A 2014 Webcomic by Philip Rice set in a World of Weirdness full of superheroes, aliens, and vampires. The comic takes elements of genre fiction and plays them as everyday and ordinary, such as civilians carrying on a mundane conversation while two superhumans duke it out in the streets, a Thark waiter on a neo-colonized Mars, and a National Registry for Vampires.
The story, such as it is so far, follows a green-skinned Martian teenager named Marcia Jakk who seems to be developing uncontrolled psychic powers. The comic has taken breaks to additionally follow a red-skinned Martian warrior-woman named Tala who works for the US government despite seemingly hating Earth-culture; and Dr. Phillip Craft, a No Celebrities Were Harmed expy of H.P. Lovecraft, whose collection of books suggest that the Cthulhu Mythos is canon within the comic.
Tropes
- All Myths Are True: Thor, Skadi, and Herakles are mentioned. Marcia's friend Dove identifies as part Angel, despite also being an atheist. This sparks an argument about the nature of the Judeo-Christian God in a universe where all gods are real.
- Art Shift: In fewer than 30 pages, the comic has already gone through at least three distinct styles, from bright and cartoony, to scratchy outlines and soft shading, to heavily crosshatched.
- Canon Welding: Like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Side Real seems to be doing this with various early depictions of Mars in science fiction, from Burrough's Barsoom series to A Martian Odyssey by Stanley Weinbaum. In addition, tomes from the Cthulhu Mythos, the Middle Earth saga, The Illuminatus! Trilogy and Gargoyles are seen in Dr. Phillip Craft's library.
- Crossover Cosmology: An argument is made about whether or not the very real-in Universe Christian God counts as a god if Thor doesn't.
- Public Domain Character: Sir Francis Varney from Varney the Vampire makes an appearance as Marcia's new neighbour.
