Mary Cagle, also known as Cube Watermelon, is an American

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

artist known for creating ''Kiwi Blitz'', ''Let's Speak English'', and ''Sleepless Domain''.

Personal life

Cagle was raised in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

and developed a strong interest in Japanese pop-culture, including both older and more modern

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

. In 2013, Cagle graduated from the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

and became an English teacher at an elementary school in

Kurihara Kurihara City Hall is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,565, and a population density of 83 persons per km2 in 24,994 households. The total area of the city is . Parts of the city are with ...

, Japan. Cagle is asexual.

Works

''Kiwi Blitz''

In 2009, Cagle started the action/comedy webcomic ''Kiwi Blitz''. Its plot follows a couple of teenagers attempting to fight crime in the pseudo-near future. ''Kiwi Blitz'' draws many of its influences from anime, featuring Americanized Japanese

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

designs. Brian Cronin of ''

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' described the set-up of ''Kiwi Blitz'' as a "strong concept" that should be able to sustain itself for a long time. Praising the "interesting" cast, Cronin noted that Cagle is willing to "mix things up" so that story doesn't become stale. Lauren Davis of ''

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

'' listed ''Kiwi Blitz'' among her top ten

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

webcomics. The comic has been on hiatus since September 2021.

''Let's Speak English''

In November 2013, Cagle began illustrating her experiences of being an English teacher in Japan in the form of

slice-of-life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a character ...

snippets. The webcomic, titled ''Let's Speak English'', shows Cagle dealing with subjects such as Japanese pop-culture,

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popul ...

, thin walls, and the

language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages, or even dialects in some ...

. It has been compared to the Japanese manga

Yotsuba&! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of ''Azumanga Daioh''. It has been serialized since March 2003 in the monthly magazine '' Dengeki Daioh'' by ASCII Media Works, formerly MediaWorks, and has ...

due to their shared

elements. The comic concluded in 2016, with Mary moving back to America and ending her teaching job.

''Sleepless Domain''

Cagle started the webcomic ''Sleepless Domain'' in 2015. The story, set in a city that is invaded by malicious monsters on a nightly basis, features a group of

magical girl is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...

s and their interpersonal issues.

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachett ...

began publishing a French-language physical release of the comic in 2018. In 2019, ''Sleepless Domain'' was shortlisted for the eighth Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic. In 2020,

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as we ...

announced a print and

ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

release of the comic. In a review of the first collected volume, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' praised the comic for its darker take on the magical girl genre, noting its exploration of themes such as survivor's guilt, power, and exploitation.

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

described the comic as a tragic story about "loss of fellowship," also noting that the comic's darker themes are contrasted with Cagle's cute art style. ''Sleepless Domain'' was included in CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2022, with Brian Cronin praising the comic for its character work and art. ''Sleepless Domain'' has also been noted for its positive LGBTQ+ representation and themes. The LGBTQ+ culture website ''INTO'' included ''Sleepless Domain'' in its list of "10 Fabulous LGBTQ+ Magical Girl Comics for Queer Readers," noting the comic's sensitive handling of difficult subject matter and its unique premise. '' 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.

References

External links

* (''Let's Speak English'')
''Kiwi Blitz''

''Sleepless Domain''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagle, Mary 1989 births American webcomic creators American female comics artists Asexual women Female comics writers Living people Artists from Corpus Christi, Texas Savannah College of Art and Design alumni 21st-century American artists 21st-century American women artists Pseudonymous artists