El Goonish Shive/Tear Jerker

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• Lampshaded in the comic title here, but is an example nonetheless.
• This may also count.
  • Best. Cookies. Ever.
• And this. You can see the exact moment where Susan goes from being a literal Wide-Eyed Idealist into her current personality.

Dan Shive (in commentary): I have frequently seen Susan described as having a "bored" look on her face. For a long time now, I have seen it as something else.

• And this could count as well, though YMMV on whether it's this of a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
• A very subtle one sandwiched in a joke strip, but one of the things Tedd imagines the "ideal" men that Grace rejects in favor for him is "Our mothers love us!" Ouch.
• This strip. What's worse is that is how Tedd acted in the main universe too, until he was given the TF Gun. Congratulations Shive, you've just made a seriously depressed five year old.
• Justin's story about being outed and putting his life back together after meeting Elliot never fails to make this troper cry.
• This strip, full stop. Nanase trying desperately to save her best friend and lover's life with the only spell that can possibly do anything to help, essentially eating away at her own life force every time she casts it, and having it fail time and again is nothing short of heart breaking for This Troper, regardless of how often he rereads it.
  • And let's not forget that she feels EVERYTHING the doll does. So, everytime the doll is killed, she feels it. And her doll is being cut in half with a battle axe. Most people wouldn't be able to withstand the pain of that once. She did it twelve times in a row, in quick succession. To the point where she collapses, but keeps going in the hopes of reinforcements that may or may not come.

"God...help me..." She fully expected to die in the attempt to save Ellen. She kept going anyway.

• • • In fact, the only reason she stops? She gains a spell that allows her to take the form of a Guardian Angel. And remember, spell casters in the series get spells that relate to who they are. Taken into account her actions, it's no surprise.
• The resolution of Justin and Melissa. Knowing what they had beforehand, it just makes things worse.
• This strip from the sketchbook really shows how complex the relationship between an author and his characters can be. Also, it made me cry.