Archive for the LGBTQ Category


LGBTQ Manga: Our Dreams at Dusk Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 4 (English)

December 20th, 2019

I have been waiting for this day for more than a year and I’m so very excited that at last I will have people with whom I can discuss Our Dreams at Dusk Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 4!

Tasuku has come to some kind of understanding of himself but who or what Tsubaki is, eludes him. As the folks of Cat Clutter plan Saki and Haruko’s wedding, they all struggle with the endless variations of homophobia the encounter: from the well-meaning, to angry rejection, to the bumbling interference of people whose lives won’t be touched no matter what havoc they wreak, to anonymous vandalism, to self-imposed limits.

And despite all that, Tasuku and his friends embrace the joy of a marriage ceremony. It might not mean anything to the government, but for Saki and Haruko, it still requires the same exact effort of coming out, of being seen and recognized by their families as a partnership. So many of us did that in the years before marriage equality in our countries, so many of us are still doing that in countries without. It wasn’t a problem for my parents that I was gay, or that I was celebrating my life with my wife, but it took the same amount of effort to tell them that it might have otherwise. Maybe more, because if I knew they’d reject me I might not have bothered at all.

Saki, who has lived in fear of her father’s reaction, learns that her agency in the matter has been taken from her. Haruko steps in to help her take it back. That scene turns out maybe not how we expected it. Certainly not how Saki has painted her expectations of it. Tasuku absorbs these lessons: You can’t know what you don’t know. You have to try anyway. And he listens as Tchaiko and Someone-san tell him their stories. It gives him a little insight to them, but opens his eyes wide to who he needs to be. Armed by his new knowledge he reaches out to Misora and, eventually, Tsubaki. They also don’t know what or who they are yet, but they know he’ll be there for them if he can.

And that’s all we can do. Shimanami Tasogare tells a decidedly 21st century version of the same story we all learned in the 80s when I was coming out and again every time, as we fought for rights over the last 30 years to live openly, to adopt children, and be recognized as partnerships in marriage and now, to be protected from workplace harassment and bias: Family is who you love and who loves you.

When I read Volume 4 in Japanese, I cried for Tchaiko, whose relationship was unable to be acknowledged until his partner’s death. This time I cried for Tsubaki who, protected by Tasuku, is moved to become someone worthy of protection one day.

I turned out to be wrong that the translation would go with”Dareka-san.” That’s okay. “Someone-san” is just fine. ^_^

I’m so very glad for all of you that you’ve had a chance to share in this story. My sincerest thanks to everyone at Seven Seas for bringing it to us with such loving care. You’ve heard what I think, now it’s your turn. Let’s have all your feels in the comments!

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
LGBTQ – 10
Service – 3 A Lesbian wedding serves this fan well enough, but nothing salacious

Overall – 9

Years ago I commented in a post here that manga companies had gaps in the publishing process that were part of why we never knew what we’d get in terms of quality. And even so there were many layers that most people who see only one credit, for translator, had no idea even existed. Well here we are, the best part of a decade later, and most of the manga companies explaining this to you with every volume.

So, my thanks to Jocelyne Allen for her masterful translation, to Ysabet Macfarlane, an experienced and talented adapter, to Kaitlyn Wiley for the critical job of lettering and retouch, to KC Fabellon for the  cover design that seamlessly integrates the English title. I love that Seven Seas also credits the original designer, so thanks to Hiroshi Nigami (NARTI: S). Thanks to proofreaders Kurestin Armada and Danielle King, to editor Jenn Grunigen, to Production Manager Lissa Patillo, to Editor-in-Chief Adam Arnold and Publisher Jason DeAngelis and to uncredited but beloved Public Relations Manager, Lianne Sentar for keeping us all up to date on what is coming out, when and why to be excited about it. Thanks to all of you for the review copy, as well, although I had already bought this for my collection. I knew I was going to want to keep it. ^_^

And thank you very much to Kamatani Yuhki-sensei for this beautiful story. We’ll look forward to whatever you have planned for the future.





RESISTANCE: The LGBT Fight Against Fascism in WWII

November 10th, 2019

Queers & Comics is an event held once every two years alternately on the east and west coast of the United States. It has been my incredible honor to have been part of this event since its inception. In 2015, I moderated a panel about erotic comics, in 2017 I participated in a panel about queer manga history and moderated a panel about queer manga art. In 2019, I moderated a panel on queer manga history with artists and academics from Japan.

There is no artist’s alley or dealer’s room at Q&C in NYC but, since almost all the participants are artists, there is a room managed by LGBTQ Comics consortium Prism Comics, that features works by many of the creators participating. This past event I was able to pick up a book I had seen mentioned online, but had not yet had a chance to buy.

