A faithful adaption, Netflix’s Heartstopper uses its deviations to enrich the original webcomic, leading to a more satisfying experience.
Playful, charming, and with heart in spades, Heartstopper has become one of Netflix’s most popular shows. The tale of Charlie’s crush and eventual romance with Nick, as they navigate the trials and tribulations of teenage existence, has connected with audiences, treating them to episodes that tackle the complex social problems facing Gen Z. Fans of the original webcomic have been similarly rewarded with a highly faithful adaption. This is no great surprise, as Alice Oseman, the creator of the Heartstopper webcomic, has served as the writer of every episode released so far. Rather than deviating from her source material, Oseman has utilized the format of an ongoing series to enrich and flesh out her arcs and characters.
However, that is not to say changes have not been made. In the webcomic, the initial outing of Charlie leads to vastly different consequences than those seen in the series. Furthermore, characters found in the series are absent from the webcomic, while many of the comic’s side arcs are rushed compared to the series. Bucking the trend of most adaptions, Oseman’s series has improved upon its source material. The show’s additional characters have allowed further viewpoints and aspects of the LGBTQ+ experience to be explored. The greater amount of time granted to Heartstopper’s supporting cast in the Netflix series has also filled in many gaps left in the webcomic. As a result, the webcomic is a far more satisfying read for those going in with knowledge of the Netflix series.
Charlie’s Outing Leads to Unexpected Consequences in the Webcomic
When Charlie is outed against his wishes in the Netflix series, the fallout corresponds to audience expectations. Already perceived as a bookworm and loner, he becomes Truham’s most prominent social pariah. The homophobic bullying casts Charlie down a dark path - he self-harms, and a burgeoning eating disorder seems the only semblance of control left in his life. The shadow of this trauma looms large over the character, dictating his future actions and interactions. While all this is extant in the webcomic, a key difference to the Netflix series presents itself early into the first arc.
Rather than Netflix’s initial awkward outcast, readers meet a Charlie synonymous with the word “popular.” His popularity in the wake of being outed is even commented upon by one of Nick’s teammates when Charlie initially joins Truham’s rugby team. This may seem perverse at first, but this approach has more to say than the clear-cut bullying found within the Netflix adaption. The intimation is that some peers “supported” Charlie from afar as a means of virtue signaling, while others, no matter how well-intentioned, were on Charlie’s side yet never reached out to him. Here, Oseman calls out the hypocrisy of some supposed LGBTQ+ allies. Even if the intention is pure rather than self-serving, supporting LGBTQ+ rights means nothing without action. Readers witness firsthand Charlie go through hell alone amid purported popularity with his peers for being openly gay. This approach is more nuanced and impactful than the bullying found on the Netflix show.
Netflix’s Heartstopper Includes Characters Absent From the Webcomic
Fans of Nick’s friend, Imogen, and the book-loving Isaac may be disappointed to find these are original creations made for the Netflix series. Some of Imogen’s purpose is fulfilled by Tara in the webcomic, as Charlie experiences unfounded jealousy at the possibility of a romantic relationship between her and Nick, not realizing Tara is gay and Nick is bisexual. The webcomic’s Aled is absent from the series, replaced by Isaac. This was a deliberate choice from Oseman, as Aled is the protagonist of her earlier novel series, Radio Silence, and she has reserved the character for a hopeful future spinoff.
Unlike Charlie’s outing, this is a deviation from the source material that sets Netflix’s series above the original webcomic. Imogen, as the only heterosexual main character, serves as an audience surrogate for many viewers. She doesn’t understand the homosexual or non-cisgender experience as it’s alien to her, yet she wishes to educate herself, becoming more welcoming and supportive of her friends. Her attempted, doomed wooing of Nick also further enriches his journey towards comprehending and accepting his own bisexuality. The addition of Isaac is also welcome as it allows further exploration of the LGBTQ+ experience. While Aled is another gay character who does little other than help propel the romantic plot of Charlie and Nick forward, Isaac enjoys a romantic subplot of his own. The realization of his asexuality towards the end of Season 2 is both poignant and empowering, shining a light on an often overlooked subdivision of the LGBTQ+ community.
Netflix’s Heartstopper Lets the Supporting Cast Shine
Due to its short, episodic nature, the supporting characters and subplots of the Heartstopper webcomic take a backseat in favor of Charlie and Nick’s romance. Most of the comics focus exclusively on these two characters, with the character development of the supporting cast either feeling rushed or occurring off-panel. With eight half-hour episodes per season to play around with, Oseman has utilized the additional time and space to amend this, granting the supporting characters and their subplots the attention that they deserve. As with the original characters found in Netflix’s Heartstopper, this is a marked improvement upon the webcomic.
This is highlighted through the series’ treatment of Elle and Tao. In the webcomic, the audience learns nothing of these characters other than the fact that both are attracted to each other, and Tao feels unfoundedly responsible for Charlie’s outing. The series gives these characters room to breathe. The audience learns of their passion for movies and art, and their blossoming romance is more rewarding due to the time that Oseman dedicates to it. While their fateful museum kiss occurs in both the webcomic and series, the buildup and aftermath of this are relegated to off-panel speculation in the webcomic. By granting Elle and Tao’s romantic subplot as much screen time as Charlie and Nick’s, Oseman fleshes out the characters in a manner absent from the source material.
For fans of the webcomic, one of the great joys of Netflix’s Heartstopper is how faithful an adaptation it is. Many scenes are lifted directly from the page with astounding detail, right down to the identical posters found on Charlie’s bedroom wall. However, the changes made are rare for such a project, and rather than sullying the source material, they enrich it. Oseman clearly has a great love of her property, and she has used her Netflix series to amend the mistakes of the webcomic. This has actually resulted in Heartstopper being a more enjoyable read if the audience goes in with prior knowledge of the series.
While Charlie’s outing boasts deeper layers in the webcomic, the Heartstopper series’ brand-new characters have allowed for rewarding dramatic avenues absent from the webcomic, most notably the inclusion of an audience surrogate and asexual character. The greater amount of time granted by the series format has allowed for more nuanced character moments. This extends to something as significant as Elle and Tao’s romance to smaller details, such as Charlie’s friendship with Mr. Ajayi prior to the Paris trip, which is absent from the webcomic. As Netflix’s Heartstopper enhances the reading experience of the source material, there has never been a better time to explore Oseman’s charming webcomic.
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