Sleepless Domain

Last updated

Sleepless Domain
Sleepless Domain - Book One, The Price of Magic.png
Cover of the first print volume, featuring Undine (center) surrounded by her teammates
Author(s) Mary Cagle
Website http://www.sleeplessdomain.com/
Current status/scheduleActive
Launch dateApril 6, 2015 (2015-04-06)
Publisher(s)
Genre(s) Magical Girl [1]
Original languageEnglish
Rating(s)Teen (13+)

Sleepless Domain is an ongoing American webcomic and graphic novel series created by Mary Cagle and published by Hiveworks. It has been serialized online since April 6, 2015, with its chapters collected into two print volumes as of 2024. The series is set in a secluded city perpetually threatened by monsters, where young women known as magical girls are tasked with defending the population. The story centers on Undine Wells, a reserved member of a popular magical girl team, who must find a way to move forward after a devastating attack leaves her as the sole survivor of her team.

Contents

The comic has garnered attention for its character development, subversion of traditional magical girl tropes, and exploration of complex themes such as grief, trauma, and the pressures faced by young heroines. Sleepless Domain has been nominated for the Cartoonist Studio Prize, and has been published in print in both English and French.

Synopsis

Setting

Sleepless Domain is set in a nameless and isolated city that is regularly besieged by monsters. During the day, the city is protected by a magical barrier that prevents the monsters from entering. However, each night between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., this barrier is lowered, and the monsters are free to roam the city. In order to protect citizens during these hours, the city is home to a large number of magical girls, young women who are granted magical powers to combat the monsters.

Within the city, magical girls are regarded by the public as celebrities. Popular magical girls are often followed by camera crews while on duty and have their fights televised during the day. Many magical girls choose to monetize their popularity through sponsorships, brand deals, and officially licensed merchandise. Magical girls are also encouraged, though not required, to register with the Board of Magical Girls, a government agency that oversees magical girl activity within the city. The city provides various benefits to girls who choose to register, including access to counseling and admission to the exclusive Future's Promise School for Magical Girls.

Plot

The story initially follows Team Alchemical, an established group of five magical girls themed after the classical elements. The team is led by Tessa, who is the most powerful member of the group with the ability to control aether; the other members of the team include Undine, Sylvia, Sally, and Gwen. While on patrol one night, however, the team is ambushed by a powerful monster, resulting in the deaths of Sylvia, Sally, and Gwen. Tessa sacrifices her powers in order to save Undine's life, leaving Undine as the sole surviving member of the team. Following the tragedy, Undine is left to cope with the loss of her friends. At Tessa's urging, she begins to looks for a new team to join, initially to no avail. At the same time, Undine attempts to investigate the circumstances of the attack that killed her friends.

Characters

Undine Wells / Alchemical Water
Undine Wells is the main protagonist of the series and a magical girl with the ability to manipulate water. She is portrayed as soft-spoken and compassionate, always willing to help others, often at the expense of her own well-being. [2] Originally a member of Team Alchemical, Undine grapples with self-doubt and survivor's guilt after a monster attack leaves her as the sole survivor of her team. She is reserved and introverted, often bottling up her emotions to focus on her duties and avoid confronting her trauma. [2] Over time, she forms a bond and eventual romantic relationship with Heartful Punch, another magical girl who supports her through her grief and recovery.
Heartful Punch / Kokoro Aichi
Heartful Punch (HP) is a popular magical girl within the city, who has achieved success despite choosing to work independently rather than join a team. She is energetic and outgoing, and is passionate about helping others. She supports Undine after the loss of her team, helping her rebuild her confidence and forming a close friendship that gradually develops into a romantic partnership. HP eventually reveals that her powers were inherited from her mother, a former magical girl who lost her powers after giving birth. This loss left her unable to protect her family from a monster attack that ultimately killed her and her parents.
Tessa Quinn / Alchemical Aether
Tessa Quinn is the former leader of Team Alchemical. A major character in the story, she is Undine's best friend and later her rival. Initially, she appears as a strong and assertive magical girl with the ability to manipulate raw magical energy. After choosing to sit out a patrol, Tessa's team is attacked by a powerful monster, resulting in the deaths of three of her teammates. The fourth, Undine, is mortally wounded when Tessa arrives, forcing her to sacrifice her own powers to save Undine's life. Without her powers, Tessa transfers from Future's Promise to a public school. Though she manages to make a few friends, however, after the tragedy of that day, she began to feel guilty towards her former teammates, and was driven to the brink by a complex web of emotions, various events, and despair. Then, a month after the tragic deaths of her three teammates, the guilt and depression she had felt since that day, combined with the whispers from the Goops, caused Tessa changes completely into a cold-hearted person.
Zoe Blecher
Zoe Blecher is a new magical girl who has gained her powers shortly before the start of the series. She has long aspired to become a magical girl but now struggles with the pressures and expectations associated with the role.
Rue Bahia
Rue Bahia is an unregistered magical girl who attends the same public school as Tessa. She is cynical and rebellious, and critical of the city's treatment of magical girls.

