History ShownTheirWork / WebComics

* Amy Stroffolino, the writer of ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'', is very good about researching the legends behind a lot of the mythological monsters that appear in the comics and happily works what she's learned over the years into the story. Her take on alps is the most conspicuously faithful of them all; she's even posted an infodump comic on them on her Website/DeviantArt account.

* Dylan Meconis, author of ''Webcomic/FamilyMan,'' does so much research for her comic that there's a page of [[http://www.lutherlevy.com/?page_id=154 notes]] accompanying the pages to prove it.

** Military tactics, futuristic concepts and even current space theories find their way into the comedic space opera. Not only that, but it also introduces some tactics (like the Very Dangerous Array) that would actually be very effective in real world (if we ever reach that level of technology).

--->I was new to the greatness of Chiune when I made [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=144 this]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara look him up]].

** The last panel of [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1500/fc01419.htm is a good example of what to do when an engineer panics.]]

** Most notably, in one of his earlier arcs dealing with the Lunar States, he described the number of levels on a space elevator and the movement rates of the elevator itself and challenged readers to calculate the height of the structure. [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010123.html It worked.]]

* Several of ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'''s most popular strips are this trope. Good examples would be these [[http://xkcd.com/681/ Gravity Wells]] and [[http://xkcd.com/482/ Height]]. Given that the author is a math nerd and physics major, this should come as no surprise.
** The ''Webcomic/XkcdTime'' animation is a particularly well-developed example, including a detailed night sky that indicated the setting to be [[spoiler:Earth, eleven thousand years in the future]].

* The author of ''Webcomic/GetMedieval'' does this to an extraordinary extent with medieval history. During one of the interludes she even draws a picture of Sir Gerard in the actual formal wear he'd have during that period (complete with pointy-toed boots), then explains that she put him in more "conventional" medieval attire because [[RealityIsUnrealistic if she drew him like that nobody would buy it]].
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'':
** Military tactics, futuristic concepts and even current space theories find their way into the comedic space opera. Not only that, but it also introduces some tactics (like the Very Dangerous Array) that would actually be very effective in real world (if we ever reach that level of technology).
** Most notably, in one of his earlier arcs dealing with the Lunar States, he described the number of levels on a space elevator and the movement rates of the elevator itself and challenged readers to calculate the height of the structure. [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010123.html It worked.]]
** The "Can Full of Sky" arc is pretty much all about how a planet-sized superstructure designed to be a limitless open sky would actually work. Special attention is given to the weather, how hurricanes are prevented (and what happens when the governing AI decides she wants hurricanes), and how massive animals would evolve.
* Dylan Meconis, author of ''Webcomic/FamilyMan,'' does so much research for her comic that there's a page of [[http://www.lutherlevy.com/?page_id=154 notes]] accompanying the pages to prove it.

* ''Webcomic/BratHalla'' is actually quite well-researched... and goes out of its way to show it when it's not diverting from mythology [[RuleOfFunny because it would be funnier]]. [[http://brat-halla.com/2008/08/06/311-twilight-of-the-hod-casualty/ One comic]] is a particularly extreme example, quoting verse 56 and part of Verse 55 of Völuspá in the ''Literature/PoeticEdda'', seemingly just to show that they bothered to research Thor's death, and render it as accurately as the storyline it happens in allows.
* Unlike many fangirls, when Gina Biggs began creating a webcomic set in Japan (''Webcomic/RedString''), it actually resembles modern-day Japan and not [[{{Animeland}} fangirl-fantasy Japan]], showing very clearly that she took the time to know what she was doing.

* Clint Hollingsworth knows tracking, and uses this knowledge as part of the premise for ''Webcomic/TheWanderingOnes''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Terinu}}'' author Peta Hewitt is a practicing nurse, so any medical details in a hospital scene are either accurate or logical extrapolations. Not to mention she used to work in a children's ward, so her depiction of her eponymous troubled teen hero's psychology is well grounded also.

