LGBT Comic Of The Week: Pride High
This week's LGBT Comic of the Week is none other than writer Tommy Roddy's Pride High. Now in its 6th issue, Pride High is set in a high school full of super heroes that compete in squads (think New X-Men: Academy X) in a championship. The titular squad consists of entirely LGBT and LGBT-friendly characters.
Now let me start off by saying that the comic book has its share of flaws. The art at first didn't work for me, as guys were drawn with exaggerated bums and prominent crotches, but as the series went on, the art (thankfully) focused less and less on the over-sexualization of these characters. There's a time and a place for that type of art (I'm thinking more adult titles that are easily available at certain shops) and it seemed at odds with Roddy's story. There were also too many cuts, confusing panels, and way too many indistinguishable characters that were introduced (I don't know if it was just me, but I struggled to identify K.O., Kid Mischief, Beowulf, Smash, Crash, and the new freshman).
OK. That's the bad. Now for the good, and for the reasons as to why you should pick up this title!
As most television and comic book series, Pride High starts to hit its stride later on around the end of issue 2. The characters start working as a team and you can see the dynamics within the group. It is when the story focuses on the team and the main cast that Roddy's writing shines. The messages about friendship, tolerance, diversity, and love are interwoven into an engaging story arc that finds our heroes depending on each other in order to win the ISC (Inter-Squad Championship). Once I knew who the key players were, I went back and re-read the series and I was able to follow it a lot easier. I was incredibly disappointed when I reached the end of the available issues, only because I had found myself hooked!
Be sure to purchase your copies either online at http://pridecomics.com/ or at Whatever..., and A Different Light in San Francisco, and Comic Smash! in Studio City, California.
And don't forget to check out Prism Comics for some of the best resources in checking out LGBT comics!
jonostarsmore
Posted to Comic of the Week, Hot Stuff on 25 March 2008
· Comments (31)
Other stuff like this: LGBT Comic of the Week, pride high
After finding out about this comic, I proceeded read from issue one until the current issue and now find myself truly and utterly addicted to those kids. As a gay teen myself, I find that I can admire Pride High that much more for doing something that I shy away from doing (being out AND proud). I cant wait for the next issue and I hope that everyone else will join me in reading it!
Sage
Pride High, yes! I love this comic :)
I live out in the country, with no regular access to a comic store, but I'm always willing to fork over the few extra dollars needed to get Pride High mailed to my house.
I love the characters and settings of PH and I love the variety relationships that exist between the characters.
Tommy has created something great and I look forward to reading his next issue :D
Pride High is actually a wonderful read. Granted I only got my hands on the online version (from a friend) because I use to live way out in the eastern seaboard where they never sold comics like these. So it was a bit of a suprise when I read it. Now that I live out in the bay area I'll be sure to go to Al's comic shop and buy all the issues when I can.
The books themselves offer so much to love about this comic, but what impresses me most about Pride High and its author is that they practice what they preach.
Singing the praises of diversity and lionizing the underdog has been a theme of comics since their modern inception (at the core of the X-men, and a major part of other mainstream characters like Superman and Spiderman), but how many times do the creators of those comics go through the effort of personally making their books available in braille for the sight-impaired? Or have it translated into multiple languages to make sure the message inside can reach across the globe?
Seeing Mr. Roddy take these steps at such an early stage in his comic's life (when you know it means more expenses out of pocket) really shows me that he's in this because he cares, and it's impossible not to see that love and enthusiasm carry through into the comics themselves when you read them.
Tommy Roddy is my gay(?) superhero.
I don't see what everyone likes about this book. Is everyone brain washed? This comic is an awful mess, it's confusing, sloppy on the art, and terribly written. I can’t be the only one who sees this comic for what it is, just bad, bad, bad.
I find the comic interesting and some of the characters remind me of people I know...though I wouldn't put say Suravi's powers in the hands of some people I know!