Production

Development

Sleepless Domain was initially conceived in 2012 by Mary Cagle, previously known for her webcomic Kiwi Blitz . While initially pitched as a "magical girl elimination reality show" similar to Survivor , the final comic deviated significantly from this concept. [3] Cagle has cited Puella Magi Madoka Magica as an influence on the comic's themes, but also expressed a desire to explore the idea of recovery and moving on from tragedy. [4]

The comic was publicly announced on July 29, 2014, under the working title Umbra Rising. [5] Following further development, it was rebranded as Sleepless Domain in order to better align with the series' concept. [6]

The first page of the comic was officially published online on April 6, 2015. Initially, Oscar Vega was the primary artist, but after his departure from Hiveworks in late 2015, Mary Cagle assumed both writing and artistic duties. [7] Cagle's transition to the role of primary artist marked a shift in the visual style of the comic. [2] Starting in early 2021, Cagle has also worked with background artists to assist with the comic's art.

Publication history

The webcomic has been serialized online since its debut in 2015. In 2018, Hachette Livre began publishing a French-language print edition of the comic. [8] Seven Seas Entertainment followed with an English print edition and ebook release in 2021. [9] [10] The print editions also include additional concept art and commentary not available in the webcomic. [11]

Reception

Critical reception

Sleepless Domain has been recognized by critics for its innovative take on the magical girl genre and its exploration of complex themes including grief and trauma. The comic's art style has also been highlighted for the contrast between its "cute" aesthetic and the more mature themes that the story addresses. [11] [12] [13] Publishers Weekly called the series a "sinister flip side to the oft-sweet magical girl genre," and praised its exploration of survivor's guilt, power dynamics, and exploitation. [11] Kotaku also noted the contrast between its light-hearted art style and its somber themes, describing it as a tragic story about "loss of fellowship." [12] Sleepless Domain was included in CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2022, which highlighted the comic's art and character work. [14]

Sleepless Domain has also been noted for its positive LGBTQ+ representation and themes. The queer magazine INTO included Sleepless Domain in its list of "10 Fabulous LGBTQ+ Magical Girl Comics for Queer Readers," noting the comic's unique premise and its handling of sensitive topics. [15] Dahlia Adler's LGBTQ Reads also recommended the comic for its LGBTQ-friendly world and characters, calling it "refreshing" that the characters' LGBTQ+ identities are accepted and normalized within the story. [16]

Sleepless Domain has been compared to other magical girl series that feature dark themes, including Puella Magi Madoka Magica , Magical Girl Raising Project , and Yuki Yuna is a Hero . [13] [17] ComicsXF compared Sleepless Domain favorably to other dark magical girl stories regarding its portrayal of sensitive topics, noting that rather than glamorizing the characters' trauma, the comic emphasizes healthy coping mechanisms and the importance of finding support. [18] Another critic described the series' tone as being "very much informed by" more deconstructive magical girl series while at the same time "not trying to be one. It's set in a world where bad stuff happens, but it resists the urge to be grim and chooses to be genuine and heartfelt instead." [2]

