Sweet Dreams Fuel / Comics

Comic Books

• The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics is pure, unleaded Sweet Dreams Fuel from start to finish. Loaded with over 60 classic comics from a large variety of artists (some of whom were even Golden Age animators!) bound in a pseudo-classic book-like fashion. The stories feature lovely artwork and stories handpicked by industry veterans like Art Spielgelmen (who you might know as the creator of the not-so-sweet dreams fuel-ridden comic Maus)—stories that they feel are worthy enough to be read by the children of today.
• There is also the Craig Yoe book The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics, which also has a large variety of comics from many classic artists. The story selection isn't quite as impressive as the Toon Treasury book, but it's still a worthy addition to any classic comic enthusiasts collection, a fun read for any age, and just as loaded with sweet dreams fuel.
• Nine Lives to Live: Felix the Cat ^note  Absolutely no relation to The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat is a wonderful compilation of Sunday Felix the Cat comic strips penned by his creator Otto Messmer. Rich in imagination and fantasy, Felix embarks on many escapades, loaded with fun sight gags, good characterization, all told with Otto's imaginative rubberhose art style—even his props are fun to look at! If you're a fan of Felix, this book is a must have!
• Another excellent Felix collection is the Craig Yoe book Felix The Cat's Greatest Comic Book Tales, offering a selection of stories that are truly ideal for children—loaded with lovely illustrations, cute fantasy stories, funny gags, and great artwork from Otto Messmer, Joe Oriolo and even Jim Tyer. It's also much easier to get hold of than the Nine Lives to Live book.
• The Complete Milt Gross is yet another excellent collection from Craig Yoe, featuring a plethora of hilarious stories from one of the best comic artists of the 30s and 40s! The artwork is hilarious bizarre and full of energy, and Milt's slang and witty dialogue, as well as his funny cast of characters make this ideal for someone who wants a little more spice in their sweet dreams fuel.
• Mickey and the Gang: Classic Stories in Verse is a truly excellent, LARGE book loaded with classic Disney comics, Good Housekeeping magazine poems represented with beautiful hand-painted illustrations, and is crammed to the bursting point with trivia and information on Classic Disney. Great to read to your kids before bed, and a true treat for any fan of Classic Disney.
• E.C. Segar's Popeye anthologies are all excellent comics that have stood the passage of time. While his artwork is fairly crude, Segar created some of the most memorable characters in comic history, and his wit is as sharp as a razor. Even if you're already a fan of the Popeye cartoons, the original comics will only enhance your appreciation for the series even more.
• Krazy Kat is a truly surreal, but sweet dreams fuel inducing series. Not much more to be said.
• Pretty much any comic made by Winsor McCay will fall into this, but his legendary Little Nemo comics take the cake.
• Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane: This is the tonic to One More Day. Adorable, well-written, enjoyably fluffy, and barely wangsty at all despite being about a teenage girl in high school... a nice change from the ordinary comics fare.

• Tiny Titans: Aw yeah, Tiny Titans! If you're depressed by the team's sky-high body count and the book's downward spiral, please check out this book. Whoever thought Trigon could be even remotely adorable?
• Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade: Supergirl, her sort-of-evil clone and Lex Luthor's kid sister get into wacky hijinks. Just the thing if you're feeling stressed.
• Scott Pilgrim: Once you get past everyone fighting and all the video game and music references the series is essentially a funny and sweet story about two people changing their shallow relationship habits so that they can work out together.
• Enfants, c'est l'Hydragon qui passe. A tenderhearted story about a boy, his father, and a cool boat.
• Every scene in The Sandman where Death shows up is this. Yes, even though she's Death.
• Owly: An adorable comic involving a friendly owl and the animal friends he makes, relying on only visuals and word balloons with pictures in them to get its messages of friendship across.
• Superman. Has there been a hero who's brought this much hope to people? He's a Messianic Archetype, The Paragon, The Cape, basically the ideal hero. He has the powers of a God but never once uses them to hurt or control people. Despite the fact he get's overshadowed by Batman lately. Superman has always been synonymous with Hope.
  • Greatest example of Superman's greatness? His scene talking down a jumper in All-Star Superman.
  • All-Star Superman itself is Sweet Dreams Fuel, despite its Tear Jerker premise.
• The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 Number 1 is the happiest comic ever written, just the image of the nicest person in the Marvel Universe alive and smiling is so universally radiant. The comic itself is about Peter Parker finding a new lease on life, fixing any damages that happened, and just being happy he's alive. If Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is the tonic for One More Day, this issue is the tonic for Superior Spider Man.
• The works of Darwyn Cooke, whose visually striking, retro-style artwork, along with a tastefully mature standard of storytelling, pays loving tribute to classic comic books. Even some of his darker superhero stories still retain the awe-inspiring wonder and optimism that's made the characters such a joy to read for almost a century.
• In a universe known for its angst and Dysfunction Junction, Squirrel Girl is a breath of fresh air. She's an eternally happy, perky superheroine with the ability to talk to squirrels, is powerful enough to defeat titans like Doctor Doom and Thanos without breaking a sweat, and unlike the majority of heroes in her universe and others, she chose to be a hero not because of some great personal tragedy, but simply because she wanted to do good (and because she's a big fan of superheroes). The comics she's featured in tend to be hilarious (especially Ryan North's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and a great example of Lighter and Softer not necessarily being a bad thing.
• Despite some dated social mores, plenty of Silver Age DC Comics are this, due to their overtly campy, whimsical and fantastic nature, with the silly and often improbably surreal stories of the era giving it a quaint, endearingly innocent charm. Marvel's Silver Age stories may count as well, though for their time they were Darker and Edgier, with heroes that were more troubled and flawed.

