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Young Men in Love
Haphazard pirates, wayward ghosts, dashing knights, rampaging kaiju (and down-to-earth regular joes!) are all assembled here to amaze and delight you in a wildly unique anthology celebrating love between men, from an astounding array of comics creators who know exactly how it feels.
Featuring stories and art from SINA GRACE, NED BARNETT, ANTHONY OLIVEIRA, CHARLES PULLIAM-MOORE, NICK ROBLES, IAN MCGINTY, and many more, YOUNG MEN IN LOVE is a heartwarming, uplifting, and vibrant return to the glory days of romance comics!
Featuring stories and art from SINA GRACE, NED BARNETT, ANTHONY OLIVEIRA, CHARLES PULLIAM-MOORE, NICK ROBLES, IAN MCGINTY, and many more, YOUNG MEN IN LOVE is a heartwarming, uplifting, and vibrant return to the glory days of romance comics!
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2022
About the author
Joe Glass
19 books28 followersJoe is a GLAAD Award winning writer from the deepest, darkest South Wales Valleys in the UK. He is mostly known for his ComiXology Originals, LGBTQ+ superhero series, The Pride (now published in print by Dark Horse Comics as The Pride Omnibus). He’s also the writer behind various self-published and crowdfunded comics work such as Acceptable Losses, Glitter Vipers and The Miracles. He won his GLAAD Award for the m/m romance anthology he co-edited for A Wave Blue World, Young Men in Love.
Joe has worked in the past a comics news reporter and critic and has previously worked with Bleeding Cool, Gay Times, WhatCulture and more. Joe remains a staunch advocate of LGBTQ+ representation in media.
He lives in Wales to do his writing, and is a very soft boi.
Joe has worked in the past a comics news reporter and critic and has previously worked with Bleeding Cool, Gay Times, WhatCulture and more. Joe remains a staunch advocate of LGBTQ+ representation in media.
He lives in Wales to do his writing, and is a very soft boi.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
June 23, 2022
rep: all gay cast, Black mcs, Latino mcs, Korean mc, mc with a prosthesis, fat mcs, trans mc, bi li
all the stories are really short so they're more like an idea, frankly, but they're so sweet! so full of love! i have never felt this safe with a book!
all the stories are really short so they're more like an idea, frankly, but they're so sweet! so full of love! i have never felt this safe with a book!
August 21, 2022
This makes me crave, like, aaaall the comic anthologies. It was SO fun to just read all these mini comics! I loved almost all of them, which is a really high success rate for any anthology, and it'll be fun to pick it up sometimes and read a couple comics.
March 1, 2023
Kevin Wada's cover art put Young Men in Love on my radar by britney spears. I love his art so much. And there were a few other artists that I know from Instagram, it was great to see their work here.
It's a collection of very short stories. I do wish some of them were longer and more fleshed out, but getting so many of them and from so many different people was a amazing.
It's hard to pick a favourite, because they're all so good, but 'Big Man' by Hamish Steele would have to be mine. I love his artwork and I really connected with the story. It hits hard.
I have so many new to me artists to check out now!!
It's a collection of very short stories. I do wish some of them were longer and more fleshed out, but getting so many of them and from so many different people was a amazing.
It's hard to pick a favourite, because they're all so good, but 'Big Man' by Hamish Steele would have to be mine. I love his artwork and I really connected with the story. It hits hard.
I have so many new to me artists to check out now!!
July 26, 2022
Favorites:
- “The Treasure Map to My Heart” by Oliver Gerlach
- “Theater Kids” by Dave Ebersole
- “Act of Grace” by Anthony Oliveira
I can't really call this anthology a big win for me, as these are the only three I really enjoyed in a book of around 12-15 stories if I remember correctly. This was fun, especially if you want some weird twists in your romance, but with each story only between 4-7ish pages, it was a little difficult for me to get acclimated to the weirder ones. My favorites to short, my least favorites too long, this collection was a little all over the place, but all I can hope is that I'll find some more stories from the creators of the stories I did enjoy.
- “The Treasure Map to My Heart” by Oliver Gerlach
- “Theater Kids” by Dave Ebersole
- “Act of Grace” by Anthony Oliveira
I can't really call this anthology a big win for me, as these are the only three I really enjoyed in a book of around 12-15 stories if I remember correctly. This was fun, especially if you want some weird twists in your romance, but with each story only between 4-7ish pages, it was a little difficult for me to get acclimated to the weirder ones. My favorites to short, my least favorites too long, this collection was a little all over the place, but all I can hope is that I'll find some more stories from the creators of the stories I did enjoy.