Awards and nominations

In 2019, Sleepless Domain was shortlisted for the eighth Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False protagonist</span> Literary technique

In fiction, a false protagonist is a literary technique, often used to make the plot more jarring or more memorable by fooling the audience's preconceptions, that constructs a character who the audience assumes is the protagonist but is later revealed not to be.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Undine</span> European folklore beings associated with water

Undines are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern literature and art through such adaptations as Danish Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 "The Little Mermaid" and the 1811 novella Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsa Bloodstone</span> Fictional character in comic books by Marvel Comics

Elsa Bloodstone is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, the character first appeared in Bloodstone #1. Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of the previously established Marvel Universe character Ulysses Bloodstone and the sister of Cullen Bloodstone. She has been a member of Nextwave, Midnight Sons, and Fearless Defenders.

<i>Gunnerkrigg Court</i> Science-fantasy webcomic started in 2005

Gunnerkrigg Court is a science-fantasy webcomic created by Tom Siddell and launched in April 2005. It is updated online three days a week, and eight volumes of the still continuing comic have been published in print format by Archaia Studios Press and Titan Books. The comic has been critically acclaimed and has won numerous Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, as well as receiving positive reviews for its artwork and storytelling.

Mary Cagle, also known as Cube Watermelon, is an American webcomic artist known for creating Kiwi Blitz, Let's Speak English, and Sleepless Domain.

<i>Skin Deep</i> (webcomic)

Skin Deep is a fantasy webcomic series written and drawn by Missourian Kory Bing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magical girl</span> Genre of anime and manga

Magical girl is a subgenre of primarily Japanese fantasy media centered on young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transform.

The Meek is a fantasy webcomic written and illustrated by Der-shing Helmer since 2008. Taking place in a fantasy world, The Meek focuses on protagonist Angora, a young girl with a magical ability to control plants, as she is trying to reach a place she refers to as "the center". However, The Meek follows multiple narratives with several different characters from across the world. Each chapter separately follows one of these narratives.

Although, traditionally, female comics creators have long been a minority in the industry, they have made a notable impact since the very beginning, and more and more female artists are getting recognition along with the maturing of the medium. Women creators have worked in every genre, from superheroes to romance, westerns to war, crime to horror.

<i>Puella Magi Madoka Magica</i> (film series) Japanese anime film series

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie is a series of Japanese anime films produced by Aniplex and Shaft based on the titular 2011 anime television series. The first two films, Beginnings and Eternal, were released in October 2012 and serve as a recap of the television series with redone voice acting and newly animated footage. The third film, Rebellion, is an all-new original work, and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2013.

<i>Never Satisfied</i> Fantasy webcomic by Taylor Robin

Never Satisfied is a webcomic by Taylor Robin that began in 2015. Following the teenage magician apprentice Lucy, Never Satisfied presents a group of young people competing to become their city's magical representative. Robin's webcomic has been praised for featuring a varied LGBT cast, as each character has a different ethnicity, body type, and color palette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender and webcomics</span> Webcomics are primarily created by women and gender-variant people

In contrast with mainstream American comics, webcomics are primarily written and drawn by women and gender variant people. Because of the self-published nature of webcomics, the internet has become a successful platform for social commentary, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) expression.

<i>Magical Girl Site</i> Japanese manga series

Magical Girl Site is a Japanese magical girl manga series written and illustrated by Kentarō Satō. It is a spin-off of Magical Girl Apocalypse. The series is about a severely tormented, abused and suicidal high school student named Aya, who gains the ability to become a magical girl through a mysterious website. She soon finds friends, who are also magical girls like herself, that provide her strength. Aya and her friends also face enemies. The series becomes a climactic race for Aya because she must keep herself and her friends alive. It was serialized on Akita Shoten's Champion Tap! website from July 2013 to October 2017 and later in the shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from October 2017 to August 2019, with its chapters collected in sixteen tankōbon volumes. The manga is licensed for English release in North America by Seven Seas. An anime television series adaptation produced by production doA aired from April to June 2018.

Notable events of 2015 in webcomics.