RESISTANCE: The LGBT Fight Against Fascism in WWII contains a series of short biographies of queer people who fought against fascism in dozens of ways. Each short biography, written by Avery Casell, edited by Diane Kanzler, is followed by a short bibliography , and an illustration by a well-known queer comic artist, suitable for coloring. Both subjects and artists are a diverse bunch, from the famous to the less-well known. Artists, writers, political activists, musicians, teachers, scientists, researchers all get their due.

Despite being a kind of augmented coloring book, there is nothing about this collection that is light reading. Many of these brave souls died in German concentration camps, others were exiled or ran from their homes. Although many of these people did survive the war, some were killed by their own government’s hatred of LGBTQ people. This is no fun to read, but it is a testament to their bravery, their persistence and their strength that faced with racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, sexism and every other conceivable form of prejudice, so many of these people made a concrete difference in a world that didn’t care if they lived, much less if they lived happily.

Read a chapter a night. It’s three or four short pages. Understand what was done by the people who laid down the road upon which you walk. Honor their memories by laying down road for the next generation and pass their stories along. You and the world will be better for it. 

Ratings:

Overall – 8

This book is both a eulogy and a celebration of people you should know. Read this book then share it with friends or your local library.

I will be glad to gift my copy (which is very slightly battered, I am hard on books) to a reader who wants it. Please share a short story of a LGBTQ person who inspired you, personally, in the comments. Please include an email you will check and I will choose one reader at random to send this book to.





Dead Beats, A Musical Horror Comic Anthology

November 4th, 2019

It’s the tail end of the 2019 Samhain season, so, in order for you to understand Dead Beats, I want to tell you a story. ^_^

When I was 8 or so, I had a baby sitter. She was an adult woman who had a kid of her own who was about my age (but who went to a different school. We had 5 elementary schools in the area I grew up, we all went to the same one middle school, then were split back up into two high schools.) Melissa – I have no idea why I remember her name, was a goth-y kid at 11. She seemed very old to me, but she liked comic books so I’d hang with her when she was home and read her comics, which were all horror. I didn’t like horror comics – they weren’t scary, so much as kind of gross and all ironic. You know what I mean, right? The person who always stole lunch from the kids was tortured by being force-fed, that kind of morality play. Terrible people getting their comeuppance. They were so tiresome and full of allegory , l which I didn’t like even back in elementary school. When Tales of the Crypt got on HBO, I was like, “Hard pass – I already read that and thought it blecch.”

So me and horror have a rocky relationship. I hate “Boo!” type scare tactics, and morality plays and guro. What’s left you may wonder. And in response, I will sigh and reply “All the well-written, funny, intelligent, creepy horror of the universe, duh~~!”

Dead Beats horror comic anthology is funny, intelligent, creepy short horror comics that completely lack the morality that made horror comics so tiresome. It’s still has some irony, but that’s to be expected.*

The premise is a visit to a cursed music shop, where the proprietor points out random items, implies horrible fates and leads us to rooms where unspoken-of unspeakable horrors occur. We then get a short horror comic – something rather funny, occasionally touching and frequently gruesome – centered around something musical-ish; an instrument, the music itself, whatever.

It was terrific. A lot of fun to read. From the ridiculous “The Cursed Saxophone of Skasferatu” to “Apolcalypse Demo, which married a bit of the end of the world to a final jam.  There’s a lot of musical demonic invocation, which I always seem to like for some reason…

Overall, I haven’t had this much fun watching people die in a long time.  ^_^

There’s no way to comment on art or storytelling as a whole, most stories credit three to four people on a contribution, so you’re looking a variety of writing and art and letter and coloring, all so different, you can’t really compare. But if I had to pick one story as a favorite, it’d be the ghost story written by Vita Ayala, art and coloring by Raymond Salvador and lettering by Micah Myers, “Let’s Stay Together.” When you read it, you will understand why instantly. ^_^

Dead Beats is also pleasantly – which is to say,  very – diverse. It looks like the actual world I inhabit, with straight and queers folks and people of differing body types and colors and ability and yes, levels of demonic possession. This collection has a number of queer stories, from the self-affirming to the openly murderous.

No fooling,  this variety made the book a lot easier to read for me. I don’t encounter Japanese schoolgirls nearly as often as, oh, just about anything else, which is not – for obvious reasons – reflected in my comics reading.  It’s nice to see comic pages that look like the life I live, full of all sorts of people. People who are either killing or being killed, true, but I’m not going to lie and tell you that real life doesn’t have plenty of that, too.

Creators are likewise a magnificent palette of colors and identities. There are so many top-notch creators here, you should get this book just for the who’s who in the credits. ^_^ Which, it turns, out, you can’t just now, because the book has sold out. Hopefully they’ll get this back in stock sooner, rather than later, and you can get your fill of people being possessed, mangled, devoured, rendered and cursed!