October 2, 2022
A fun and enjoyable experience! The stories are short (6 pages for some) and singular. You don’t feel like you’re reading the same one over and over. Different themes and wildly different genres make for an entertaining collection. Drawback? Most are way too short and beg for further exploration. Hopefully these are just a taste and some of the authors will expand their stories!
July 29, 2022
So many fun great stories. A cute little read.
September 18, 2022
I ducking LOVE Kevin Wada!! Anytime he creates the cover art for a book, comic, or graphic novel, I feel the urge to immediately buy it!
This anthology of queer men falling in love was the perfect book for me. I needed all the happy swoony butterfly feelings and this delivered. Plus, with so many different stories written by different queer men with distinctive art styles makes this a book that anyone can find something to love in.
There were some stories much better than others, but that’s the way it is with all anthologies. I’m definitely recommending this to anyone who wants the tummy flutters after reading Heartstopper! This was exactly what I wanted! 💜
This anthology of queer men falling in love was the perfect book for me. I needed all the happy swoony butterfly feelings and this delivered. Plus, with so many different stories written by different queer men with distinctive art styles makes this a book that anyone can find something to love in.
There were some stories much better than others, but that’s the way it is with all anthologies. I’m definitely recommending this to anyone who wants the tummy flutters after reading Heartstopper! This was exactly what I wanted! 💜
January 30, 2024
The most mixed of bags. The vast majority of the selections are woefully under-realized and, even worse, boring. "Second Star to the Right" and "Act of Grace" are the only standouts in this collection. Everything else needed either a much more aggressive editor or to be omitted completely from publication.
February 9, 2023
Fucking adorable!
July 7, 2022
This collection of short comics is so wholesome! I'm impressed with not only how much characterization the authors and illustrators were able to get across in only 5-6 pages of comic, but also how much they were able to communicate in terms of plot and messaging. The dialogue was spot on, I fell in love with so many of the characters, and truly my only complaint is I want more of so many of these stories! From theater kids in college to pirates, ghosts, demon hunters, and superheroes this collection is a celebration of queer love in every universe.
August 20, 2022
A wonderful selection of short comics on queer men in love. A joy to read some slightly more tropey stories geared towards queer life and some other more adventurous ones too. I enjoyed all the comics very much
March 29, 2023
Representation: gay white protagonists, gay Korean protagonist, gay Latine protagonists, fat gay Asian protagonist, gay Black protagonists, queer trans white protagonist, queer white protagonists, fat gay Black protagonist, fat gay white protagonists, fat gay Irish white protagonist, fat Black protagonist, disabled Black secondary character, fat queer Black secondary character, fat gay West-Asian protagonist, queer non-binary protagonist, fat queer Latine protagonist.
Content Warning: violence, anxiety, death, depression, suicide ideation, blood.
Review to come...
Content Warning: violence, anxiety, death, depression, suicide ideation, blood.
Review to come...
April 24, 2023
Content notes for fantasy violence.
What keywords came to mind reading this anthology? It's a bit redundant but definitely love, colorful, creative, and fireworks.
Looking at the representation side of things, Young Men in Love hits a lot of different points pretty effortlessly. We have creators and characters of all races, both cis and trans men, and even a diversity of classes. There's also a wide variety of body types, and even some covid masking. The stories easily jaunt through all the different kinds of genres and this was a very fast and easy read.
What keywords came to mind reading this anthology? It's a bit redundant but definitely love, colorful, creative, and fireworks.
Looking at the representation side of things, Young Men in Love hits a lot of different points pretty effortlessly. We have creators and characters of all races, both cis and trans men, and even a diversity of classes. There's also a wide variety of body types, and even some covid masking. The stories easily jaunt through all the different kinds of genres and this was a very fast and easy read.
November 17, 2022
Twenty short queer romances are showcased in this comic anthology. Featuring plenty of feel-good vibes and much representation, there’s a lot to love.
June 1, 2023
Individual story ratings below. Average of all rating tallied together: 3.3 stars. Which to me feels accurate. There were some real winners in here. But overall they were mid at best. So many of them picked up in the middle of a story or a world that needed pages of introduction, and instead we got nothing, just the romance part. Which never really makes for a great story if you don't understand the world or the broader relationship. Needed more than 10 pages in well over half of these to really make them work well. The page constraint really hurt most of these stories.
"Second Star to the Right: 4/5 stars. Cute and quick, probably the sweetest retelling of peter pan I've read so far."
