Webcomic Spotlight: Bedtime Stories for Strangers

Webcomic Spotlight: Bedtime Stories for Strangers

Creator: Kristin Tipping
Publisher: Tapas

Review by Anelise Farris

Bedtime Stories for Strangers is a webcomic that is pitched as “comics for the incurably melancholy and perpetually unnerved.” When I read this, I knew this was a webcomic for me, and I am happy to say that I was 100% right. There are fourteen episodes in Bedtime Stories for Strangers, ranging from 2015 to 2017, and if you’re a fan of texts like Deep Dark Fears and PostSecret, then Tipping’s webcomic will definitely be to your liking.

Episode 1, “Scary,” follows a child who is in tune with darkness, always feeling threatened by some impending doom. At a sleepover telling scary stories, the child realizes her calling. And it’s beautiful. Right away, with this first episode, I was impressed by Tipping’s storytelling and her art. There is a whimsical flow to the illustrations, and the solid silhouettes in “Scary,” shaded with pinks and reds, are surprisingly creepy.

Other episodes in Bedtime Stories for Strangers also include movement, equally compelling characters, and a plethora of adorable, heart-wrenching animals. The “how to human” series is my favorite (rivaled only by the ones with the aforementioned heart-wrenching animals). I often think I’m a fairy changeling, like the potentially non-human beings, and I definitely think I’m a “cloud of tangled thoughts” 100% of the time. To mention a few others, “The comic for sad pets,” broke my heart, and even if you’re not an animal person (shame!), everyone can relate to “Morning Thoughts.”

Honestly, although I’ve only highlighted a few here, each of the episodes in Bedtime Stories for Strangers are well worth your time. All of Tipping’s episodes showcase an impressive range of styles and a great economy of language.

Verdict: Read it.

Some are darker than others, but all the episodes in Kristin Tipping’s webcomic Bedtime Stories for Strangers are masterful, and even the shortest ones have a haunting resonance.