Agents of the Realm

Agents of the Realm is a webcomic by Mildred Louis. Running since 2014, it follows the adventures of five women new to university who become magical girls and must protect this world and as well as another dimension. Agents of the Realm was shortlisted for a Cartoonist Studio Prize in the category "Best Web Comic" of 2017.

Agents of the Realm
Cover for Agents of the Realm Volume 1
Author(s)Mildred Louis
Websiteagentsoftherealm.com
Current status/scheduleOn hiatus as of June 2020
Launch dateMarch 2014
Genre(s)Fantasy

Synopsis

The story of Agents of the Realm follows five young women – Norah, Adele, Kendall, Paige and Jordan – who are starting college at the fictional Silvermount University. After each discovering brooches that allow them to summon weapons and outfits, they discover they are magical warriors that are destined to defend two different dimensions, connected by a rift at the university.[1][2][3][4] Once, a powerful gem maintained balance between the two worlds, but in a power struggle, it was shattered and became the amulets the main characters now have, and are linked to similarly powered people in the other dimension. The main characters are mentored by Jade Blackwater, who hides information from them. They must also contend with Jade's twin sister, Ruby, who teaches mythology at the university and who has villainous intentions. Initially Jordan is recruited by Ruby, and is convinced that Jade is evil.[4] These young women are trapped by fate and struggling with duty and personal lives, including university, friendships, and relationships.[5][6][4]

The webcomic is a magical girl story inspired by series such as Sailor Moon and Magic Knight Rayearth.[7] The main cast of five is predominantly Black, with one Latina woman and one white woman, and these characters have a variety of sexual orientations.[7] Agents of the Realm covers issues such as alcoholism, domestic abuse, and self-harm.[8] Volume 1 of the comic introduces the characters and reveals their powers and the conflict they find themselves a part of, while Volume 2 explores the relationship between their mentor and their mentor’s estranged sister, and the problems caused by the group's enemy.[2]

Development

The webcomic is created by Mildred Louis[1] and launched in 2014.[9] In an interview, Louis said that the webcomic started as a joke idea, playing around with the magical girl genre.[10] Louis describes Agents of the Realm as influenced by magical girl stories she grew up with, such as Sailor Moon, as well as her experiences in college.[1] As a black woman, Louis was disappointed not to see characters that look like her in genres that she likes, and used the webcomic "as my chance to unapologetically put them at the forefront and show that we, too, can be heroes." Similarly, she wanted to diversify queer content to include more women of color.[11]

In 2016, Louis successfully held a Kickstarter campaign to publish volume 1 of the comic in print[1][9] She successfully ran a second Kickstarter in 2018 to release volume 2 of the comic as well as a "remastered" version of volume 1.[9][12]

The webcomic previously updated twice a week,[11] but since June 2020 it has been on hiatus. Louis posted in September 2020 that she could not say when the webcomic would resume.[13]

Reception

Agents of the Realm was shortlisted for the Cartoonist Studio Prize in the category "Best Web Comic" of 2017.[14]

A 2016 ComicsAlliance article said the comic has "a growing legion of fans since it started almost two years ago" and that Agents of the Realm is "a profoundly real story, with women who experience life in all its ups and downs".[1] Articles on the A.V. Club described the webcomic as "balanc[ing] fantastic story elements with rich character development"[7] and as having "the ability to create [a story] starring very different women with more ethical quandaries and powerful contradictions than the average comic tackles in a decade,"[5] the latter article declaring it one of the best comics of 2016.[5] Paste Magazine also declared it one of "40 of the best webcomics" in 2016;[15] a Paste Magazine review praised Louis's "vibrant colors, expressive faces and excellent comedic timing".[2] Describing the art style, a reviewer for CBR said, "Mildred Louis' Agents of the Realm doesn't, at a glance, look like it was inspired by manga. Her style bears more similarity to the Hernandez brothers than to the dewy-eyed teens who populate most shoujo titles. The characters don't look like elegant models, but rather like harried, exhausted college students."[16] A reviewer for Autostraddle added, "Louis can draw exasperated, exhausted and annoyed faces better than just about anyone on the internet."[11]

References
  1. Morris, Steve (February 9, 2016). "Mildred Louis Recruits Her 'Agents of the Realm'". ComicsAlliance.
  2. Stewart, C.K. (2018-08-02). "Agents of the Realm is Back on Kickstarter & More Magical Than Ever". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  3. Davis, Lauren (April 16, 2015). "Like These TV Shows? Here Are The Webcomics You Should Read". io9. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  4. "Webcomics Wednesday: Mildred Louis' Agents of the Realm". The Booklist Reader. 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  5. Sava, Oliver; Hennum, Shea; O'Neil, Tegan (December 14, 2016). "The best comics of 2016". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  6. Knight, Rosie (January 12, 2017). "A year of free comics: Mildred Louis' Agents Of The Realm". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  7. Sava, Oliver (February 19, 2016). "Agents Of The Realm, M.F.K., and the ascent of black women in webcomics". A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  8. Davis, Lauren (November 26, 2014). "The Magical Girls Of This Webcomic Will Battle Real-Life College Issues". io9. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  9. Ayres, Andrea (2018-07-31). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  10. Mey (2016-02-16). "Drawn to Comics: Talking To Mildred Louis About How Agents of the Realm is a Love Letter". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  11. Rude, Mey (2015-01-20). "Drawn to Comics: Check Out the College-Age Magical Girls of "Agents of the Realm"". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  12. "Agents of the Realm • Volume 2 and Volume 1 Reprint". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  13. Louis, Mildred. "• 418 •". Agents of the Realm. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  14. Brogan, Jacob (March 2, 2018). "The Cartoonist Studio Prize shortlist for 2018". Slate.
  15. "Required Reading: 40 of the Best Webcomics". p. 3. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
  16. Cruz, Larry (2014-08-18). "'Agents of the Realm': She is the one named Sailor Norah". CBR. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
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