I enjoy the story because the mystery is slowly unfolding as the characters grow up, best of all they didn't defeat the bad guys in issue 5, they were children, they were only students, they were saved by armed gunmen of significantly greater experience and they took their licks
The message and reader involvement makes the book and its boards more of a community, after a rocky start with a lot of unsurity I think the book has really grown up and started to walk. As the book and story have grown so have the characters and once you read the books you can see this happen.
I started to read the comic,when a friend from Holland who played City of Heroes with me tipped me off to it.
The comic itself is part of the fun, and I enjoy the read but along with the comic come the forums and people on those forums.. it is a creatiev and positive place ,unlike most forums i have seen dedicated to anything. I love the comics multicultural feel not just US citizens represented.
I do admit that at the cutting all over the place and the art in one issues has left me uninspired but on the whole it has been a pleasent and certainly for me in UK with the exchange rate a very cheap read :)
The other great thing is that readers can get characters into the comic via the forum, and I have been lucky to get Sister Bliss the nun into a few early episodes. Its fun playing spot the character.
Also the you tube vid of the reading of the comic at wondercon this year in Sna Fran was a hoot to watth.
Its new its growing and I for one am happy its here!
D
Add me to the fan club. It's so refreshing to read a gay comic that isn't just some sexual fantasy of the author. Pride High deals with real issues facing many of today's kids in high school, and it does so with epic panache. Plus the fight sequence in #6 just kicked ass... Highly recommended, everyone.
I love this comic so much,
The characters have real depth to them, and the authors really work hard not to 'one-dimensionalize' *any* of the characters, even the antagonists.
I like the plot quite a bit, particularly how intricate and deep it's getting, but despite it, there's still humor and character development in it.
Being a long time fan, I always loved the art. It was bright, colorful and very expressive. I never had any problems with it.
It's a great comic, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
Thank you Gentle Ben!
Finally someone with some sense! Pride High sucks! For anyone not in this crazy cult, like they are all drinking the same koolaid or something, this book it terrible. NOT worth picking up, not worth readin and not worth buying. All the hype amounts to nothing. The story doesn't go anyway and it makes no sense, too much explanation for scenes that don't need it, the dialogue is retarded, who talks like that, and the characters are forgetable! Cardboard bores all of them. Waste the money on this book if you want, just don't say I didn't warn it!
I'm a fairly new fan to Pride High, and I had my doubts at first because the artistic style wasn't what I was used to. But the story and the characters really grabbed me and I fell hard for it. The diversity is astounding, and each character is so fleshed out, thanks a lot to the forums and the community that exists behind the scenes (something any great story needs).
And lets face it, despite the fact that the X-men and similar comics focus on the same issues that the gay community faces, they do so through metaphor. Pride High tackles the issue right on and they give us likable gay (and straight) heroes who are the focus of the story, who are growing and evolving in their own ways. Its rare that we get to see ourselves in the main roles and Pride High does that.
I don't want to spew any hate, like some others have so far, I think as a community we need to be more supportive. Although not my cup of tea, I didn't enjoy Pride High after reading it free online, I will say that at least the writer to putting himself out there and trying something. He may not succeed all that much, the writing is poor, I don't understand what's happening often in the story, but perhaps comics are not his forte. Maybe he should try being creative elsewhere? Despite my opinion, it appears some people do like the book, so that must say something. For me, I found it very poorly done and I won't be following the series. Best of luck though!
I came to Pride High via a banner I saw on someone's website. At first I was like, "Ok a comic about Teenage Superheroes," and some of them are openly gay. But then I read the story, got the idea about the characters background, and saw the message that was in the story.
Pride High is not your typical book. If one comes to it, with an open mind set, and see who the target audience is then it becomes a little clearer. The focus of the book, is based on a GSA - Gay, Straight Alliance - and the situation involed with that. One central theames of the current story arc is the relationship between two former friends, because one of them came out to the other.
This is also the only book, that I know of, that has a reader character program. It is not a guaruntee, but in several of the issues, characters made by the readers have made cameo appearences or have become members of two of the major squads! Lets see the Comic industry giants do that!
