PRIDE MONTH 2024! A Wave Blue World have been making something of a name for themselves over the last few years when it comes to LGBTQIA-focussed comics anthology books, including The Color of Always and Young Men in Love. In Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans editors Sammy Lisel and Hazel Newlevant bring together nine true stories from the trans community, focussing on each subject’s childhood experiences. Described as stories of “questioning, affirming, transitioning and growing up” these are accounts that look to light a beacon of solidarity for gender diverse kids.
Cover by co-editor Hazel Newlevant
Lisel writes each one (apart from one co-written with Lilah Sturges) with a different artist bringing every individual entry to visual life. The featured voices come from a wide range of careers and backgrounds. These are provided in short introductions to the comic strips but the main emphasis of Becoming Who We Are is firmly on those formative childhood years. Educator and scientist Sam Long’s story (‘Becoming Sam Long’), for example, of coming out to his family that he was a trans man reminds us of the importance of being who we are even if acceptance is slow in coming, and has an expressive, open cartooning style courtesy of Cynthia Yuan Cheng.
Art by Hazel Newlevant
Similarly Naomi Rubin’s art on ‘Becoming Robbi Mecus’ has an accessible feel that perfectly captures how this forest ranger came to feel at home in her own identity while also embracing a parallel connection to the natural world. Empathetic visual storytelling is, of course, vital in a book like this and it’s particularly of note in Ravi Teixeira’s art on ‘Becoming Kate Stone’’ It gives the engineer and businesswoman’s backstory an animated feel, whether that be through jaunty page compositions or via intense emotional scenes. Kameron White roots the story of Black Trans Women Inc. executive director Diamond Stylz in a more obvious realism, while in ‘Becoming Marli Washington’ Sage Coffey’s pages beautifully bring to life a child’s eye view of the world in this portrayal of the early years of the transitional apparel designer.
Art by Sage Coffey
The stories in Becoming Who We Are are positive, inspirational even, while retaining a certain authenticity and candour thanks to their all-trans and non-binary creative team line-up. The central message here is that everyone should feel safe expressing who they truly are. By exploring the challenges that each of the subjects faced but also reminding the reader of the joy they found in being able to present their true selves to the world this is a collection that will play an important role in connecting with the trans youth who are its core target audience.
Sammy Lisel, Lilah Sturges (W), Cynthia Yuan Cheng. Naomi Rubin, Hazel Newlevant, Ravi Teixeira, Victor Martins, Kameron White, Sage Coffey, Sunmi, higu rose • A Wave Blue World, $16.99
Review by Andy Oliver
