''Sin Titulo'' is a mystery
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 ...
by
Cameron Stewart
Cameron Stewart (born 1975) is a Canadian comic book creator. He first came to prominence when he collaborated as an illustrator with writer Grant Morrison, and he went on to illustrate ''Catwoman'' and co-write ''Batgirl''. He won Eisner and S ...
, following the supernatural experiences of protagonist Alex Mackay. Launched in 2007, the webcomic completed its run in 2012 and got a
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
print publication in 2013. ''Sin Titulo'' won a
Joe Shuster Award in 2009 and an
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
in 2010.
Content
The webcomic ''Sin Titulo'' follows protagonist Alex Mackay, who, at the start of the story, discovers a photograph of an unfamiliar woman in his grandfather's possessions and feels compelled to hunt her down. This leads him to an underworld populated by mysterious and strange concepts, such as an eerie laboratory and a
femme fatale
A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
. Lauren Davis of ''
ComicsAlliance
ComicsAlliance is an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the categ ...
'' described ''Sin Tutilo'' as a "
noir fantasy": though it suggests the existence of
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
concepts such as interdimensional travel and "shared cognitive space", many of its visuals are akin to those of a
detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...
.
Development
''Sin Titulo'' was launched by Cameron Stewart as a webcomic in 2007 and eventually finished in 2012. Stewart did the writing, illustrations, lettering, and coloring for the work all on his own. The webcomic started as an "exercise in improvisation", its ambiguous title ''Sin Titulo'' literally meaning "Without Title" in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
. Many ideas for the story coalesced halfway through, when Stewart got a stronger grasp of what the webcomic was about.
In 2011, ''Sin Titulo'' went on hiatus for almost a full year, keeping its readers in suspense.
Stewart told Davis of ''ComicsAlliance'' at the
New England Webcomics Weekend in 2009, when ''Sin Titulo'' was still fairly young, that the webcomic is inspired by a disquieting experience he had as a child; one he's never been able to explain. He told Davis that he did not want ''Sin Titulo'' to turn out like the television series ''
Lost'', which was still airing at the time and which disappointed him for not answering all of the questions it set up.
Though Stewart did not intend for it to be an autobiographical work, many aspects of the webcomic are based on his own experiences, including the sudden death of a neglected grandfather.
A strong influence of ''Sin Titulo'' is the work of
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
. In an interview with ''
Newsarama
''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US.
Hi ...
'', Stewart stated that he admires Lynch for his ability to provoke a sense of horror through surrealistic imagery that, to him, feels deeply honest. Stewart said that "I find his work so terrifying because on some primal level I feel like its revealing some dark and indescribable truth with complete sincerity." This is a quality he attempted to emulate in his webcomic.
On September 25, 2013, a print edition of ''Sin Titulo'' was released by
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
. Though the webcomic was still available for free online, the comic book compilation became a best-selling album.
Reception
Lauren Davis praised ''Sin Titulo'' in 2012 for how it weaved its story threads together at the end and for its "slightly disorienting" style, allowing its readers to experience Alex' trials alongside him.
Hillary Brown of ''
Paste Magazine
''Paste'' is an American monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publi ...
'' noted that the webcomic's atmosphere and moments of fear provoke stronger emotions than the mechanics of its plot. Brown praised Stewart for his ability to capture the feeling of being unsure whether you're awake or asleep, but criticized the manner in which he set up and eventually resolves the mysteries in ''Sin Titulo'', stating that "doesn’t quite do them justice."
Stewart won a
Joe Shuster Award in 2009 in the category "Webcomics" for his work on ''Sin Titulo''. The following year, Stewart won an
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
in the "
Best Digital Comic" category.
References
{{reflist
External links
Archived version
2010s webcomics
2000s webcomics
2007 webcomic debuts
American webcomics
2013 graphic novels
Neo-noir comics