Webcomic / Alienby Comics

"Meeting My Past Selves", one of Riri's best-known comics.
Full comic used with permission.

Alienby Comics is an autobiographical four-panel webcomic by transfeminine non-binary graphic designer and artist Riri Franklin. Initially created by Riri as a way of communicating with their therapist, they began posting them online and gained a substantial following. The comics explores Riri's life as a trans person and the triumphs and challenges that being transgender brings for them. An infrequent but important occuring theme in the comic is religious upbringing, owing to Riri's exvangelical background.

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This comic provides examples of:

• Adaptational Gender Identity:
  • "Awakening" is a The Legend of Zelda fanfic in which Zelda is Link's post-transition self.
  • "In Full Swing" is based around the common headcanon that Spider-Gwen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a trans woman.
    • Its two-part sequel "Can't Go Back" reveals that Peter Parker is a trans man in Gwen's universe.
  • "Ready to Stand" is a little more subtle than others, but it imagines Ariel - who is implied to be assigned male at birth here - as not only wanting to go up to the surface, but also wanting to be a human woman as well.
  • "Trans Jesus" fittingly opens on Jesus showing off a top surgery scar that resembles the scars from the spear piercing him during his crucifixion.
• Alien Among Us: Riri's alien depiction from "Alien Enby" is briefly depicted as one of these to represent young Riri's struggles growing up.
  Riri: I spent years trying to look and talk like a normal human. But the antennae became too hard to hide...
• Art Evolution: The art style becomes more colourful and detailed over the course of the series. Compare the very first comic to a more recent one.
• Creation Myth: "Self-Creation" is based on Christian creation myths, something Riri points out in the description from being raised evangelical. The comic itself entails a goddess that represents Riri's true self helping revitalise - and physically transition - a tired, closeted Riri.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The earlier comics have a more limited colour scheme and less-detailed artwork (see Art Evolution above).
• Evil Stole My Faith: In "Trans Jesus", Riri states that homophobia/transphobia in the name of Christianity caused them to lose faith in the religion and stop believing.
  Riri: But my beliefs started to crack as I realized many of the people who proclaim this message of love also treat people in the margins of society with bigotry, malice and even violence.
• Formula-Breaking Episode: The Adaptational Gender Identity comics, "Transfemme Fashion Tips" (Exactly What It Says on the Tin) and "EoE" (about eosinophilic esophagitis, an autoimmune condition affecting the digestive system Riri and their brother have).
• Green-Skinned Space Babe: Riri depicts themself as a blue-skinned alien in "Alien Enby". The design also has some Call-Backs to their alien form from "Not Human", such as the gossamer wings.
• Half-Identical Twins: Riri discusses being one of these after having grown up looking identical to their twin brother in "Breaking the Set".
  Riri: Growing up my brother and I were always seen as a collective pair, rather than as individuals. Many people couldn’t tell us apart, and some didn’t see the need to, since they saw us as a matching set. One barrier I faced in coming out was the disappointment others would have with me ‘breaking the set’ by no longer looking like my brother—as if somehow my being trans tainted the twin part of my identity… But I will not make decisions about my appearance for the whimsy of others.
• Jesus Was Way Cool: In "Trans Jesus", Jesus is depicted as an all-loving, non-judgemental figure whose beliefs are similar to modern progressive values, such as breaking bread with sex workers and outcasts.
• Love Is Like Religion: In the last few panels of "Trans Jesus", Riri states how finding queer and trans community has helped them to feel loved after moving away from religion, even stating that Jesus would show love for people that evangelicals dislike.
  Riri: As I came to know and love friends who were queer and trans, and came out myself... I realized that the most inclusive love lay outside the walls of the church I once called home.
• Mental Monster: In "Inner Demons", Riri pictures their anxiety, depression and gender dysphoria as monsters that torment them but can be overcome through coping mechanisms.
  Riri: I see Anxiety as a smoldering thorny hound who breathes fire at my belly (explaining the burning sensation I often feel when I’m anxious). Depression is a sluggish, tentacled grim reaper that drags me down into the depths of despair where I’m left to drown. Dysphoria is a backwards upside down monster with limbs and fingers jutting out every which way, with mirror shards stuck in its body, weaponizing my own reflection against me. I think it’s good to visualize these obstacles as entities separate from myself. I am more than my Depression, Anxiety, and Gender Dysphoria, and they are not me.
