''Nowhere Girl'' is an adult fiction

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 c ...

by Justine Shaw, about a "college student who feels like an outsider in her own life, finding her place in the world and coming to terms with her sexuality". It is named after a song written by British

futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abo ...

band B-Movie. Since its start in 2001, ''Nowhere Girl'' has won several awards. However, the comic has been retired in 2010.

Development

Inspirations include '' Love and Rockets'' by the

Hernandez brothers The Hernandez brothers, also known as Los Bros Hernandez, are the three American cartoonist brothers Mario (b. 1953), Gilbert (b. 1957), and Jaime Hernandez (b. 1959). The three were born in a Mexican-American family and grew up i ...

, and John Hughes films, especially ''

The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The ...

''. Additional influences include pop music singer Morrissey and music groups

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

(which was fronted by Morrisey) and

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex- Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times ...

. Although the comic is not autobiographical, issue two draws some material from the author's time spent working for an Internet start-up in

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

during the boom years, circa 1997–1999. The comic was originally planned to be in five parts, but only two of them have been completed thus far; plans to complete the comic have been shelved by the author, according to her website. Shaw has also contributed artwork to th
Star Wars Origins
website, which documents possible inspirations George Lucas drew from to create the '' Star Wars'' films.

Reception

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' has described the webcomic as "a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

that appeals to the clove-smoking, Nick Drake-loving art student in all of us." In 2003, ''Nowhere Girl'' received a nomination for an Eisner award in the "best new series" category, making it the first nomination of a Web comic. Shaw was nominated for "talent deserving of wider recognition". Also in 2003, ''Nowhere Girl'' was nominated for several categories in the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, eventually winning "Outstanding Comic", "Outstanding Website Design", "Outstanding Dramatic Comic" and "Outstanding Reality Comic".

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

stated that ''Nowhere Girl'' was important because the design of its pages worked well on the web, making the long-form webcomic more approachable.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.nowheregirl.com LGBT-related webcomics Long-form webcomics Web Cartoonists' Choice Award winners 2001 webcomic debuts 2000s webcomics