Enrique said:
Sure Pride High isn’t for everyone but well let’s be honest, NOTHING pleases everyone.
It is clear that what the comic IS working to create a title targeted at gay teens that reflects a wide variety of background and experiences. A comic where kids can find some encouragement or hope that there is a life out there for them. A comic that recognizes the challenges they will face as a teenager in school and shows its super powered characters meeting those same challenges where their powers cannot help them but their strength of character and friendships they forge can.
I believe Pride High is succeeding. Pride High’s characters are racially, economically, and culturally diverse. I would challenge anyone to read the books and honestly not find a character or two that they feel some connection with.
Recent medical research shows that when people view other people or even characters to have something in common with themselves that we actually use the portion of our brains that activates when thinking about ourselves as opposed to another portion used when thinking of others. This gives a greater feeling of familiarity. Basically it’s all about building rapport and if one kid out there runs into this comic and it even marginally helps them come to terms with their sexuality, come out or cope with their present situations in expectation of a better future for themselves then I think its creators will be more than vindicated.
Honestly people some of the criticism is rather harsh. Remember you are not reviewing Marvel’s newest title! Clearly the fluctuations mentioned above in art or direction or writing are this crew finding themselves, these characters and this book and perfecting their vision and their purpose.
Enrique
Well, I think Pink Krypto has spotted a rough jewel. Reading some of the harsh reviews it sounds like people are coming off a workshop and are looking for flaws. To offen in the days of internet and reviews, we forget that nothing is perfect and offen people are over critical.
I have read the comic as well as going to the website and checking it out. Tommy actually has more going here. To me he is really working hard to start a book with a low budget. For that I have to give monster kudos. He is working with what he has and is in my humble opinion is doing a really great job. He doesn't have Marvel, Image and DC to back him up, so this seems to be coming out of his workshop on his on funds.
With all of that said, it really is a good start. People complained about cut scenes, they didnt bother me. I have been reading comics for years and I understand that some choices have to be made for the larger story to live. I think that Tommy makes some really good choices to bring his characters to life and move the story at the same time. Another thing that I believe really throws people, but I enjoy, is that Tommy is just in the face with the hot political issues as well as life issues. I will not spoil for those that have not read the book yet, but there is a pretty heavy issues that Tommy takes the time to embrace where Marvel and others only make it world news and we just see a few sad faces. Tommy is bold enough to embrace themes that are not in the comfort zone, and he does them well.
A great start, and an even better follow up in issues. I continue to enjoy this comic and can't wait to see what is going to happen next.
Laters.
I'm sorry to disagree with some of the statements above, but I can not say anything anymore. It doesn't matter if you are with a major comic company or not good storytelling is good storytelling.
Sadly, I don't find Pride High to have good storytelling. It seems more of a polictal comic, the writer trying to make to many statements instead of just writing something true and real. And, maybe something good.
Just because there aren't gay characters in comic books doesn't mean we have to love something that features gay heroes when the writing and the comic doesn't deliever the way a great story should.
Indie or not, a great comic is a great comic. Excuses shouldn't be made, just results. Pride High needs to step it up to be labeled a "must read."
Some of the harsher criticism just sounds like bitter old queens. Yes, I agree that the book isn't as polished as it could be, but as Ricky said, it's still finding it's feet, and it's pretty much one guy's show. Give him some slack, people! I'm not saying you have to like it, of course, just don't be a douche about it (i.e.: "Pride High sucks!").
Mary's comment, for example, while a negative review, was not obnoxious about it. She made her point without coming off all bitter and rude. What's wrong with a modicum of civility? Just because the internets makes us "anonymous", doesn't mean you HAVE to act like an a-hole.
I applaud anyone trying to make their creative mark. Unfortunatley, I think this should have gestated a while longer. The characters where cliche and seemed too politically picked out, almost like the author was really trying to impress everyone. The art fluctuated and the story line wasn't impressive. It felt like I saw a lot of these characters and plot points taken from other creative works. It felt like I wanted to like it, but just couldn't. Like was said before, not my cup of tea.