• My Future Self and Me:
  • In "Futures", Riri meets two future versions of themself - one who is a cis man and the father of a young daughter and the other is a more feminine, later-in-transition version of Riri.
  • In "Meeting My Past Selves", Riri meets up with their 20-year-old, 13-year-old and 5-year-old selves.
  20-year-old Riri: You're me? What happened?
  13-year-old Riri: Noooo! This isn't what God had planned for your life!
  5-year-old Riri: I- I'm gonna be pretty!
  • In the final panel of "Trans Jesus", Riri is seen sitting by a fire pit with the spirit of their childhood self standing next to and looking straight at them in awe.
• Prone to Tears: A justified example in "Progress Report" - as a result of HRT increasing their hormone level, Riri reports that they've been crying a lot more but now it's easier to process their emotions.
• Real Dreams are Weirder: Riri has experinced dreams that are this crossed with Dreaming of Things to Come before big milestones in their transition:
  • In this unnamed comic, Riri recounts a vision they had shortly before questioning their gender identity of a "cold, masculine, rigid" stone statue entombing an ethereal dragon spirit trying to break free as cracks appear in the statue.
  • In "Not Human", Riri dreams in freshman year that they are a member of a flying alien race left behind on Earth. They note that at the time they felt like they didn't belong in this world but in their dream they fit right in with the other aliens.
  • In "Refusal of the Call", Riri meets a future version of themself with a more feminine body encouraging them to start HRT. Riri refuses and tells their future self that they are not ready, future Riri tells them to take their time and that there is no wrong path to take.
  • "Futures" is based on a dream Riri had shortly before starting HRT. In the comic they meet an alternate future version of themself who is a cis man and a father. Riri cries tears of joy as their alternate self waves at them before meeting up with a more feminine future self.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Riri sometimes uses imagery associated with Christianity as they were raised evangelical. "Self-Creation" (featured above in Creation Myth) is a story about Riri being remade as non-binary by a feminine creator deity.
  • Riri depicts their sense of hope as a basset hound (based on the family pet Gully, whom Riri describes as being "hopeful for treats, pats and attention of any kind") in "Unleashed Hope".
  • In "Balancing Act", Riri as an unsteady acrobat represents their struggle to stop buying feminine underwear that doesn't fit their body type.
  • "Made for Winter" is about how Riri views Vixen's plight in The Year Without a Santa Claus as a metaphor for how trans people thrive in environments they feel safe in.
  • In "Trans Jesus", when Riri states their Christian beliefs started to crack, the stained glass window in the background becomes cracked and broken and the colours become less bright as well. In the same comic, Riri depicts their self-love as a small glowing heart that somewhat resembles a communion wafer they hold in the palms of their hands.
  • Combined with Queer Colors in the Spider-Man comics: Gwen has a pink glow surrounding her when she comes out as trans and Peter has a blue glow when he opens up about his transition to Gwen. Pink and blue represent trans women and men respectively on the trans pride flag.
• Trans Tribulations: Riri is not afraid to expand on the more difficult parts of their transition journey:
  • In "Going Outside", Riri recounts some examples of casual transphobia they had dealt with in public over a week or two, including one man not-so-subtly taking a photo of Riri without their consent.
  • "Dysphoria" is about Riri struggling with their appearance due to gender dysphoria.
  • "Gendered Interests" is about how Riri initially had trouble with enjoying the things they liked after coming out as transfemme out of fear of not being taken seriously over liking "masculine" things.
• Transformation Sequence: Parodied in "Transformation" where the trigger for the sequence is Riri's hair dye kicking in with the blow dry.
• Vision Quest: Riri is in the process of going on one in "The Trans Road".

Riri: On my queer journey I often feel like I'm forging my own path. But sometimes I stumble upon signs that others have been on this road before me... and cross paths with fellow travelers. But it seems like the road left by those before is marked with so much suffering... I sometimes wonder how much more pain lies ahead... and if it's too late to turn back.

• Visual Pun: Early on, Riri explained that the name "Alienby" was chosen to represent how being non-binary and autistic made them feel alien. They later spun this into a comic called "Alien Enby" where they depict themselves as a literal alien as a metaphor for their experiences.

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