"The Treasure Map to my Heart- 4/5 stars. Gay pirates encouraged to be gay by their pirate captain? okay sure"
"Living: 5/5 stars. A ghost who can't move on because his new lover is his unfinished business? 10/10"
"My Personal Super Scout: 1/5 stars. We are not romanticizing bad texters. in 2023. in 3033. Never. You have your device on you all the time. nope. nope. nope."
"Theater Kids: 1/5 stars. Honestly just awkward..."
"Another Name: 3/5 stars. Really short. But to the point and about accepting the person not the gender"
"Catch Me: 1/5 stars. This needed to be significantly longer. I didn't understand anything going on with any of our characters."
"Long Day: 1/5 stars. What even happened???"
"Act of Grace: 5/5 stars. Cute and wholesome about love being allowed"
"What Do I Get- 3/5 stars. mid"
"Meet Brute- 3/5 stars. These stories just keep being way too short and dropping too much out to make them fun or entertaining. They literally skipped ALL of the action..."
"The Way Home- 4/5 stars. Cute. I could definitely see the ending coming though."
"Thingaversary- 5/5 stars. Cute and a great example of why communication is so important"
"Love Yourself- 5/5 stars. Honest look at what it's like dating while fat. It's cute and I'm glad there was a happy ending for Jon"
"Big Man- 5/5 stars. Cute. A little creepy because the sandwich shoppe guy knew who our MC was without the other way around... but cute."
"Dancing on the Wind- 4/5 stars. Feels like folklore passed down from generation to generation to tell of how we got seasons."
"Tyrone & Jamal- 5/5 stars. A great story of friends and miscommunication- but fixing that in the end."
"Bright Idea- 1/5 stars. I have no idea what I just read."
"A Bard's Beloved- 2/5 stars. I don't understand what happened? I can see what was supposed to happen but..."
"Pastelito- 5/5 stars. Cute DnD interpretation. Also shows how important it is to listen to your spouse and what they want."
"Second Star to the Right: 4/5 stars. Cute and quick, probably the sweetest retelling of peter pan I've read so far."
"The Treasure Map to my Heart- 4/5 stars. Gay pirates encouraged to be gay by their pirate captain? okay sure"
"Living: 5/5 stars. A ghost who can't move on because his new lover is his unfinished business? 10/10"
"My Personal Super Scout: 1/5 stars. We are not romanticizing bad texters. in 2023. in 3033. Never. You have your device on you all the time. nope. nope. nope."
"Theater Kids: 1/5 stars. Honestly just awkward..."
"Another Name: 3/5 stars. Really short. But to the point and about accepting the person not the gender"
"Catch Me: 1/5 stars. This needed to be significantly longer. I didn't understand anything going on with any of our characters."
"Long Day: 1/5 stars. What even happened???"
"Act of Grace: 5/5 stars. Cute and wholesome about love being allowed"
"What Do I Get- 3/5 stars. mid"
"Meet Brute- 3/5 stars. These stories just keep being way too short and dropping too much out to make them fun or entertaining. They literally skipped ALL of the action..."
"The Way Home- 4/5 stars. Cute. I could definitely see the ending coming though."
"Thingaversary- 5/5 stars. Cute and a great example of why communication is so important"
"Love Yourself- 5/5 stars. Honest look at what it's like dating while fat. It's cute and I'm glad there was a happy ending for Jon"
"Big Man- 5/5 stars. Cute. A little creepy because the sandwich shoppe guy knew who our MC was without the other way around... but cute."
"Dancing on the Wind- 4/5 stars. Feels like folklore passed down from generation to generation to tell of how we got seasons."
"Tyrone & Jamal- 5/5 stars. A great story of friends and miscommunication- but fixing that in the end."
"Bright Idea- 1/5 stars. I have no idea what I just read."
"A Bard's Beloved- 2/5 stars. I don't understand what happened? I can see what was supposed to happen but..."
"Pastelito- 5/5 stars. Cute DnD interpretation. Also shows how important it is to listen to your spouse and what they want."
January 22, 2023
Young Men in Love is an anthology of short comics by queer men about queer men. I'm a big fan of comics anthologies--even though they're seldom 5-star reads, they're a great showcase of authors and illustrators in bite-sized chunks. My average for this collection was a solid 3 stars, which isn't bad! While there were a few 2-star stories and no 5-stars, there also wasn't a single 1-star story, so I would say this is a very solid anthology.
💗 Second Star to the Right by Tate Brombal and Jacoby Salcedo ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
A lonely boy at summer camp finds a friend in a lost boy called Peter.
Sweet.
