The Out Side – Comic book Review
Thank you to Andrew McMeel Publishing for providing me with a copy of The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics in exchange for this honest review.
The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics is an anthology of LGBTQ, mostly the T and Q, stories from 29 different creators that combine personal stories and illustrations to inspire readers. Themes of coming out stories and finding self love create a positive experience for audiences on any point of the gender spectrum.
Edited by The Kao he states that the goal of this collection is to “inspire anyone who may be struggling with their own identity and educate those who seek greater understanding.” I think all of us, no matter how enlightened we think we are, can always strive to understand others just a little more.
I try to find books to expand my own understanding of the LGBTQ community and feature them here. I’ve been in the community as a bi woman since I was a teenager but that doesn’t mean I have any clue what it’s like to be trans or nonbinary. We can never know what it’s like in someone else’s skin but we can make every attempt to empathize and respect their journey.
Each short story is preceded by a short blurb about the author so that we can put a face and pronouns to the story to come. And learn that the vast majority of these authors are cat people. These stories are very short, typically just a couple of pages.
The first one sets the tone as a simple demonstration of the author’s love for connecting with nature and how he feels most at home as part of the natural world. This sweet little vignette reads like a poem set to illustrations. A natural man in a natural forest.
Each creator brings a unique style of illustration, color, and storytelling to represent their own individuality. Nobody seems to think that all cis people are alike but media and societal misconceptions seem to lump all trans people together. Obviously, a trans or nonbinary person is their own individual person but apparently a lot of people need that point explicitly made.
I think a lot of baggage comes from being The First Trans Person Somebody Meets.
Jam Aden (he/they)
However, many trans and nonbinary people have similar events that were pivotal to their self actualization. What’s key to point out here is that these events are also similar to what many cis people experience as well. We all have moments in life where we must decide if we’re happy with who we were born as and what changes we want to make to better suit how we feel. This is universal and ties us all together.
The collection features not only a wide range of the gender spectrum but features authors of different races and nationalities as well to paint as diverse a picture as possible. Different cultures treat trans people differently and that’s equally important to showcase.
The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics falls into one of my favorite genres, nonfiction memoir graphic novels. Since it is also LGBTQ it’s in good company with the likes of They Called Us Enemy, Our Colors, and Over and Over.
I strongly recommend The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics for all readers, from those who have had very little exposure to trans culture to well versed trans and nonbinary representatives. We can all learn from these stories plus they’re just well told and illustrated like any good graphic novel should be.
5/5 trans pride flags 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
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