I had heard about this comic from a friend who told me to check it out. I wish I hadn't. Actually, I think Tommy's idea is all right, but this is such a cookie-cutter, paper-doll version of what it could be. Yes, I agree with all the commentators saying that what Tommy seems to be doing -- trying to speak to the younger gay community, trying to help them find and accept themselves for who they are, especially those who feel completely alone -- this is admirable; however, this is NOT a good comic.
As comic book readers/purchasers and members of a growing GSA, we should not only desire comics that speak to the issues of the day, but comics that do it well. Just because someone is talking about all the things most people simply stay silent, doesn't mean that he is doing it well. Dr. Martin Luther King wasn't the first person to address the issues of racial injustices and the desire to be a unified American people; however, he was the first person who did it well. He will be immortalized not so much for what he said, but how he said it.
Tommy's book feels like a huge glob of chewing wax, loosely held together by continuously masticating several chunks of highly charged political catchphrases and stereotypes. The characters are cliche, what they say is clumsy and trite, and the progression of the book has been done so many times that, regardless of the gay and race issues, the whole thing feels like a poorly written X-Men/Avengers story with some shadings of the Matrix.
The one thing that Tommy seems to have going for him, hence the long list of positive reviews, is that he seems to be able to speak to the juvenile reader. Unfortunately, this book is too often filled with political purpose, that the stronger issues -- which seem to be the creator's desire in writing the book -- are clouded by the clumsy story, weak characters, and over-done premise.
After so many generations of comics, we should be DEMANDING well written, artistically drawn, and amazingly well conceived books. We should not be making excuses for the mediocre.
Tommy truly has here a lovely "what if" story inspired by desire and dream. Unfortunately, the accomplishment of this dream is not what we should be hailing as a great book. Our standards are too low. And by putting weak comics like this at the top, there is the desire to stop looking for the truly great. We should expect the great and be able to call something for what it truly is.
I've gotta agree here, I'm afraid.
While the sentiment behind the comic may be one that we all agree on, the execution is painfully bad. The dialogue is appalling, the characters are two dimensional, and the plots are just copypasted superhero stories with "gay" themes to them.
I like comics tackling issues, but this is really, really terrible.
Tommy,
Thanks. Thanks for being rad! Thanks for saying something. Thank you for being open and inclusive and willing to stumble, as well as take criticism and feedback from your mentors, peers & readers.
I don't understand a lot of what people are saying above.
There's a lot of talk about politics and jargon and what not. Jesus! It's a comic with some gay folks that make a GLBT group at their school. Okay, there ya go. Can we please listen to the story?
We're six issues in, things are planning to be reworked on some of the earlier issues (artwork, etc) & we've all got our panties in a bunch.
It takes some serious balls to get out there and self publish comics. Balls, cash, time out of your social life cuz you're probably holding down a 9-5 as well & really just the passion to want to put something out. Have your voice be heard.
Not to pick on anyone, but isn't one of our communities mottos 'Silence Equals Death'? So yeah, let's let Tommy speak.
If you have ideas that you think would make a great comic. Perhaps he would be willing to give you the skinny on what it is like to find artists, work out deals with print companies, have to worry about copyright. What you have to go through to get an ISBN number.
There's a billion and a half things that we the reader don't have to deal with because the creator burdens that responsibility.
. . .
And to just talk strictly on the comic. I enjoy it. I woulda killed to have something like this as a teen (grew up in Iowa). The comic is young, it's Tommy's first foray into the medium, but if you look how far he's developed from issue 1 to 6, I can only say 'Woo hoo!' because I'm excited to see where this is going to go and how it'll end.
Also, you can submit your own character to end up appearing in the comic. Not only is Mr. Roddy telling his story but he's making it accessible to the reader by letting them get involved.
It is published in Braille.
