No one can agree on when the first golden age of webcomics was, but whenever it was, Meredith Gran’s Octopus Pie was part of it. Originally running from 2007-2017, it was a contemporary slice-of-life comic capturing the lives of Brooklyn 20-somethings in all their awkward and hilarious glory and has been called a masterpiece and an all-time great. Since the strip ended (not not before it published in print by Random House), Gran has been working on occasional updates, and video games.
And now Gran is bringing it back, as she announced on Twitter – or at least putting up a new story that provides an updated look into the lives of the cast. Octopus Pie Eternal offers a look at main characters Eve and Hanna, as they navigate parenthood, marriage, and shifting priorities in a post-pandemic world.
The new story is a result of a conundrum first faced by the classic comic strip Gasoline Alley – whether to let characters age or not. Gran recently tweeted, “Lately I’ve been wondering if I should draw more Octopus Pie as the characters age. I guess this is a typical dilemma for an artist: find a new conduit for exploring life as you live it, or risk turning the old one into a whole different thing. At any rate I already drew an entire new story, so here you go.” The series may continue as new ideas hit her, she added.
The new chapter continues the story of Gran’s Brooklynite ensemble — backdropped by a lakeside destination wedding — as they settle into their 30s, cringe through booze-tinted memories, face new and higher-stakes challenges to their relationships, and perhaps find the life-affirming silence and reconciliation that once eluded them.
Initial reactions to the release have been profound, with Twitter users who’ve grown along with the series declaring that the new story “hits hard”, and praising the writing for its rawness and vulnerability. “I can’t mince words with you,” wrote cartoonist Kate Beaton, author of the acclaimed 2022 graphic novel, Ducks, “There’s no pedestal high enough for Meredith’s work for me. I read this whole thing with the deepest love and obsession over every drawing and story choice.”
This is the second self-contained Octopus Pie release since the original series ended, following 2021’s “The Other Side” about life during the first pandemic winter.
Read the webcomic Octopus Pie from the beginning:
https://www.octopuspie.com/
And a full series Chapter Guide:
