Positive Representation: This anthology hits just about every form of queer representation you could hope for.
Rating: 5/5 stars
“The Other Side” is an anthology of queer paranormal romance comics and let me tell you, it is freaking amazing. The book opens with a very frank discussion of queer representation in books and comics and how it just hasn’t been there, following up with why it is important that we fix that going forward. This book knows it is something unique and it owns it, as it should. There’s no searching for a queer story here, it is right there and you know it before even opening the cover. (And what a beautiful cover it is! Two fem characters, one a ghost and one alive, being sweet and sharing a kiss.)
Right from the get go the comics in this anthology are beautifully drawn and full of lovely representation. The very first comic features wonderful character designs in a story of a woodsman befriending a demonic hound who turns out to be more than just a hound. The collection continues in this vein of beautiful storytelling and art, featuring a variety of sexualities and gender identities. The romance throughout is very realistic, despite the short nature of the comics. There’s no walking into a room and falling in love because the characters happened to breath the same air.
I don’t want to spoil this book to much, because you all deserve to read it with no spoilers just as I did, so I’ll leave the review here. The collection is amazing and beyond refreshing in its representation. I can’t recommend it enough, and I highly suggest you go pick it up and then follow all the amazing creators involved!
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