Gay guys of the SDMB, I could use your opinions...

In My Humble Opinion
1

Everybody else’s would be helpful, too.

I have a webcomic. http://gao.keenspace.com (No, I’m not spamming.)

One of the main characters in Gao is gay, and so’s his boyfriend. I’m not gay, and I don’t know any gay guys very well. I am aware that there are messy issues around homosexuality in American culture. I’m not good at dealing with issues; they make me uneasy. Maybe even paranoid.

At any rate, I’d be gratified if some folks could take a look at the strips I’ve done that involve homosexuality and tell me if I’m doing ok. I don’t think I’ve been offensive or unrealistic, but, well, how would I know?

Read as much or as little of the strip as you want; all opinions are welcome.

Really sketchy elementary backdrop:

Gao and Ai are the tall guy in the hat and the short guy, respectively. Like all the humans in my strips they’re based on Chinese characters because I can’t draw. They were created to be characters in a comic strip and escaped. They’re still in a comic strip obviously, but it’s a better one. The duck is a duck who lives with them. He’s not exactly a pet.

Kevin is their roommate. He’s an alien who had an accident and is now a cybernetic floating head. He’s also gay.

In a recent plot arc, Kevin met a human named Yuan who is gay and attracted to aliens and they went out.

Strips that are relevant:

Kevin is outed: http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20011220.html

Kevin discusses his homosexuality with Gao:

http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20011224.html
http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20011225.html

The M4M Human-Alien chatroom and aftermath:

http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20020214.html
http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20020215.html
http://gao.keenspace.com/d/20020216.html

The big recent story:

How will Ai react to it: http://gao.keenspace.com/week19.html
Gao interacts with Yuan & the dates starts: http://gao.keenspace.com/week20.html
The rest of the date, followed by some unconnected stuff: http://gao.keenspace.com/week21.html

Thanks for input anyone has, on the gay issue or anything else.

–John

2

As a straight male I can say one thing: learn to draw.

Commics don’t work if you can’t figure out which character is which. Maybe you could find someone who can draw to help you with it.

As far as the Gay thing goes, why would you write about something you know you have no clue about? Pick something you know about and then you will know if you are being offensive or not.

Slee

3

Um, wow. Constructive… harsh. Constructive… harsh. Near…far. Near… far. [/elmo]

I don’t think three panels is enough to even approach the big band o’ gay issues, Yue, so I wouldn’t even worry about it. The ones I saw were quite funny (wear a hat. HA!) and he seems to work as a character.

4

Beveling … heh heh heh … I’m gonna be giggling about that for a week. :smiley:

I’m mostly gay, though mostly not a guy, and I think you’re doing fine. You seem to be handling the matter in a sensitive (as well as funny) way. In fact, it’s nifty that you’re touching on a subject most guys wouldn’t touch with a twenty-foot brass pole.

5

I like it.

It has a real charm, and I laughed out loud at a couple of strips, which is more than I can say for Sluggy Freelance or Player vs. Player recently. I like your sense of comic timing, and the Punchline Syndrome was funny as hell.

As to the gay character, I think you’re approaching it openmindedly and honestly, with your characters voicing the normal uncertainties that straight people have in dealing with gay people, or that anybody has in dealing with people of other cultures, actually. While the drawings are spare, the characters are very obviously real to you, and speak with very distinct voices.

I’m particularly fond of the fact that your gay character isn’t just a gay character, he’s a gay photosynthetic alien bodiless gay slug character. Seriously, it’s annoying to see all gay characters portrayed as if being gay is the only central element to their personalities, when most people are really complex bundles of quirks and hopes and neuroses and weirdness. And in that, your comic appears to be very true to life.

I guess I’m gonna have to spend a valuable chunk of my workday tomorrow perusing the archives.

6

Dude, the gay stuff is fine, but the whole hat obsession thing is highly offensive.

Esprix

7

Ok, thanks everybody. I didn’t think there were any problems, but like I said… a little paranoid. I grew up in semirural Indiana but moved to a liberal college on the East Coast recently (and had two years at a VERY gay-friendly high school before that). In the past three years I’ve had to completely rework my opinions on everything to match the real world I’ve been encountering and it’s left me a bit off-balance and self-conscious about accidentally offending people.

Sleestak, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Esprix, you’re right. No form of sartorial stalking is acceptable. To rectify my mistake, the hat will eat Ai in the new plotline. A happy ending for everyone!

–John

8

Hey, can’t be any worse than the latest Sexy Losers.

:smiley:

Esprix