Tommy just got a grant so that he could be working on this project.
Also, he just put together a group of a dozen or so individuals (with voices matching their characters) for a reading of his comic.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CLse6l5_jNE
There is a lot of love going into this book. I can see it.
But, you know, we all have our own eyes. . .
I'd say just try to think beyond what you know when read it.
Anyways, way too long. . .
(Thanks again Tommy!)
i live near the westboro baptist church in topeka, kansas. you know the one. the "god hates fags" church. and i'm in high school. and every day i have to listen to people talk about how evil gay people are and how everything thats wrong with america is because of fags.
i read pride high because it gives me hope. even though some of the argonauts hate pride high because there gay (even though they are not *all* gay) you can tell that there is going to be a conclusion where everything is ok. kid olympus respects jorge even if he doesn't say it.
i read pink kryptonite because i want to read about gay stuff without the judgmental crap i face every day. reading a lot of the comments in this thread really piss me off, because it's nearly as bad as fred phelps church.
come on, people. pride high is a good story with cool characters and a slowly revealing mystery.
but most of all its a light of hope in an otherwise dark world.
Pride High is a comic with a solid and flowing narrative grounded in the lived experiences of teenagers. Mr Roddy evokes without ever claiming to represent the realities that teens face in high school. It's not just that Mr Roddy starts with an interesting premise but that he manages to write an strong story with believable characters. A story that I find all the more compelling because I see moments of my own high school experiences in it.
There is a certain pretentious arrogance in pretending that great work is created in the margins of all things mundane and then recieved in the same kind of hermetically and hermeneutically sealed environment. All works have conditions of production, all readings are done in a time and a place. This is a work that simply and unpretentiously evokes the lived experiences of high school students. It is only political in that it represents a segment of the population that is controversial.
The question here is do you like it or not? I like Pride High imperfections and all but not everybody has to and it is possible to dislike something and express this dislike without being rude rude rude. Kudos to Mr Roddy for Pride High, a fun well written comic.
Comic books cost a lot of money to make. Pride High is 32 pages. At $100/page for pencils, $75/page for ink, $75/page for coloring -- and those numbers are the low end of the market rates -- each issue of Pride High would cost $8000 in human labor. So the first 12-issue story arc would cost Tommy $96,000, and that doesn't even include printing and shipping costs. If he wanted it to look as good as an A-List title like New X-Men, the price would at least double.
When you say something like "The art isn't perfect so therefore the book must fail" what you really mean is "Only big corporations should be allowed to publish comic books" because only big corporations have that sort of cash to risk.
Although the majors have given us some queer story gems, those are few and far between, particularly for gay guys, so there is an obvious need for an independent comics market.
If you want Pride High to look as good as an A-list title, the way to achieve that is not by publicly wishing for its failure. Instead you should offer some support. Already the positive buzz around Pride High has allowed Tommy to work with better artists. Shaun Piela, the artist for Issue 5, is currently working on Issues 8 & 9, the upcoming Pride High crossover with www.luckylegendary.com. Tim Fish (Cavalcade of Boys) completed work on a 2-part Pride High mini-comic appearing in those two issues. Joe Phillips is working on the cover for the trade paperback. That so many artists are willing to collaborate with Tommy for below market rate is an objective testament to Pride High's compelling story.
With enough momentum, Pride High might attract the attention of bigger names in the comics world, or it might make it into major retail outlets across the nation, or it might get picked up by one of the big comics publishers. Any of these would be a positive outcome for the LGBT community in general, and LGBT youth in particular.
I've read Pride High and I'm one of those who doesn't understand its widespread appeal, nor the devotion that leads others to compare me to Fred Phelps because I don't enjoy it as much as they do.
