Welcome to this week's Spring Celebration guest post, courtesy of Justin Hall, a Lambda Award Nominee for his transgender graphic novel Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny.
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Hello, readers of the Bibrary Bookslut blog! My name is Justin Hall, and Sally Sapphire has asked me to do a guest posting detailing independent comic books and graphic novels with transgender creators, themes, and characters. I’m the creator of Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny, a collection of comics stories nominated for the 2011 Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Fiction, and published by Northwest Press, a new publishing house dedicated to LGBTQ graphic novels and comics.
The first comic I’d like to point out is T-Gina: The Tale of a Fabulous Transgendered Gal and Her Search For Validation and a Decent Cup of Coffee by the remarkable Gina Kamentsky. Kamentsky is the first openly trans cartoonist that I ever met, and may in fact be the creator of the first transgender-themed, independent comics.
T-Gina is indie comics done right: a heady, dense mix of semi-autobiographical and fantastical storytelling with a dash of breaking-the-fourth-wall thrown in. Indie comics have a tradition of this kind of “anything goes” narrative structure, where the story can take surprising turns between one panel and the next, and Kamentsky is masterful at it. At one point Gina the author has a conversation with T-Gina the semi-autobiographical character, and Kamentsky is able to draw herself in both realistic and “cartoony” styles, displaying true comics versatility.
T-Gina is also one of those rare comics that is bitingly funny about serious issues without descending into bitterness; Kamentsky never takes herself seriously, but has no problem slicing through society’s bullshit, whether it’s around gender, sexuality, caffeine, or comics. Kamentsky is also a filmmaker and a kinetic sculptor, but has recently gotten back into making comics (including a cameo in my Glamazonia book). Let’s hope for all of us comics readers that there’s more sequential art in her future.
Edwards’ visual style is in sharp contrast to Kamentsky’s; instead of a cluttered, frenetic underground comix style, Edwards favors a clean, accessible look reminiscent of editorial cartoons, the ligne claire of HergĂ©’s Tintin comics, or perhaps the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets. His work really pops when he uses color or an ink wash.
Penned by Tristan Crane and illustrated by Ted Naifeh, How Loathsome approaches gender in a new way, fueled by a goth aesthetic and underworld edginess. Set in San Francisco, the series deals with SM sex, drugs, and other taboo subjects with poetry and unflinching honesty, through the eyes of a slightly jaded but still empathetic, androgynous female protagonist. How Loathsome also set new standards of professionalism for queer comics; Naifeh was already a highly accomplished illustrator and had developed a beautiful and polished style by the time he worked on the book.
Sexile/Sexilo is memoir at its best. Brutal, passionate, gripping, and at times ferociously funny, the book weaves together the immigrant experience with the story of transitioning in a poetic and unforgettable way. Cortez does a superb job of bringing Vazquez’ distinctive voice to the page, and combines it with his own masterful sense of comics poetry to create a piece that resonates long after you put the book down.
It more than paid off. Just So You Know is a simply beautiful comic: understated, thoughtful, and still steeped in that Sayers humor that informs the rest of her work. Sayers brings her abilities as a gag strip artist to bear on her own life, and the result is magical and completely accessible by any reader.
Smith is also the creator of Eve’s Apple, a more adult-themed strip focusing on a trans woman named Eve and a colorful cast of supporting characters. This is great soap opera, and Smith shines in her dialogue and smart characterizations.
Smith, unlike the other cartoonists I’ve mentioned, is known primarily as a webcomics creator; while she produces print collections of her strips, her primary output is on the web. The Princess is updated twice a week, and Eve’s Apple once a week. The Princess has moved to color, and Smith’s artistry has jumped to a whole new level with the transition; while I loved her cross-hatching that characterized the early series, a strip about an irrepressible trans girl should be in full, vibrant color, with (as Smith puts it) “lots of pink heart explosions!” Eve’s Apple has stayed in black and white, but the art has matured there as well, with Smith adding layers of texture and shading to the line art. Both of these comics are clearly the work of a gifted cartoonist at the height of her powers. I was also fortunate enough to finagle Smith into collaborating with me on a Glamazonia one-pager, and she really turned it out, even adding photo collage techniques to her exquisite color work.
The emergence of such impressive, trans-themed work in the world of indie comics over the last decade is a cause for celebration. It is a testament to the DIY vitality of the comics medium, to the growing importance of transgender artists, and to the willingness of cisgender cartoonists to create well-conceived, transgender characters. So get out there, everyone, and read some comics!
Justin Hall
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A huge thank you to Justin Hall for taking the time to share with us his thoughts on a genre that's all too often neglected. In addition to attending the WonderCon comics convention in San Francisco and the Stumptown comics convention in Portland this month, he's also teaching a course in queer comics at the California College of the Arts. Definitely a busy man, and here's hoping he's even busier with victory celebrations for the Lambda Awards! You can check out his work at All Thumbs Press.
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With Justin Hall here to help keep our Spring Celebration going strong, it's also time for you - the readers - to do your part by stopping by, saying hello, and hopefully even sharing a few thoughts on his wonderful guest post or on his own artwork.
Don't forget, this is your next opportunity to become eligible for this week's giveaway, so be sure to include your email address in your comment. Of course, you don't have to be a follower to win, but being a follower will earn you a bonus entry for the week (just let me know in your comment if you're a new follower or an old favourite).
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