<i>Stand Still, Stay Silent</i>

Stand Still, Stay Silent is a Finnish-Swedish webcomic started by Minna Sundberg, which ran 2013–2022. Set in post-apocalyptic Scandinavia, the webcomic incorporates Norse mythology, focusing on an adventure into the external "silent world". Reviewers have praised it for its beautiful visuals and cartography. It received a Reuben Award in the "Online Long Form" category in 2015.

Brianne Drouhard is a United States author, artist, director, and animator, known for her book Billie the Unicorn and her webcomic, Harpy Gee. Drouhard has been involved in animation since 2004, when she was a character designer for the Teen Titans TV series. Her current projects include the upcoming Golden Axe show, Harpy Gee and Boom! Studios' Mega Princess.

Snarlbear is a 2012 webcomic by Natalie Riess. It follows the adventures of a teenage girl who is transported to a fantasy world, where she becomes a monster hunter.

<i>Agents of the Realm</i> Webcomic by Mildred Louis

Agents of the Realm is a webcomic by Mildred Louis. Started in 2014, it follows the adventures of five women new to university who become magical girls and must protect this world and as well as another dimension. Agents of the Realm was shortlisted for a Cartoonist Studio Prize in the category "Best Web Comic" of 2017.

<i>Namesake</i> (webcomic) Fantasy webcomic

Namesake is a fantasy webcomic by Megan Lavey-Heaton and Isabelle Melançon. In Namesake, many worlds from other works of fiction are real parallel universes, and people with certain names can travel to certain worlds.

References

  1. ↑ "Sleepless Domain". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 MacDonald, Peter (February 20, 2017). "The Webcomics Ouevre of Mary Cagle". The Young Curmudgeon. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  3. ↑ Cagle, Mary (October 26, 2021). Sleepless Domain: The Price of Magic. Seven Seas Entertainment. p. 129. ISBN   978-1-64827-650-7.
  4. ↑ Cagle, Mary [@cubewatermelon] (December 17, 2019). "There's an element of that, yeah. Madoka's one of a lot of stories that ultimately becomes about Undoing the Bad Thing, which is compelling! But I also wanted to explore a character having to actually move on because it can't be undone" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ SLEEPLESS DOMAIN (July 29, 2014). "We at Hiveworks are proud to announce our latest..." Tumblr . Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  6. ↑ SLEEPLESS DOMAIN (January 2, 2015). "Greeting everyone! Sorry that things have been..." Tumblr . Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ Cagle, Mary (November 5, 2015). "IMPORTANT". Sleepless Domain. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Robinson, une nouvelle collection de bandes dessinées en partenariat avec Hiveworks". hachette.fr (in French). Hachette Livre. May 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Seven Seas and Hiveworks Comics Join Forces to Bring Webcomics to Bookstores". Seven Seas Entertainment. December 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi (December 22, 2020). "Hiveworks teams with Seven Seas Entertainment for print editions". The Beat . Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "The Price of Magic (Sleepless Domain #1) by Mary Cagle". Publishers Weekly . October 6, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Davis, Lauren (October 9, 2016). "What Happens To A Magical Girl After She Loses Her Team?". Kotaku Australia . Archived from the original on October 10, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Nic (November 23, 2021). "Sleepless Domain, Book One: The Price of Magic – No Flying No Tights". No Flying, No Tights.
  14. ↑ Cronan, Brian (January 1, 2023). "CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2022". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  15. ↑ Pennington, Latonya (November 3, 2022). "10 Fabulous LGBTQ+ Magical Girl Comics for Queer Readers". INTO. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  16. ↑ Adler, Dahlia (August 15, 2018). "Guest Recs From Erin Ptah: LGBQ+ Webcomics With No Romance". LGBTQ Reads. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  17. ↑ Bullock, Lauren (September 13, 2017). "Marginalia: 10 Comics That Star Literal Brown and #BlackGirlMagic". Black Nerd Problems. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  18. ↑ Pennington, Latonya (March 10, 2022). "Magical Girls Abound in This Webcomic Roundup". ComicsXF. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Cartoonist Studio Prize: The Shortlists". Slate . April 13, 2020. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.