Mary Cagle, also known as Cube Watermelon, is an American

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...

artist known for creating ''Kiwi Blitz'', ''Let's Speak English'', and ''

Sleepless Domain ''Sleepless Domain'' is an ongoing American webcomic and graphic novel series created by Mary Cagle and published by Hiveworks. It has been serialized online since April 6, 2015, with its chapters collected into two print volumes as of 2024. Th ...

''.

Personal life

Cagle was raised in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

and developed a strong interest in Japanese pop-culture, including both older and more modern

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

. In 2013, Cagle graduated from the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United ...

and became an English teacher at an elementary school in Kurihara, Japan. Cagle is

asexual Asexual or Asexuals may refer to: *Asexual reproduction **Asexual reproduction in starfish *Asexuality, the lack of sexual attraction to anyone or lack of interest in or desire for sexual activity. **Gray asexuality, the spectrum between asexualit ...

Works

''Kiwi Blitz''

In 2009, Cagle started the action/comedy webcomic ''Kiwi Blitz''. Its plot follows a couple of teenagers attempting to fight crime in the pseudo-near future. ''Kiwi Blitz'' draws many of its influences from anime, featuring Americanized Japanese

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

designs. Brian Cronin of ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' described the set-up of ''Kiwi Blitz'' as a "strong concept" that should be able to sustain itself for a long time. Praising the "interesting" cast, Cronin noted that Cagle is willing to "mix things up" so that story doesn't become stale. Lauren Davis of ''

io9 ''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...

'' listed ''Kiwi Blitz'' among her top ten

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

webcomics. The comic has been on hiatus since September 2021.

''Let's Speak English''

In November 2013, Cagle began illustrating her experiences of being an English teacher in Japan in the form of

slice-of-life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to Naturalism (theatre), naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence ...

snippets. The webcomic, titled ''Let's Speak English'', shows Cagle dealing with subjects such as Japanese pop-culture,

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and Human feces, feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry toilet, dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be desi ...

, thin walls, and the

language barrier A language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to refer to linguistic barriers to communication, i.e. the difficulties in communication experienced by people or groups originally speaking different languages (or different dialects in ...

. It has been compared to the Japanese manga

Yotsuba&! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of ''Azumanga Daioh''. It has been serialized since January 2003 in the monthly magazine ''Dengeki Daioh'' by ASCII Media Works, formerly MediaWorks (publisher ...

due to their shared

elements. The comic concluded in 2016, with Mary moving back to America and ending her teaching job.

''Sleepless Domain''

Cagle started the webcomic ''Sleepless Domain'' in 2015. The story, set in a city that is invaded by malicious monsters on a nightly basis, features a group of

magical girl is a Genre#Subgenre, subgenre of primarily Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered on young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into wh ...

s and their interpersonal issues.

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette Livre, a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachette Fil ...

began publishing a French-language physical release of the comic in 2018. In 2019, ''Sleepless Domain'' was shortlisted for the eighth Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Web Comic. In 2020,

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...

announced a print and

ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...

release of the comic. In a review of the first collected volume, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' praised the comic for its darker take on the magical girl genre, noting its exploration of themes such as survivor's guilt, power, and exploitation.

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

described the comic as a tragic story about "loss of fellowship," also noting that the comic's darker themes are contrasted with Cagle's cute art style. ''Sleepless Domain'' was included in CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2022, with Brian Cronin praising the comic for its character work and art. ''Sleepless Domain'' has also been noted for its positive LGBTQ+ representation and themes. The LGBTQ+ culture website ''INTO'' included ''Sleepless Domain'' in its list of "10 Fabulous LGBTQ+ Magical Girl Comics for Queer Readers," noting the comic's sensitive handling of difficult subject matter and its unique premise. '' LGBTQ Reads'' also recommended the comic for its LGBTQ-friendly world and characters, calling it "refreshing" that the characters' LGBTQ+ identities are accepted and normalized within the story.

References

External links

* (''Let's Speak English'')
''Kiwi Blitz''

''Sleepless Domain''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagle, Mary 1989 births American webcomic creators American female comics artists Asexual women American female comics writers Living people Artists from Corpus Christi, Texas Savannah College of Art and Design alumni 21st-century American artists 21st-century American women artists Pseudonymous artists 21st-century American LGBTQ people American LGBTQ artists American LGBTQ women artists LGBTQ people from Texas