Newspaper Comics

• Reading just one panel of Calvin and Hobbes.
  "It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!"
  • Yes. C and H is awesome.
  • Hey, waitaminute. C and H is a sugar company. Coincidence?
  • The quote's a bit of a Tear Jerker, considering the strip it comes from is the very last C and H strip. Every other comic of its ten year run is made of cute.
• Frazz is one of the cleverest strips being published today, and frequently gives the warm fuzzies besides!
• Cul-de-sac. Take Lucky Star, remove the Moe, make everyone grade schoolers, and watch yourself become all giddy as you read it.
• Garfield. Yes, he's not the most lovable comic character around, but for anyone who grew up reading the strips, there's always a wonderful nostalgia that goes with it.
• Rose is Rose is just filled with sweetness and light. There's very little conflict, every character is likeable (even Clem) and the setting is one of the most positive takes on our world in existence.
• Rupert Bear, as well as its Animated Adaptation. Stories of magic and adventure wrapped up with charming characters and a sense of warmth and wonder. You just can't help but smile when following the adventures of that little white bear.

Webcomics

• Question Duck is about a boy and his duck going around the world as Question Duck asks questions. General duck adorableness plus Scenery Porn just makes you Squee whenever you see a new update.
• Count Your Sheep. A webcomic about a young girl, her widowed mother, and the imaginary friend they share that helps out in the event of insomnia. Both funny and cute.
• Ava's Demon is one of the most gorgeous webcomics to ever exist today, and with good reason.
• City of Reality starts out in a world made entirely of good and friendly people.
• My Cardboard Life, a Slice of Life comic about people made from materials such as cardboard, paper, and tin foil (et cetera) is consistently adorable without being sappy or saccharine. The character designs are cute, the puns are surprisingly funny, and the art is quite awesome.
• Awful Hospital. Full. Stop. This is a fine (and grossly underrated) example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, as in spite of running primarily on a rather dark premise and loads of Body Horror, Awful Hospital's a very sweet and hilarious comedy-adventure that doesn't dare take itself too seriously. It's filled to the brim with some of the most lovable and charming characters ever to exist in webcomic history, and the storyline involves a kind and loving mom on a quest for her lost baby and finding unlikely friends in the form of completely inhuman but fully benevolent, very sweet monsters who are all willing to help her out no matter the looks, and her determination never falters. It also boasts some truly amazing character and creature designs and attractive color palettes, and its outlandish atmosphere belies a core made of pure warmth, friendship, understanding, empathy, and motherly love.
  • And heck, even most of the VILLAINS are full of charm as well! Who knew a giant, crazy bacteriophage doctor could be so adorable? It goes without saying, Dr. H.M. Phage, T.E. will inevitably infect you with his cuteness.
• A Moment of Peace, despite its After the End setting, is one huge lump of this trope.
• My Milk Toof. A web photocomic about two baby teeth going on adorable, kid-friendly adventures.
• Rain (2010), especially for anyone questioning their gender identity or orientation. The characters are adorable, the writing is good and it's got plenty of references for your inner geek.
• Tripping Over You, with its perfect mix of sweet and funny moments.
• Zoophobia, a highly underrated webcomic created by Vivienne Medrano (later of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss fame) that, even when incorporating some intense or terrifying moments, combines Slice of Life with some good laughs and pure sweetness, with a cast of adorable, lovable characters, a bright color palette, and a wonderfully beautiful art style. It also holds the distinction of being one of few works where even the Antichrist is a character you want to snuggle with.
• Check, Please! is a webcomic about a young southern male ice-skating champion named Bitty and his growing relationship with his ice hockey team. Warning: Tons of adorable bromances.