* Hastings and Archer, creators of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' are ''very'' studious and take great care to research what the characters are dealing with. Everything from blood transfusions to submarine classes to in what part of the country you can find MTO setups.
** Two words: ''blood loss''. The eponymous doctor backs out of a fight due to ''blood loss''.
*** This is in the same part where Dr. McNinja's "doctor half" argues with Death over whether or not his injuries were actually fatal (although it's really just a ploy to allow his "ninja half" to sneak up behind Death).
** Although they do freely ignore this information if it would be [[RuleOfCool more entertaining]].
---> '''Chris Hastings''': My dad used to fly a jet like this one, and I asked him about what would really happen in a situation like this, but in the end, I still just went with what I thought would be coolest.
* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', while featuring an UpliftedAnimal and a StarfishAlien as the protagonists, is nevertheless [[Mohs/OneBigLie fairly hard sci fi]], and has many references to real (well, often speculative) science and technology.
** The last panel of [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1500/fc01419.htm is a good example of what to do when an engineer panics.]]
* ''Webcomic/TheThrillingAdventuresOfLovelaceAndBabbage'': Many of the jokes in this steampunk Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace spoof are based directly on the writings of Babbage and Lovelace and other historical documents.
* ''Webcomic/GoodbyeChains'' sticks extremely closely to the details of the American wild west. The historical notes are evidence of the effort and research put into this work.

* Kin in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' describes a Yuan-Ti mating ritual in [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/05312010/ this strip]], which is based on the way garter snakes mate in real life.

* ''Webcomic/TheLessThanEpicAdventuresOfTJAndAmal'' is very, very thoroughly researched. Almost every page has a corresponding [[http://tjandamal.com/notes.html list of notes]] on it, naming landmarks, song lyrics; right down to the brand of whisky Amal is drinking.
* In ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'', when Paul Taylor decided to introduce a mysterious artifact on a sunken U-Boat, he actually made sure to choose a specific one for which the known details of its disappearance don't contradict the events of its disappearance in the comic. He also researched a bit of information about the interior of such subs and German WWII grenades.
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' have more [[http://www.formspring.me/gunnerkrigg/q/1764615330 fine details]] than pages with "[[ArcNumber 113]]" written somewhere, and does it right -- all the time. To the point where fans regularly feel compelled to also do the research after the current page. Yes, this became another layer of entertainment in itself.
-->'''[[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1381&page=2#60565 one fan]]''': New [[EpilepticTrees theory]]. Tom knows EVERYTHING.
** One chapter spends a few pages talking about historical fencing -- in particular, the style of [[Literature/{{Blossfechten}} Johannes Liechtenauer]], German knight and swordmaster of the 14th century. The source material for such a reference is so obscure that many modern studies of warfare in the period fail to take it into account.
* The author of the ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant'' strips, Kate Beaton, has a degree in history and anthropology, and it shows, what with strips centring around Antonio José de Sucre, Mary Sidney, Georges Cuvier and others that may be completely obscure to most people.
--->I was new to the greatness of Chiune when I made [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=144 this]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiune_Sugihara look him up]].
* The author of ''Webcomic/EraOfErrors'' has spent most of his life researching and learning about various fields of science and health due to numerous problems during his childhood with his own health. These elements of real-world, cutting-edge science will be frequently woven into the story, with slight exaggerations here and there for aesthetic/advancement of the storyline reasons.
* That in ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'' [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-6-page-21 one can stop a werewolf by striking it on the head with a knife]] is actually true to the pre-Hollywood werewolf mythology. That said, [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-6-page-23 the justification given here]] is an original invention.
* Amy Stroffolino, the writer of ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'', is very good about researching the legends behind a lot of the mythological monsters that appear in the comics and happily works what she's learned over the years into the story. Her take on alps is the most conspicuously faithful of them all; she's even posted an infodump comic on them on her Website/DeviantArt account.
* ''Webcomic/ContestJitters'' paints a fairly realistic picture of what it means to be a female bodybuilder: the training and techniques involved, and issues faced (travelling long distances for competitions, the significant half who doesn't understand their passion).