No matter how much it costs to produce one issue, nor how much the artists are paid, nor how much time is taken away from the writer's social life, ultimately, the story (that is to say, "the writing and the art put together") doesn't compel me, and that's what it all boils down to. The characters are too diverse, so much so that they seem artificial. While I appreciate the attempt to show that there's more to a superhero team than white people, Pride High's main characters are more diverse in appearance than they are in behavior. There are odd words and colloquial phrases thrown in here and there for the sake of veracity, but, for example, what makes Suvari Indian? She's dark-skinned, but there is nothing in her behavior or her spoken words that distinguishes her from, say, Chip Cheetah. In trying to showcase his IDIC, Tommy Roddy has actually created shallow representations of what could otherwise be interesting characters.
As far as the plot goes, two words: Harry Potter.
This is not to say that I want to see the book fail, as a previous poster said, nor that indy comics are a cut below mainstream comics because they don't have the same coffers to draw from. Not at all. I admire anyone who chases down a dream. But the adroitness with which Pride High is done needs to be honed.
I have enjoyed reading the various comments in response to Pride High being chosen as LGBT Comic Book of the week. I would like to directly respond to the comment regarding how "Pride High's characters are too diverse in appearance than they are in behavior". Specifically I would like to respond to the comment about "What makes Suravi Indian other than her dark skin?". I myself am an American born Indian lesbian. My parents and I both have brown skin but I don't have their accent. I speak Hindi, India's national language only b/c I learned it in an Foreign Language Academy (in Texas of all places). I go to India every few years but am always referred to as an American by my Indian born relatives. My generation and the generations after me will continue to become more mainstream American as this is where we live and this is our primary culture. America has more minorities in total than caucasians with the numbers growing rapidly. California is almost 50% latino and in 10 years Texas will be the same. We must have literature, arts, television, etc reflect the true makeup of this country, with brown, yellow and multi racial characters. This is what makes Pride High so wonderful. It's inclusivity truly reflects the diversity in our queer community. I hope that we can accept all people as they are instead of attaching certain behaviors or attributes to them b/c of their ethnicity. We are each unique and should not be boxed.
Congratulations to Tommy and all those apart of Pride High for being chosen as LGBT Comic Book of the week!
It's funny how anyone who voices an opinion that is something other than glowing is meet right after with someone directly commenting on the remarks.
Just as much as those who love the book are allowed to say it proud, so should those who have problems with it. As long as these negative comments aren't rude and mean (like some above) I see nothing wrong with sharing our views on why the book isn't the amazing masterpiece some of you think it is.
I agree with above, money and resources does not trump great storytelling. Sure the art isn't the best, and that might be outside Tommy's control, due to money restraints, but what is within his control is the story, the writing and the characterization.
These kids don't talk like kids. They are shadows of what they could be. To me Pride High is a high concept book, with every possible ethinic background and sexual preferance out there, which is great, but sadly, the characterization is not there. The story is not compelling, and thus, for me, Pride High is not an enjoyable read. For me. For many others it seems to be a masterpiece, to me, it's a book without a soul, without a true voice. It's lot's of political correctness, lots of statements, and very little true story.
But, for what Tommy has created, for getting the book out there, and for somehow getting all these fans that he has, I will say bravo.
For me however, Pride High doesn't merit me following it. Mr. Roddy needs to really develope his storytelling abilities and work on creating a true comic, with power words and plot points. Money and big company support never henders a person's true talent.
Actually in my experience people often respond to each other in public forums. Right now I'd like to respond to three things that were brought up.
Poonam stated that the "America has more minorities in total than caucasians with the numbers growing rapidly" -- that's inaccurate. The 2000 US census lists about 75% of the population as white, 78% as white-and-some-other-race. Her numbers for Texas and California are accurate, however. Pride High is set in California, and it recruits students from all over the world. If you think the cast of Pride High is too diverse, that says more about your political beliefs than it says about Tommy's.
Rabbit in the Hole asked what the difference was between Chip Cheetah and Suravi. There are many. Suravi's the better student and the better fighter, she's more self-confident, and she's more likely to be asked for help by the others. My take is that she's overcompensating for her blindness by trying to be all things to all people. Chip on the other hand has self-esteem issues, body image issues, has difficulty rising to the challenge when confronted with danger, and is more likely to offer help without being asked.