💗 The Treasure Map to My Heart by Oliver Gerlach and Daryl Toh ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
Two pirate boyfriends worry about keeping their relationship a secret while struggling to snatch private moments alone.
Cute!
💗 Living by Terry Blas and Bradley Clayton ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Korean, Mexican, drag
TW: homophobia mention, death
Henry's new house is haunted by a ghost with some unfinished business.
Cute... but why did
💗 My Personal Super Scout by Josh Cornillon ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, fat/chubby, POC*
After being left on read, Ben worries that he's being ghosted by his new boyfriend Alex. But it turns out Alex has been a little busy... fighting kaiju as part of the Super Scouts!
Adorable, and the dialogue felt very natural. It was a little weird when
💗 Theater Kids by Dave Ebersole, Robert Ryan, and Vincent Batignole ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black
Gordon is stumbling through his first semester at a performing arts college when he's assigned to do a Romeo and Juliet scene with the star of the department.
Both the dialogue and the art were a bit stiff.
💗 Another Name by Ned Barnett and Ian Bisbal ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, transgender, mspec
TW: dysphoria
Autobiographical(?). Ned reflects on his experience transitioning while married to his husband, Adam.
Too short to have much meat unfortunately. But an important inclusion for the anthology.
💗 Catch Me by Nico Vasilo and Jude Vigants ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*, disabled (leg prosthesis)
In a steampunk world, Wade assists a mysterious cloaked man escape his pursuers.
Meh. Too slight, and the art style wasn't my cup of tea.
💗 Long Day by David M. Booher and Vic Regis ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: crash landing
Space Captain Leopold is shot down and crash lands on an alien planet.
Even compared to the other shorts, this one is merely a snapshot. It mostly establishes a vibe, but I did like the vibe.
💗 Act of Grace by Anthony Oliveira and Nick Robles ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*
TW: religious trauma (Catholicism)
A boy wrestling with his his sexuality attends confession and receives advice.
Gorgeous artwork.
💗 What Do I Get? by Matt Miner, Ian McGinty, and Bradley Clayton ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: head injury
In 2003, a punk rocker crushes on an emo singer and attends all their shows.
The art wasn't my cup of tea, but the story is cute. A little weird. Will perhaps appeal more to people who were in the early-'00s punk scene.
💗 Meet Brute by Chris Sebela and DJ Kirkland ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, chubby/fat
TW: violence, car crash, deception and stalking
Nate's first date with Jude is interrupted by evil henchmen, and it turns out that Jude is a spy trying to bring Nate back into the life he thought he left behind.
I get the idea, but this was so choppy.
💗 The Way Home by Paul Allor and Lane Lloyd ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: divorce/separation
Trevor approaches a stranger at the Farmer's Market and asks to spend the day with him, but then things get complicated...
That twist! I didn't love the artwork in this comic, but I was pulled into Trevor and Ben's story. One of the better developed short comics of the collection!
💗 Thingaversary by Sina Grace ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, chubby/fat
Sina plans a low-key scavenger hunt for the sixth month anniversary with his no-labels boo.
Cute!
💗 Love Yourself by Joe Glass and Auguste Kanakis ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*, chubby/fat
TW: fatphobia, chubby chasing
Self-described "husky gay guy" Jon searches for someone who'll love all of him, not just his fat.
Sweet story, lovely art, and an important perspective.
💗 Big Man by Hamish Steele ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, chubby/fat
TW: depression, suicidal ideation, COVID-19
On a lonely isolated Christmas, Ciaran is surprised with a dinner by the worker at the downstairs chippy who also happens to be an online dating match.
Simplistic but sweet. The art style reminds me of Bob's Burgers.
💗 Dancing on the Wind by Rich Douek and Chris Shehan ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
In an icy land, a man tells the myth of the cruel North Wind and the warm South Wind, who fight and dance for dominion.
Evocative, and I like the mythology aspect.
💗 Tyrone & Jamal by Greg Anderson Elysée, David Brame, and Vincent Batignole ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, chubby/fat, disabled sc (wheelchair user)
Tyrone harbors a secret crush on his demon-hunting buddy Jamal.
One of the better developed short comics in the collection, but also the only one to end without establishing a pairing.
💗 Bright Idea by Charles Pulliam-Moore, Dennis Yatras, and Daryl Toh ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, POC*
Ahmad and Corey are moving in together when Ahmad accidentally breaks Corey's lamp. He drags Corey to a suspicious store to try and replace it, and they become trapped in a nightmare of his own making.
Kinda weird, and the stakes were too low. But I liked the artwork.
