Some artists simply use Itch because they work both in comics and games. Other notable examples include you are 12 years old and by e jackson, an illustrated work made in Twine, and Lady Of The Shard by gigi d.g., a sapphic romance about a goddess and her clumsy, but very devoted priestess. The feature is mostly used by developers to create browser-playable games, but cartoonists are using it to experiment with interactive fiction and unusual formatting choices that wouldn't be possible on normal webcomic sites.
This is only possible because Itch allows creators to upload HTML files. It Will Be Hard also plays with branching storytelling, allowing readers to pick their favourite character and follow the story from their point of view. Sex is just a small part of their relationship, but the few H-rated pages still put the whole comic at risk. "Most payment providers don't allow adult content, but I sent an email asking Itch and they said it was perfectly fine!" His graphic novel It Will Be Hard is a delicate story about two gay men struggling to make their open relationship work. "I chose Itch specifically because I needed somewhere to host my first graphic novel which had optional erotic content, and other sites had less transparent policies regarding adult contents," recounts Australian artist Hien Pham. Even works that aren't as extreme as FFAK can struggle to find a platform, especially if they feature queer relationships. Tumblr isn't the only website tightening the rules regarding NSFW content. But on Itch, it always remained available. Tumblr was its natural home, until the site's crackdown on adult content destroyed the comic's place there overnight. There are worm people, bomb people, plant people, and all are constantly trying to stab each other, smooch each other, or both at the same time. "Gumroad has more restrictions regarding NSFW content," explains Kosmic, a webcomic artist mostly known for the NSFW comic Feast For A King - a gargantuan (3000+ pages and counting) hot mess with a content warning list longer than my CV. The first impression can be off-putting, but there's a very good reason for it being a deluge of steamy randomness: the site's creator-friendly policies. Perhaps we should all just watch Yuri On Ice in those tiring times.
I even went to talk to YOA fanzine artists Krayonela to solve this mystery, and they just told me the show was nice, "a light kind of series focused on love and self-acceptance". Sadly I have no answers to offer on the specific mystery of why artists on Itch seem quietly fixated on an anime about ice skating. In fact there are a lot about Yuri On Ice. Browse the comics section of Itch with the mature filter turned off and you'll get quickly overwhelmed by smut in all shapes and (ahem) sizes, from steamy furry sex to homoerotic fanzines about Yuri On Ice (technically Yuri!!! On Ice). But why would artists choose to host their comics on a videogames website? And what kind of comics are they putting there?
It might surprise you to find out, though, that Itch's selection is not only limited to games: the website also offers a wide range of tabletop games, books, music, game assets and - guess what - comics. Itch.io is a lovely indie games marketplace, where you can find everything from the latest indie darlings to the weirdest game jam experiments. This month, Giada explores the comics section of indie games marketplace itch.io. A Panel Shaped Screen is a monthly column where Giada Zavarise explores how comics and videogames inspire each other.