Void Comics

About

Void Comics refers to a subgenre of Void Memes which adds the horror element to Rage Comics, Wojak memes and other comic-type memes. Memes within the subgenre usually rely on a shocking element and subverting the viewer's expectations while preserving the light-hearted elements of the underlying format. The format can be considered a spiritual successor to Zalgo, borrowing some of its elements from it.

Origin

On February 13th, 2018, Tumblr^[1] user viciousmeme posted an ironic Rage Comic in which the Rageguy summons the Great King of Hell Purson. The post received over 68,900 notes and marks the earliest known Rage Comic within the void meme genre.

Spread

While the format did not see a pronounced spread until April 2020, some notable examples of the trend were posted online before, often as the ironic Hmm Today I Will memes (example^[6] shown below, left). For example, On October 21st, 2019, Redditor^[2] Apostol_Tuti posted an elaborate Trollface edit (shown below) which received over 1,800 upvotes in six months, with the meme gaining viral spread in the following months.

On April 1st, 2020, Facebook^[3] page "Yeah I'm Stuck in the Void, Keep Scrolling" was created, collecting and creating void comics and other memes infused with horror elements. For example, an April 28th Hmm Today I Will meme received over 1,400 reactions and 2,300 shares in two weeks (shown below, left).^[4] Another comic posted^[5] on the same day received over 1,500 reactions and 1,800 shares (shown below, right).

Within one month, the group received over 41,800 followers, prompting the spread of the subgenre on Facebook and on other websites.

Related Memes

My Metamorphosis Begins

My Metamorphosis Begins refers to a void comic in which a man undergoes an agonizing metamorphosis ritual, with the last panel revealing his new form. Starting in late April 2020, the format gained popularity as an exploitable, with the last panel replaced with various images.

Zalgo

Zalgo is an Internet legend about an ominous entity believed to cause insanity, death and destruction of the world, similar to the creature Cthulhu created by H.P. Lovecraft in the 1920s. Zalgo is often associated with scrambled text on webpages and photos of people whose eyes and mouth have been covered in black.

Creepy Garfield

Creepy Garfield, also known as I Am Sorry, Jon, refers to a series of Garfield-inspired artwork in which Garfield is depicted as a horror creature stalking his owner Jon. Popularized by drawings created by horror artist William Burke in Autumn 2018, the trend continued in a series of videos and similar work from other artists, with Garfield often addressing Jon with such remarks as "I'm sorry, Jon" and "I require lasagna".

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References