💗 A Bard's Beloved by Jarrett Melendez and Josh Cornillon ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*
Ballard the Bard sings of the Chimera's Bane, Armand the Brave!
This one's for the Geraskier shippers.
💗 Pastelito by Little Corvus ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: Latinx, nonbinary, mlm? (not sure if applies here)
Sunny leads their spouse to a special surprise at the top of a mountain.
Gorgeous and soft!
*With art, it can sometimes be difficult to tell exactly how a character might identify racially/ethnically. Unless it was specifically indicated, I won't be attempting to assign race/ethnicity other than generic "POC" in my review.
💗 Second Star to the Right by Tate Brombal and Jacoby Salcedo ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
A lonely boy at summer camp finds a friend in a lost boy called Peter.
Sweet.
💗 The Treasure Map to My Heart by Oliver Gerlach and Daryl Toh ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
Two pirate boyfriends worry about keeping their relationship a secret while struggling to snatch private moments alone.
Cute!
💗 Living by Terry Blas and Bradley Clayton ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Korean, Mexican, drag
TW: homophobia mention, death
Henry's new house is haunted by a ghost with some unfinished business.
Cute... but why did
💗 My Personal Super Scout by Josh Cornillon ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, fat/chubby, POC*
After being left on read, Ben worries that he's being ghosted by his new boyfriend Alex. But it turns out Alex has been a little busy... fighting kaiju as part of the Super Scouts!
Adorable, and the dialogue felt very natural. It was a little weird when
💗 Theater Kids by Dave Ebersole, Robert Ryan, and Vincent Batignole ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black
Gordon is stumbling through his first semester at a performing arts college when he's assigned to do a Romeo and Juliet scene with the star of the department.
Both the dialogue and the art were a bit stiff.
💗 Another Name by Ned Barnett and Ian Bisbal ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, transgender, mspec
TW: dysphoria
Autobiographical(?). Ned reflects on his experience transitioning while married to his husband, Adam.
Too short to have much meat unfortunately. But an important inclusion for the anthology.
💗 Catch Me by Nico Vasilo and Jude Vigants ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*, disabled (leg prosthesis)
In a steampunk world, Wade assists a mysterious cloaked man escape his pursuers.
Meh. Too slight, and the art style wasn't my cup of tea.
💗 Long Day by David M. Booher and Vic Regis ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: crash landing
Space Captain Leopold is shot down and crash lands on an alien planet.
Even compared to the other shorts, this one is merely a snapshot. It mostly establishes a vibe, but I did like the vibe.
💗 Act of Grace by Anthony Oliveira and Nick Robles ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*
TW: religious trauma (Catholicism)
A boy wrestling with his his sexuality attends confession and receives advice.
Gorgeous artwork.
💗 What Do I Get? by Matt Miner, Ian McGinty, and Bradley Clayton ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: head injury
In 2003, a punk rocker crushes on an emo singer and attends all their shows.
The art wasn't my cup of tea, but the story is cute. A little weird. Will perhaps appeal more to people who were in the early-'00s punk scene.
💗 Meet Brute by Chris Sebela and DJ Kirkland ★★☆☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, chubby/fat
TW: violence, car crash, deception and stalking
Nate's first date with Jude is interrupted by evil henchmen, and it turns out that Jude is a spy trying to bring Nate back into the life he thought he left behind.
I get the idea, but this was so choppy.
💗 The Way Home by Paul Allor and Lane Lloyd ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
TW: divorce/separation
Trevor approaches a stranger at the Farmer's Market and asks to spend the day with him, but then things get complicated...
That twist! I didn't love the artwork in this comic, but I was pulled into Trevor and Ben's story. One of the better developed short comics of the collection!
💗 Thingaversary by Sina Grace ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, chubby/fat
Sina plans a low-key scavenger hunt for the sixth month anniversary with his no-labels boo.
Cute!
💗 Love Yourself by Joe Glass and Auguste Kanakis ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*, chubby/fat
TW: fatphobia, chubby chasing
Self-described "husky gay guy" Jon searches for someone who'll love all of him, not just his fat.
Sweet story, lovely art, and an important perspective.
💗 Big Man by Hamish Steele ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, chubby/fat
TW: depression, suicidal ideation, COVID-19
On a lonely isolated Christmas, Ciaran is surprised with a dinner by the worker at the downstairs chippy who also happens to be an online dating match.
Simplistic but sweet. The art style reminds me of Bob's Burgers.
💗 Dancing on the Wind by Rich Douek and Chris Shehan ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm
In an icy land, a man tells the myth of the cruel North Wind and the warm South Wind, who fight and dance for dominion.
