The Hazards of Love
is a web comic about a nonbinary teen from Queens who is tricked into giving up their life by a magical creature and gets dragged into a surreal place called Bright World, where humans are classified as "edible" and "inedible." Now they have to figure out a way to get back home while doing their best to avoid dying.
The comic style is one of urban fantasy with a touch of horror, with a primarily Latinx cast. It is heavily influenced by 60s movies from Mexico and Mexican gothic horror.
The web comic is the latest by Stan Stanley, creator of Friendly Hostility and Other People's Business. The comic is not in the same universe as the creator's previous comics.
In March, 2021 the first twelve issues were collected and published by Oni Press in The Hazards of Love: Bright World
No connection to the album of the same name by The Decemberists.
Tropes used by this web comic:
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Well more like "All Girls Want Bad Kids", but it's subverted. In the prologue Amparo's love interest, Iolanthe, isn't uninterested due to their gender, but is instead unsure because of their "bad kid" reputation. It isn't until Amparo's life is taken over by a magical cat and their personality and behavior makes a complete 180 that Iolanthe seems to be comfortable with the idea of dating them.
- Black and Nerdy: Iolanthe is an excellent example of this trope.
- Cast Full of Gay: At least half of the main cast seems to be LGBTQ of one kind or another.
- Cats Are Mean: Amparo not knowing this trope got them in this situation in the first place.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The denizens of Bright World seem to be friendly enough, but won't hesitate to consume or treat humans as property/pets.
- Evil Mentor: El Ciervo seems to be shaping up to be this.
- Intangible Theft: This occurs to the protagonist in the prologue of the story.
- Manipulative Bastard: El Ciervo. Possibly also Rafael.
- Non-Malicious Monster: Most of the denizens of Bright World seem to be this.
- Relationship Upgrade: Amparo and Iolanthe get this after the cat steals Amparo's name and life.
- The Nameless/Name Amnesia: The protagonist until they are given various names to replace the one they lost.
- Tsundere: Juliana could be considered this, though it seems to be a self-defense mechanism more than anything.