• Lady of the Shard is absolutely sweet dream fuel, despite the tumultuous events that occur. The pure kindness of the main character, her devotion, and her decision to show the 'villain' kindness despite the danger they're all in is absolutely heart-melting. This is a lovely comic if one is in need of lady-centric relationships (friendship, romantic, platonic or otherwise).
• Stutterhug, a (mostly) extremely adorable webcomic about cute creatures done wordlessly.
• 4AM shower is a webcomic with cute animals dedicated to embodying this trope. Each update is a self-contained dose of heartwarming. Every. Single. One.
• Pebble and Wren is a Slice of Life webcomic depicting the adventures of Wren, a girl who has two dads and wants to be an astronaut, and Pebble, the adorable and not-at-all scary monster who moves in with her. Filled to the brim with cute and funny moments, this webcomic is sure to put you in a good mood before bedtime.
• Lemonhead and Lollipup just oozes sweetness! It centers around the Odd Friendship between a quirky poodle and a sarcastic cat, and all the idiosyncrasies that come with them being friends with each other. There’s also the adorable antics Lollipup gets into with her wife, Liz, and Lemonhead’s Shiba Inu boyfriend, Tofu, to round out the cast. While it doesn’t shy away from discussing serious subjects, it has a prevailing theme of finding friendship and making a happy life for yourself, in addition to wonderful LGBT+ representation.
• Cat's Cafe, another Tapas comic that just oozes good feels.
• This Is She is a one-shot about two women finding friendship in the most unlikely of places, and falling in love with each other. Mavis especially takes the cake, as the story starts with her going out of her way to make sure Jean clocks out of work after a long day and gets herself something to eat. The build-up to Jean's and Mavis' eventual romance makes it all the more adorable, with Jean's fair share of mild Tsundere moments and Mavis flattering her every chance she gets.
• Tubby and Tummy is a Slice of Life webcomic about an adorable bear couple sharing kindness with each other, their child, and their dog.
• Erma:
  • Strips depicting Erma's interactions with her parents are always this.
  • As are strips where Erma interacts with Connor.
  • As menacing as their appearance is in the Family Reunion arc, Erma meeting her mother's family becomes this when Ena and Kentaro start gushing over her. Too bad Emiko's Mama Bear entrance and Rin's bad behavior ramps some tension back up .
  • Erma in her kimono for the Night Parade in the final panel of Part 29.
• Dinos and Comics, a beautifully illustrated comic about dinosaurs trying to navigate their complex emotions and trying to look out for each other no matter how hard it is.
• Batman: Wayne Family Adventures is a slice-of-life look at the antics of the Batfamily. While most incarnations of the franchise focus on the darker aspects of life as a vigilante and the gritty underbelly of Gotham, this webcomic focuses on the genuine affection between the various members of the family, and how despite their differences they do really love each other. Even Jason Todd, who's normally characterized as an unstable villain or Token Evil Teammate, gets to join in on the shenanigans, and he has a much healthier relationship with the other members of the family. It's soft, it's funny, and it has plenty of Heartwarming Moments to go around.
• Loffyllama is a series of wholesome comics starring an always smiling optimistic blue llama that's sure to put a smile on your face.
• Buddy Gator is a sweet little strip about the everyday life of an alligator who is exactly what his name implies - an optimistic, kind-hearted, friendly creature who is certain to fill you with positive vibes.
• Milk And Mocha (found here) is a regular comic strip depicting the two bears, Milk and Mocha, in their life together as a couple. They also adopt a pet dinosaur/dragon, Matcha, and combined the three of them are adorable. Barring the very occasional Surprisingly Creepy Moment and one or two sadder comics, the comic is very sweet.
• Wawawiwa Comics calls itself a "visual hug", and that's probably the best word to use to describe it. Every strip is either adorably sweet or sweetly funny, and is just the sort of thing guaranteed to cheer you up after a bad day.
• Foxes in Love is about two foxes who are in love and their antics and adventures. What steers it into this category is that it is more focused on being wholesome and Slice of Life than trying to be overtly funny with any jokes being made in a lighthearted manner.

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