Evocative, and I like the mythology aspect.
💗 Tyrone & Jamal by Greg Anderson Elysée, David Brame, and Vincent Batignole ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, chubby/fat, disabled sc (wheelchair user)
Tyrone harbors a secret crush on his demon-hunting buddy Jamal.
One of the better developed short comics in the collection, but also the only one to end without establishing a pairing.
💗 Bright Idea by Charles Pulliam-Moore, Dennis Yatras, and Daryl Toh ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, Black, POC*
Ahmad and Corey are moving in together when Ahmad accidentally breaks Corey's lamp. He drags Corey to a suspicious store to try and replace it, and they become trapped in a nightmare of his own making.
Kinda weird, and the stakes were too low. But I liked the artwork.
💗 A Bard's Beloved by Jarrett Melendez and Josh Cornillon ★★★☆☆
🌈 Rep: mlm, POC*
Ballard the Bard sings of the Chimera's Bane, Armand the Brave!
This one's for the Geraskier shippers.
💗 Pastelito by Little Corvus ★★★★☆
🌈 Rep: Latinx, nonbinary, mlm? (not sure if applies here)
Sunny leads their spouse to a special surprise at the top of a mountain.
Gorgeous and soft!
*With art, it can sometimes be difficult to tell exactly how a character might identify racially/ethnically. Unless it was specifically indicated, I won't be attempting to assign race/ethnicity other than generic "POC" in my review.
January 4, 2023
This anthology is the book I needed when I was younger. All about positivity and empowerment, it’s fun, touching, educational and uplifting, and there’s not a comics genre that isn’t treated with the utmost care. It’s not just the stories that inspire - Robert Ryan, Nick Robles, Auguste Kanakis, Ian Bisbal (as examples) all delight on art in wildly different ways and with writers like the marvellous Joe Glass, the insightful Anthony Oliveira, the magical Tate Brombal, Paul Allor and the inspirational Sina Grace this is the book of 2022 for me. I may find myself reading this a lot when I’m feeling bad about myself, and will always be grateful to Joe and Matt Miner for that.
December 24, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Simply a beautiful collection of short stories, in graphic novel form, about young men in love. Told by gay men from all walks of life, these stories are both great reading and informative.
Simply a beautiful collection of short stories, in graphic novel form, about young men in love. Told by gay men from all walks of life, these stories are both great reading and informative.
January 28, 2023
With any anthology, some pieces are winners and some not so much. This was still a fun read and I'm grateful that this exists! My favorite stories were: Second Star to the Right, Treasure Map of My Heart, Another Name, Long Day, Act of Grace, Love Yourself, Big Man, and a Bard's Beloved!
August 23, 2022
Sweet graphic novel full of short stories about queer men in love. Really more of a sampling so you can decide which artists you are interested in following.
September 23, 2022
The range!! Lots to love in this graphic novel anthology!
September 24, 2023
Cute and fun comic anthology. Loved all the different art styles!
March 10, 2023
Fantastic anthology! Really loved Joe Glass’s piece on self love and body image and Terry Blas’s story of timeless queer romance well into the afterlife. ❤️✨
October 17, 2022
As with any anthology, some of these stories are better than others, but any celebration of queer love is a plus in my book!
February 15, 2023
I had so much fun reading this anthology! Tons of adorable vignettes about guys at various stages in their romantic relationships with each other, from the nerves of asking someone out for the first time to the celebration of an anniversary. I think there was only one story that wasn't my style, and given how many short stories they packed into this volume, that's pretty amazing.
July 28, 2022
Fantastic.
Great artwork throughout and amazing storytelling! I thoroughly enjoyed every story; even my cold dead heart started beating while I was reading this collection.
There some truly awesome stories in this anthology- my favourites: Another Name, Act of Grace, The Way Home, Love Yourself, and Dancing on the Wind.
(My only criticism is that the standard is so high all the way through the book, that one or two of the slightly weaker stories (but still really good) stand out).
100% would recommend everyone read this book (and I'm not a romantic person)!
Great artwork throughout and amazing storytelling! I thoroughly enjoyed every story; even my cold dead heart started beating while I was reading this collection.
There some truly awesome stories in this anthology- my favourites: Another Name, Act of Grace, The Way Home, Love Yourself, and Dancing on the Wind.
(My only criticism is that the standard is so high all the way through the book, that one or two of the slightly weaker stories (but still really good) stand out).
100% would recommend everyone read this book (and I'm not a romantic person)!