Rabbit in the Hole also wondered what makes Suravi an authentic Indian -- as Poonam pointed out, Indian people are not exotic mystics from some alien world. They really are just people. Suravi talks and behaves like a normal person because she is a normal person. Occasional cultural differences will come up, and when it's appropriate, Pride High features those differences -- for instance, Suravi wore white to the funeral.
Joveth, thanks for spreading the word about Pride High. And thanks to all the people who are enjoying the comic book.
Because judging tone and inflection is sometimes difficult through text, I'm offering my thoughts via audio file with an accompanying transcript. I'm not responding to criticisms of the art or writing, since everyone should be able to voice their opinion. I do appreciate the opinions and criticisms that have been expressed constructively.
http://pridecomics.com/media/pridehigh-033008.mp3
***
Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions. Not everyone will like the art or writing, and that's okay. However, there have been several comments regarding the diversity found in Pride High. I'd like to address those.
Mainstream comics tend to follow the "one degree of difference" rule. The "Latino hero" is usually straight. The rare "vegetarian hero" is usually white. Real life isn't so simple. Kid Mischief is gay, Puerto Rican, and vegetarian because he shares those identities with his creator. Still, many writers either consciously or subconsciously portray certain identities as mutually exclusive.
Maybe the boarding school I attended was more diverse than most. My junior year, the boys' varsity tennis team had a half-Iranian captain, a black & Korean 2nd seed (me), and an Indian girl who not only qualified for the boys' team, but was 3rd seed. My close group of friends was just as diverse as the main characters of Pride High. We didn't become friends to match some ethnic checklist. We were just kids who enjoyed the company of other friendly, fun people, regardless of their backgrounds. So when people say that Pride High's "characters are too diverse," that's pretty much saying my friends and I are too diverse.
The team behind Pride High didn't pick our characters in an "attempt to please everyone." Having friends and family who are members of different ethnicities and cultures is part and parcel of our lives. The line-up includes:
Tommy Roddy, the creator: black and Korean
Brian Ponce, the original artist: American Indian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and white
Robert Rivera, the current artist: Filipino, Korean, and Spanish
Carl Hippensteel, the editor and Kid Mischief's creator: Puerto Rican and white
Andrew Van Marle, the Dutch translator and Scotch Bonnet's creator: Scottish and Dutch
When a predominately straight, white creative team presents a comic book with predominately straight, white characters, no one bats an eyelash. Their choice isn't seen as political, but rather a natural extension of their perspective. Likewise, the kids of Pride High are not "politically picked." Their creators are queer, multi-ethnic, multicultural individuals simply offering a reflection of our own lives. We welcome everyone to experience a story from our perspective.
Mr. Man,
I think you really are a man for putting your thoughts out there with the clarification of your comments being reflective of what you feel. I tend to disagree with a bit (but, as stated those are your own thoughts versus mine, and opinion vs. opinion usually looks stupid in the loong run).
I think that the teens in Pride High are very accurately portrayed as teens. Being a teen myself (I truly hate using that sentence) I think that the dialogue and the actions are pretty downright on-point. With the exception of the characters not saying 'like' every other sentence or doing TOTALLY random things that can only be explained on not having developed into a fully-fledged adult, I can see myself with any of the characters living it up. I honestly think that if they were to be 3D-ized and pulled from their pages, no one would doubt their age-range authenticity--maybe the only thing they'd doubt is their claims of having super powers, ya?
I have followed Pride High since it's first issue when Tommy's book was releasing the same time as my website. Since then we've supported each other. I even reviewed his book with some positive moments and negative comments as well. Despite some flaws Tommy's book has been recognized and admired by his target audience everywhere, young gay readers and I applaud him for that. I'm happy to see him picked for GLBT Comic of the Week.
Make sure to check out the big Lucky Legendary cross over this summer!!
http://www.luckylegendary.com