by: @SchtickySchmidt

Whether you’re a diehard fan or you simply had to read one or two of his works in high school, odds are that you’re familiar with Edgar Allen Poe. From “The Raven” to “The Cask of Amontillado” to “The Pit and the Pendulum,” Poe is a favored writer to those who enjoy the dark, twisted, and eerie. If this includes you like it includes me, let me tell you a little about the webcomic known as Nevermore.

Nevermore is a supernatural romance comic on the platform WEBTOON; created by Kate Flynn and Kit Trace. There is nothing certain about what comes after death, and Lenore and Annabel Lee are surprised to find themselves washed upon the shores outside of Nevermore Academy. They quickly come to learn that they’ve died, and Nevermore Academy acts as a between state where recently deceased souls go with not only the hopes of graduating but to gain a second chance at life. Between harrowing exams, sinister-seeming deans, and conniving fellow students, Lenore and Annabel Lee have a lot to contend with. Luckily, they have each other. And as they move through their spooky first semester, they realize they’ve had each other for a very long time. 

Nevermore sparked my interest the minute it popped up on my WEBTOON homepage. For one thing, the art style is absolutely gorgeous. The heavy lines, the contrasting imagery, the sparing but rich and meaningful use of color, the expressive faces, the distinctive darker upper lip on the female characters, and the diverse character designs all come together to create something captivating. The thumbnail image of Annabel Lee and Lenore is simple and soft– two girls, tied together by fate, sharing a shy look that says a lot in so little space. The header image though– that was the selling point. The deceivingly sweet romance in the thumbnail is traded in for something that seems much more haunting. The black and white motif of the two girls is turned up as Annabel Lee looms over a chessboard, her face twisted into something calculated, almost wicked. Lenore is on the board, walking towards her, her face uncertain. This told me so much about the dynamic I was about to dive into. 

There is love here, but there is more boiling under the surface. The tension between these two is layers deep and complicated. Lenore is a headstrong, compassionate, and effortlessly charismatic but unwilling heroine. She doesn’t want to be a leader, but it’s clear that she was born to be. People flock to her because she gives a voice to the voiceless. She’s a rebel through and through. Her uncertainty comes from a lack of confidence in herself, and she is held back by conflicting loyalties. Annabel Lee, on the other hand, is impossible to pin down. She is capable of such profound moments of sentimentality, but is always presenting herself as cold and indifferent. You’ll find yourself wondering which is her real face, but you’ll also realize how obvious the answer is. She is wearing her heart on her sleeve, literally, but it is not just any heart. Annabel Lee is driven, determined, and has the kind of devotion that runs to the roots but it is for one person and one person alone. One feels for all, and one feels for one. This creates something that is impossible to look away from.

The ways in which Poe’s works inspire and guide the story of Nevermore provides an exciting element of connection. The story Flynn and Trace is telling is entirely their own, but they are using Poe’s work as a roadmap. While Annabel Lee’s allusion might be more obvious, other characters aren’t so easy to place. The names are more obscure or their origins don’t seem to align with any one story completely. Unraveling that lore is a delight of the series. Recently, a certain fan favorite secondary character had their origins revealed, and it was one of my favorite chapters to date. The care and precision the creators have put into crafting this world is so evident, and it’s not just the well-versed Poe fans that can see that. It’s in every stroke of the pages. It’s almost a love letter to Poe, and to the way he wrote about romance, pining, betrayal, guilt, and grief. Something a lot of horror fans love is that horror is often just an outlet for intense feelings. Love is often gutteral, ugly, and selfish. It can create monsters. And sometimes grief is beautiful. Aching sadness and longing and lonliness–all of these things lend to some of the greatest horror stories ever told. I think Nevermore is using those themes brilliantly. Annabel Lee and Lenore haunt each other. They pine for each other in a way that is sort of grisly, and it’s just as lovely as it is gruesome. I especially think this is something that resonates with the large sapphic following the comic has. 

And it isn’t just Annabel Lee and Lenore that the reader roots for (or wish to see get what they deserve–whatever that may mean.) Flynn and Trace also have a network of other characters to charm and entertain their audience. Lenore has a lovable band of misfits who find solace and family in each other in the unfortunate situation they find themselves in. Annabel Lee, however, heads a group of ruthless and malicious antagonists. But both groups are fascinating to watch. I want to see Lenore’s group succeed and be happy, for them to all somehow make it through this together. I want to see Annabel Lee’s group reap what they sew. I love to hate them. I love feeling viscerally over these characters, even when it’s not in a positive way. That’s something I value in the media I consume. If I can feel for your character enough to truly hate them, to watch every move they make and wonder when it’ll all catch up to them, you’ve crafted a strong character. Every character in this comic has something unique to watch them for. And their uniqueness is important to the story. Every ghost in Nevermore Academy has the ability to transform into a “spectre” and that spectre is specific to every one person. This is something else the readers of the comic get to theorize on and anticipate as they move through the story. We’re introduced to the idea of the spectre early on, and it plays an integral part in learning about and understanding the characters and their motivations. It provides some deeply satsifyng and cathartic moments. I’m excited to see more of those moments as they come. 

All of these elements, combined with the twisting and unraveling of the over-arching plot, come together to create something truly special. While I’ve always been a huge reader, I don’t tend to reread things. Nevermore isn’t even finished yet, and I’ve reread it twice. There’s always something to take note of–something to come back to. There’s mystery to be solved and there’s pieces to connect. Annabel Lee and Lenore are remembering their mortal lives in a nonparallel way– similar to how River Song and The Doctor experience their love story on Doctor Who. The audience is anticipating the moment where those lines are going to meet, and we’ll see the whole picture once and for all. What will that mean for their relationship as it is in the purgatorial state they exist in now? What will it reveal to us about who they are? And of course, there’s the question of what Nevermore Academy is exactly and why these people are there? Who are the Deans? Is this what death is for everyone? It’s exciting to have all of these things build up, and I trust the creators to deliver us these answers in a poignant and appropriate way. 

Nevermore is the highlight of my Thursday nights. I recommend it to all my friends, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something they can truly escape into. I think there’s something there for everyone; gothic romance, lesbian pining, interesting and morally complicated characters, suspense. It’s lavish, full of allure, and just so damn entrancing. I can’t wait to see where Flynn and Trace, aka Flynn and Red, take this story, and I will continue to watch their careers as the years pass. They’ve inspired me to run with my own passions, and I’m very thankful for that and for Nevermore. And I’m not alone in this appreciation. This series has inspired beautiful fan art, cosplay, and fan fiction. It’s grown its own community, and that’s well deserved. They’ve crafted something wonderful and spellbinding, and I implore everyone to check out Nevermore on the WEBTOON site and app. 

Find the creators here for updates HERE