You wouldnāt think so, but no... and also not yet.
Before anyone gets upset, I actually like this comic quite a bit. It has a lot of positive messages about bullying and dealing with mental health issues, and self esteem. The main character is sweet, and he has a pet cat. These are all good things.
However, like a lot of modern comics from Japan that I have enjoyed (one punch man, why?), queer characters are used as an acceptable target. If youāre thinking of reading the comic for the first time, I think thatās worth knowing.Ā
In chapter four weāre introduced to this guy:
Plus side, he aināt dead yet. Negative side... Iām fairly sure heās supposed to be a gay stereotype, in part because of:
Yes, the first canonically queer character we meet is someone who is dead, and simultaneously refers to themselves as havingĀ āa girlās heartā and as being a transvestite (which is a term I donāt hear people using these days). This character has no name, and while their gender identity is not clear, theyāre about the worst transphobic trope you can think of. I wonāt include more images, but a grown adult chases and attempts to/succeeds at kissing teenage boys. Queer person as predator.Ā
There is no indication the characterās death was violent, merely that they were left with regret afterwards, but thatās not a silver lining. This all occurs in chapter 40, which is for the large part skippable.Ā
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I was recently recommended the webcomic Daughter of the LiliesĀ because it has a charming protagonist and beautiful line and color work, and Iād been told there would be queer characters in it. The story seemed to have a subversive slant to it, which I liked, so I gave it a shot.
However, in this comic, does the queer character live?
No. God, no. No he doesnāt and itās awful, frankly.Ā
I really like web comics. I tend to assume theyāll be more broadly informed about the world, since people who spend time on the web interact with views theyāre unfamiliar with as almost par for the course, and queer people are well represented in the art world. This comic... doesnāt seem to get it.Ā
Letās lay it down.Ā
There is one gay character in this comic. Heās called Jamie, and before you meet him, you learn he is already dead.Ā
Yikes.Ā
The rest of the next chapter is dedicated to his dad being possessed, and encouraged to forgive himself for the responsibility he feels over Jamieās suicide. Jamieās narrative purpose is his fatherās emotional arc. This is... not good. Itās not good writing, and honestly it made me feel a little physically ill. Jamie is a set piece in this story. In his first appearance he is a corpse.Ā
Thatās him, in the white suit. It is at this point that you learn that Jamie is a young Black man.Ā
I had wondered how this would play out, and in the end, Jamie possibly forgives his abusive father and disappears.Ā
Which is a very magnanimous ending for the author (who expresses no minority identity, I checked) to express.Ā
This, in and of itself is well-intentioned but tired writing. The part that really kicked me in the teeth was this:
And on the authorās tumblr...
... excuse me.Ā
The gay character... the only gay character, and first important person of color... is dead... and his death is... fabulous.Ā
After this his father ascends to heaven and possibly is eaten by a dragon, but I stopped reading.Ā
When I reviewed Blue Exorcist they had some very nasty tropes as well, but I felt that maybe people could read that comic and enjoy it if they skipped the chapter in question. You canāt skip this arc because it covers two and a bit chapters, and thereās a lot of plot heavy writing going on. I would say, if you plan on reading this, you need to examine whether this will be a dealbreaker for you or not. For some people it wonāt be. I did not appreciate the authorās flippant approach to Jamieās death outside the comic, and I was bothered by seeing the first character with known intersecting minority identities being treated this way, so I wonāt be reading any further.Ā
There are a few other things to be aware of. The comic is good at having a generally diverse supporting cast, while the main cast includes a character who is mixed race (in the fantasy sense), a white elf, an orc, and the main character, who hides her face. However, there are drow in the first chapter of the comic, who are matriarchal cannibals with dark brown skin, tattoos and loincloths. This is another example of writing (and character design) which falls into distasteful tropes at best and racism at worst (the face tattoos in particular remind me of Maori Ta Moko, which is distressing). I was uncomfortable at that point but I know for some PoC this would be an immediate cause for closing the tab. I kept reading for the purpose of this blog, but perhaps I shouldnāt have?
The art for this comic is lovely and polished, but the story doesnāt give much thought to how its art and writing choices tie into negative/unpleasant tropes about people of color, First Nations or queer people. I, personally, would not recommend it.
I havenāt written one of these in a while after stalling on a trend Iāve noticed in a few indie comics, so, this particular entry will be short and not comprehensive.
The creators of Voltron made a very big deal about the fact that one of the main characters in the show was a gay man, who had a partner that he had broken up with. There was the implication youād get to meet the partner, and see whether the two of them reconciled.Ā
Instead of doing so, this character was killed shortly after introduction.Ā
In a very out of character digression on my part, I havenāt actually seen this episode. It got spoiled for me, and I was glad, because I was very upset to find out this had happened. I canāt help but feel there was a sort of purposeful nature to this narrative choice, and cynically I suspect it has something to do with foreign markets, and how itās much easier to edit out a queer relationship if it exists in a short timespan and you kill one of the characters off.Ā
TheĀ ākill your gaysā trope is an old, tired one, and I honestly thought we all knew better by now. Iām too tired of seeing my own people suffer (in a professional capacity and otherwise) to endure it in a show which, despite more regular dramatic moments than it once had, is a relatively deathless series.Ā
The fact that the man who dies is also a person of colour adds to the sting, frankly. I donāt like the idea that a bunch of young queer people were buoyed up with the false flag of representation only to be shown our true place in the narrative, once again.Ā
If this gets picked up by anyone who doesnāt want to see a show they like criticised, I would request they keep that opinion away from this post. Steven Universe has had the guts to show an actual wedding between two non-binary, female-identified (according to word of god?) characters. Voltron was purposely misleading. Theyāre entitled to make that choice, and Iām entitled to criticise it within a broader context.Ā
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Wondering if you're still sick? Try my personal test and see if you can mostly sing along with "What a Fool Believes" by Michael McDonald. #sicknessgoaway #testfail #michaelmcdonald