* In ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', when Ramona's intersex condition becomes a topic of discussion in the story, [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/fend_for_myself she and Angel have a brief exchange that demonstrates that the writers have some grasp of the technicalities.]] It also shows that Angel has done the reading in-setting, out of a desire to help Ramona.
* ''Webcomic/KatushaGirlSoldierOfTheGreatPatrioticWar'' is set on the Russian Front in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Author Wayne Vansant took [[http://www.katushagirlsoldier.com/t34/?page_id=1031 two trips to Ukraine]] to research the book's setting; weapons, uniforms, and equipment are accurately drawn; the battles and atrocities shown are either actual events (such as the Babi Yar Massacre and the Kursk Offensive) or are at least based on actual events.
* The fan webcomic ''WebComic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND'' often has some of the more intelligent characters take Liquid Snake, (and by proxy, Creator/HideoKojima) to task about the truly awful ignorance of genetics he showed in the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. Author Chris Doucette was in the middle of getting his Ph.D in molecular biology while the comic was being posted, so he got a chance to show a fraction of what he learned.
* In ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'', [[spoiler:Zala'ess Vel'Sharen]] shows a scarily similar number of symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's after she's infected with a parasitic organism, to the point that many people on the comic's forums who have had relatives with dementia commented on the accuracy. And when she first started showing symptoms [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=11291 the visual distortions she experienced]] were recognized immediately by readers who suffer from migraines and other neurovascular conditions as being an aura.
* ''Webcomic/ExistentialComics'': Many comics go into great detail on philosophical topics, albeit to humorous effect. There are also notes under most that have further information on the topics discussed to help readers that may be lost. Some famous philosophers who appear include {{Creator/Plato}}, {{Creator/Socrates}}, Creator/JeanPaulSartre, Creator/AlbertCamus, Creator/KarlMarx, Creator/FriedrichNietzsche and Creator/FyodorDostoevsky, to list a few of those who have pages here.

* Hastings and Archer, creators of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' are ''very'' studious and take great care to research what the characters are dealing with. Everything from blood transfusions to submarine classes to in what part of the country you can find MTO setups. As if we need another reason to go gaga over this comic.

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', while featuring a furry and a green blob alien as the protagonists, is nevertheless [[Mohs/OneBigLie fairly hard sci fi]], and has many references to real (well, often speculative) science and technology.

* ''KatushaGirlSoldierOfTheGreatPatrioticWar'' is set on the Russian Front in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Author Wayne Vansant took [[http://www.katushagirlsoldier.com/t34/?page_id=1031 two trips to Ukraine]] to research the book's setting; weapons, uniforms, and equipment are accurately drawn; the battles and atrocities shown are either actual events (such as the Babi Yar Massacre and the Kursk Offensive) or are at least based on actual events.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has in various occasions shown their work. Military tactics, futuristic concepts and even current space theories find their way into the comedic space opera. Not only that, but it also introduces some tactics (like the Very Dangerous Array) that would actually be very effective in real world (if we ever reach that level of technology).

** Vernon's ''fans'' also [[ViewersAreGeniuses enter this territory]], frequently responding to each new page of ''Digger'' with their own contributions of trivia on whatever the topic of today's page is, such as the authentic Balkan folklore behind the vampire squash and several parallels from various other cultures, historically-accurate dye substances that might be used to color skin for tattoos or leather, and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny alternative condiments should Digger carry out her threat to "eat my pickaxe... without salt"]].

** The only noticeable historical inaccuracies are the aforementioned zoot suits and one cathedral-style tabletop radio. Both are acknowledged by the author, who mentioned that she might changed the radio to something more accurate before that page is published.

* ''Webcomic/LackadaisyCats'' features authentic 1920s slang, fashion and technology. Also, Zoot Suits, but most of it's good.