Ratings:

Overall – 9

This was perfect Sahmain season reading.

*Use ironic endings the way you would a monkey’s paw. Sparingly and expect things to go badly.

 





LGBTQ Manga: Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 3 (English)

October 21st, 2019

In Volume 1, we met Tasuku, a high school student who was being bullied for being gay, finally admitting to himself he is gay. In Volume 2, Tasuku reaches out to a young trans kid and ends up hurting and being hurt, depite good intentions.

In Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 3 Tasuku must deal with real-world consequences of “being gay” in public. As Tasuku starts to to parse his feelings about a classmate whose erratic behavior leaves him constantly unsure of the intent, he also watches as association with the Cat Clutter group gives him a reputation for being one of the queers. Every time things get ugly, Tasuku has to figure out how to respond in a way that causes himself the least pain without betraying himself and others. In the end, it’s Utsumi-kun who provides him with a role model who understands what he’s supposed to be, and knows that sometimes, as a human, he’s not that.

When things come to a crisis in his own life, Tasuku takes an important step forward, carving  his own space out of his world. He takes a stand with Tsubaki-kun, demanding respect for himself and the other members of the group. Once again, accompanied by magnificent art that blows the borders of the page wide open, Tasuku takes a forceful step out of the closet.

In the final pages, Tasuku finally decides on a direction for himself, and the others of the group. When Volume 4 hit shelves in December, we’re getting a wedding! ^_^

I’ve praised this series so much, but haven’t really managed to convey just how profound and intentional it has been. There’s a lot of emotion uncovered in this series:; from the isolation of queer kids,  to confusion at an unfair society and anger at and pity for homophobic assholes. The art is epic in ways that are usually occupied by music in visual media, forcing us to sing songs inside our heads of discovery, of epiphany…and, ultimately, of joy.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters- 8
LGBTQ – 10
Service – 2 Things that might be considered service exist

Overall – 10

This was and remains one of the most compelling series I have ever read. I keep trying to put it down and failing to do so.

As a tangent on my review of Sexiled last week, one of the things I like in this volume particularly is how it addresses the anger of queer folks at the aggressive cluelessness of  people who just will not listen to them.  The anger of queer people and the anger of women and people of color and religious minorities in every nation and the anger of any marginalized group in any environment is real. We’re being given a chance to hear that anger expressed. Next up is to change the systems that are responsible for that anger.  Onward, friends. Let us dismantle the master’s house with our own tools of art and words and music and protest and turn that into law and policy that creates a more welcoming world.

 





LGBTQ Live Action: Signature Move

September 1st, 2019

I have been waiting for this movie since 2017, when it was making rounds of the film festivals to great acclaim. Amazon picked it up and I finally had a chance to watch it.

Signature Move, directed by Jennifer Reeder and co-written by Fawzia Mirza and Lisa Donato, follows Zaynab, an immigration laywer, who is feeling stifled living with her widowed mother…a mother who, predictably, wants her to be married.  Zaynab copes by taking up Lucha-style wrestling, which she is learning from a client. She meets Alma, and their romance throws her life into disarray.

The acting is superb. Alma and Zaynab have instant chemistry. Alma’s personality is easygoing and garrulous, while Zayna’s pent up emotions make her instantly sympathetic. The scenes with Alma and her Mexican family are full of color and smells and sounds – the life of a happy household, while Zaynab’s Pakistani mother loses herself in Pakistani television dramas and searches for a husband for her obvious-to-us very gay daughter. I very much enjoyed Mirza’s portrayal of Zaynab – cool, but horribly awkward and ultimate goofy, against Sari Sanchez’ gregarious and straightforward Alma.

The dialogue moves fluidly between Mexican Spanish, Pakistani Urdu and English with accompanying background music, which made for a fluid spoken and musical soundtrack. The cinematography never gets in the way of the story, which is set in Chicago, but could be any city in America.

Wrestling here stands as loud, colorful metaphor for Zaynab’s journey of self-acceptance. Zaynab’s mostly closeted, unwilling to be seen as being gay in public. The masks that covers her face in the scene above is a not-very subtle image of the way she hides from life. “I feel like you’re keeping me secret, “Alma says, but Zaynab is keeping herself secret, as well.

I particularly liked that the sex wasn’t more important than the relationship, or the inner lives of the characters. And I loved every single one of the supporting characters. They made the movie charming and wholly enjoyable. A perfect Sunday afternoon watch that left me with a smile on my face.

Ratings:

Cinematography – 8
Characters – 9
Story – 8
Service -1
LGBTQ – 8

Overall – 8

I would totally watch a television series with this cast.