are, forced to survive in a land of monsters. They discover an academy full of secrets, while discovering that there may be something a lot like love between them as. It is dark academia mystery-and, of course, an absolutely enthralling sapphic romance. Put the Folklore album on loop during a rainy day and settle in for this gorgeous read.
If you are in your Fearless era, you are probably listening to sweet love songs in the summer. You may be walking through gentle rain storms or running your hand along wheat fields in a white dress. Almost definitely you are pining. The perfect read for a good pining story is Office Talk. In this lovely slice of life comic, Selma and Lin are two women who work in different departments at a large corporation who have crushes on each other. That is obvious to everyone but them. The story follows both women as they mutually pine and struggle with the relatable sapphic experience of not knowing how to act on those feelings. It is a gentle comic with a lot of heart and some fun meddling coworkers. If you want a slow burn with low angst and high adorable qualities, Office Talk is the comic for you.
If you are in your Speak Now era, you are getting the last word, always prepared for revenge, and not letting yourself be pushed around. You are not the person to be messed with, and you will let other people know it. The perfect sapphic tale for you is Winter Before Spring. In this story, Hana struggles with intense bullying at school that is making her life hell. That all begins to change when she meets a girl in school who starts to stand up for her... a girl who might become more to her than just a very pretty friend. Winter Before Spring is a hard read, but a lovely one. Note the trigger warnings provided throughout the comic as the author is good at providing them, but the strongest ones are for intense physical and psychological bullying, especially early on in the story. However, if you are able to read the story, it is worthwhile for the lovely way it tells the tale of a girl learning to find her own Speak Now voice through the power of sapphic love.
If you are in your Reputation era, you are ready to slay. You are prepared to fight your enemies, and you don't care what other people think of you. You are powerful. Yet inside there is a sweet core for those who you let past your strong walls. The perfect story for you is Eldritch Darling, the story of a women-loving-women power eldritch monster who just wants to love her girlfriend-and also possible destroy anything that might prevent that love. It is an adorable slice of life comic, with cute pink-infused art about a cosmic horror. It is a delightful story that is so much fun and worth it for those who want something to make your leather-wearing Reputation hearts melt.
If you are in your Lover era, you are ready to put on your pink dresses and talk about forever. You still have a lot of anxiety about whether things can last, but you hope they do. The story of two girls growing up from childhood friends to lovers with help will be a soothing balm for your soul that might ask the question, "who would stay?" Isa and Dora are both fully realized characters, and their love story is one for the ages. You are going to want it in your life.
Ultimately, we are likely to travel through each of these eras at some point in our lives-many times most likely. Which means we will all need many stories to carry us through. Luckily, more sapphic stories are being added to the world every day, which means the amount of stories of women loving women we have for each era of our lives continues to grow. I know I count myself lucky to be going through my own life transitions during a period where that is true, and I hope you do as well.
Chris Ceary (she/they) is a psychology professor by day and a reviewer of all things queer media by night. They host the podcast Thirsty on Toon, which covers queer indie and small press media, as well as the podcasts Gotham Outsiders and Talking Comics. Chris can be found screaming about their latest reads across various social media sites linked at linktree.com/themythofpsyche