August 29, 2022
Disappointing collection. The stories are all quite short (I assume page length was mandated by the editors), and with just a couple of exceptions, absolutely unmemorable. Nice cover, and generally the artwork was of high quality, but few of the narratives moved me. Bear in mind that I am apparently not the audience for this--I've seen this promoted as a work of YA fiction though the book copy itself does not indicate that.
March 31, 2023
This is a beautiful anthology of queer creators! I found myself wanting more and some of the stories were a little lackluster but when it shined it really shines.
July 26, 2024
Pretty good anthology, some really good ones, some mediorce ones, mostly alot of short fluffy stories. There's a good variety of stories here, but alot of them kinda have the same "boy meets boy" that gets kinda bland, though there's a good chunk of "boy meets boy" that were really good. I think some of the stories are just too short to really leave an impact. The anthology feels like it was made for gay men like me, so often it feels like queer comics are pandering to a casual usually straight audience. I enjoyed the comic as a whole, as only a few stories didn't really do much for me. I'll leave a review of each story here.
Second Star to the Right: 5/5 Peter Pan but with a gay boy scout as Wendy? Great opening story that got me hooked. I really liked this one, and it will probably stay with me for a while.
The Treasure Map to my Heart: 3/5 Gay pirates! Pirates were pretty queer... This one's alright, this is one of the stories that are just average to me cuz they're sweet and cute and not much substance. But it had a sweet message about being accepted ig.
Living: 5/5 Perhaps the sweetest ghost story? I really really loved this one. I think this was my favorite of the bunch.
My Personal Super Scout: 1/5 A story about problems with communication and kaiju. My least favorite. As someone who has problem with bad texters this REALLY annoyed me. And it just gets resolved with oh sorry I'm bad at texting I'm better in person. Did not like how this ended. And the super scout setting is just kinda tacked on, idk nothing special.
Theater Kids: 2/5 Theater kid romance. I don't know this one didn't really do much for me, also the art style was kinda bland.
Another Name: 5/5 A autobiographical story about being trans. I'm bias, but it's nice to see trans men stories!
Catch Me: 1/5 I don't even know, this one felt like a snippet from a larger story. Didn't do anything for me.
Long Day: 1/5 Sci fi domestic life. Didn't do anything for me. Guy crashes and comes home to his partner, that's it. Ehhhh...
Act of Grace: 5/5 Catholic guilt story! As someone who's queer AND Christian it's nice to see a queer story revolving religion where religion isn't used as the cartoon evil bigot. I really liked the message the preacher gave at the end.
What Do I Get- 3/5 2003 punk/emo romance. I think I liked it mostly cuz of the art and setting, nice boy meet boy story.
Meet Brute- 1/5 Secret agents! Not into this one, also didn't like the art. Just didn't really work for me.
The Way Home- 4/5 Guy randomly asks out a guy at the farmer's market. I wish i could be like Trevor. Do people randomly ask people to hang out with them? It feels kinda fantastical, like this isn't the early 1900s anymore. Anyways the divorce plot felt kinda weird and awkard but besides that I liked this one.
Thingaversary- 3/5 I believe this one's an autobio. A story about a non labeled couple and communication. It's alright.
Love Yourself- 5/5 A story about a fat guy and dating. As a skinny guy I can't really relate, but that's the beautiful thing about comics is you can learn about other's struggles through it.
Big Man- 5/5 A lonely Christmas and probably the most serious story. A really sweet ending.
Dancing on the Wind- 5/5 A folk lore story but gay! Loved the art, very nice story.
Tyrone & Jamal- 4/5 Demon hunters! The only story that have a couple end up together at the end.
Bright Idea- 3/5 Wasn't into this one until the weird TALKING lightbulb showed up idk cute but fantastical story about communication.
A Bard's Beloved- 2/5 Bard sings a ballad about defeating a chimera. Kinda simple story, it's alright.
Pastelito- 3/5 Last story. Cute. I'm tired I don't know what to say.
There's alot of stands outs here, but alot that just don't much for me. Though as a whole great anthology and it made me want to check out the cartoonists featured.
Second Star to the Right: 5/5 Peter Pan but with a gay boy scout as Wendy? Great opening story that got me hooked. I really liked this one, and it will probably stay with me for a while.
The Treasure Map to my Heart: 3/5 Gay pirates! Pirates were pretty queer... This one's alright, this is one of the stories that are just average to me cuz they're sweet and cute and not much substance. But it had a sweet message about being accepted ig.
Living: 5/5 Perhaps the sweetest ghost story? I really really loved this one. I think this was my favorite of the bunch.
