Graphic Novel Review - 'Daybreak, Vol. 1' by Moosopp

'They're crushing, there's chemistry, and they're totally clueless.'

Never has a concise blurb tagline been more accurate.

'Daybreak' is a webcomic about two high school seniors, Marcus and Cog, and their blossoming relationship. It's cute, adorable, wholesome, endearing, and frustrating, how neither of them would just be honest and confess their true feelings, when it is painfully obvious from the start that they really like each other. But teen anxieties and insecurities win out, and it's funnier and cuter this way, I guess?

Nah, I don't think so, but that's my personal preference; my stance against the trope of the long, drawn-out will-they-won't-they BS, in writing romantic relationships, when the couple in question getting together is a foregone conclusion and endgame 96% of the time. With very few exceptions, this type of relationship writing in fiction - the teasing, the noncommitment - is lazy, boring, and a waste of time, in my opinion. By the time the couple are together, at the merciful end of their story - or, frustrating you further, they still aren't together yet, or it's left ambiguous - it's not a satisfying conclusion, and you are either like "Ugh, FFS, finally!", or you're burned out in your investment, and you don't care anymore. It wasn't worth the wait.

But at least in 'Daybreak, Vol. 1' - the ongoing, coming-of-age webcomic so far - the love relationship between the two leads is sweet enough at whatever stage it's at.

Marcus and Cog are such interesting and three-dimensional main characters. Marcus is a tall sweetheart, a hugger, and a great cook (and he appears to have fangs, manga style...?), and Cog is shorter, grumpy, cool, laidback yet high strung at the same time, a bookworm and academic, and an aspiring actor. Hilarity, and misunderstandings, ensue between these barely-progressing, scared-to-advance-further, precious cinnamon roll lovebirds.

'Daybreak' really is like a much more comedic 'Heartstopper' and 'If You'll Have Me', and every slice-of-life high school manga ever. However, it's raises the bar higher than your average, standard manga set in a high school, and it is much funnier, cuter, lighter, and more colourful and heartwarming. And stars exclusively Black, Brown, Asian, and Muslim characters. And its LBGTQIA+ content is totally normalised. The diversity is so wonderful and refreshing, and treated as the perfectly normal and everyday way of life and humanity it is.

This isn't to say that 'Daybreak''s flaws can be overlooked, and its cuteness is able to eclipse them. Slow relationship progression between Marcus and Cog aside, they are the only characters given priority in focus and attention so far. With the exception of Cog's best friend Toma, every side character barely exists - I don't even think the names of the majority of them are yet known to the readers.

I suppose the cuteness and humour do win out at the end, though, as I still like 'Daybreak, Vol. 1'. I adore it's art, it's diversity, and Marcus and Cog, the clueless, unwilling queer-Black-boy couple of the century.

(One odd detail: Neither boy/enby appears to have parents.)

Diversity examples: Marcus is Black, trans, and has dreadlocks, Cog is Black, goes by he/him/they/them pronouns, and always wears a headband bonnet, Toma is Asian, and one of Marcus's friends wears a hijab and has vitiligo (I don't now her name, it's never stated, I'm sorry). No one is white. It's brilliant.

'Daybreak, Vol. 1' - I can't praise it enough for being cute and diverse AF. A lovely, hilarious, heart-melting, romantic POC and LBGTQIA+ webtoon.

Read it, and find yourself wishing for the MCs - for M and C - to hurry up and confess they like each other already! They're going out together like a couple anyway!

We'll have to wait, for them to be ready. For as long as it takes.

Hopefully it won't be too long!

Final Score: 3.5/5