My Personal Super Scout: 1/5 A story about problems with communication and kaiju. My least favorite. As someone who has problem with bad texters this REALLY annoyed me. And it just gets resolved with oh sorry I'm bad at texting I'm better in person. Did not like how this ended. And the super scout setting is just kinda tacked on, idk nothing special.
Theater Kids: 2/5 Theater kid romance. I don't know this one didn't really do much for me, also the art style was kinda bland.
Another Name: 5/5 A autobiographical story about being trans. I'm bias, but it's nice to see trans men stories!
Catch Me: 1/5 I don't even know, this one felt like a snippet from a larger story. Didn't do anything for me.
Long Day: 1/5 Sci fi domestic life. Didn't do anything for me. Guy crashes and comes home to his partner, that's it. Ehhhh...
Act of Grace: 5/5 Catholic guilt story! As someone who's queer AND Christian it's nice to see a queer story revolving religion where religion isn't used as the cartoon evil bigot. I really liked the message the preacher gave at the end.
What Do I Get- 3/5 2003 punk/emo romance. I think I liked it mostly cuz of the art and setting, nice boy meet boy story.
Meet Brute- 1/5 Secret agents! Not into this one, also didn't like the art. Just didn't really work for me.
The Way Home- 4/5 Guy randomly asks out a guy at the farmer's market. I wish i could be like Trevor. Do people randomly ask people to hang out with them? It feels kinda fantastical, like this isn't the early 1900s anymore. Anyways the divorce plot felt kinda weird and awkard but besides that I liked this one.
Thingaversary- 3/5 I believe this one's an autobio. A story about a non labeled couple and communication. It's alright.
Love Yourself- 5/5 A story about a fat guy and dating. As a skinny guy I can't really relate, but that's the beautiful thing about comics is you can learn about other's struggles through it.
Big Man- 5/5 A lonely Christmas and probably the most serious story. A really sweet ending.
Dancing on the Wind- 5/5 A folk lore story but gay! Loved the art, very nice story.
Tyrone & Jamal- 4/5 Demon hunters! The only story that have a couple end up together at the end.
Bright Idea- 3/5 Wasn't into this one until the weird TALKING lightbulb showed up idk cute but fantastical story about communication.
A Bard's Beloved- 2/5 Bard sings a ballad about defeating a chimera. Kinda simple story, it's alright.
Pastelito- 3/5 Last story. Cute. I'm tired I don't know what to say.
There's alot of stands outs here, but alot that just don't much for me. Though as a whole great anthology and it made me want to check out the cartoonists featured.
October 20, 2022
Comic anthologies are usually pretty hit or miss for me, but this one landed on the right side of a hit. This is a comic collection of stories about men on the LGBT+ spectrum and their lives. There is a huge amount of diversity in this collection, not just in terms of sexual orientation and race but also in regard to disabilities, body types, etc There is something for everyone in this. Some are based in reality and are sweet romances, whereas others are more fantasy/sci-fi based, which helps in making this a more well-rounded and interesting collection.
I really enjoyed the story by Anthony Oliveira, but I admit to being biased as I am a fan of his on Twitter. I also enjoyed the story by Joe Glass as I think it was the first time I’ve seen a gay romantic comic surrounding chubby chasing in the gay community. The one downside I found to this collection was that, as with many comic collections, some of the available stories didn’t stack up compared to others. Part of me wishes this was less of an anthology collection and more genre-based, as it was pretty jarring to have a sweet romance and the next story be about someone in love with a ghost and in space. I enjoyed that element for the most part, but it does suck when you love a story and wish you could have more but then have to read something subpar. That’s the double-edged sword of a story being only a few pages; most of these never really feel like they get going before the conclusion is reached. Really great story and a fun collection all around.
Blog / Twitter / Instagram
I really enjoyed the story by Anthony Oliveira, but I admit to being biased as I am a fan of his on Twitter. I also enjoyed the story by Joe Glass as I think it was the first time I’ve seen a gay romantic comic surrounding chubby chasing in the gay community. The one downside I found to this collection was that, as with many comic collections, some of the available stories didn’t stack up compared to others. Part of me wishes this was less of an anthology collection and more genre-based, as it was pretty jarring to have a sweet romance and the next story be about someone in love with a ghost and in space. I enjoyed that element for the most part, but it does suck when you love a story and wish you could have more but then have to read something subpar. That’s the double-edged sword of a story being only a few pages; most of these never really feel like they get going before the conclusion is reached. Really great story and a fun collection all around.
Blog / Twitter / Instagram
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