December 22, 2006

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 9

eveningsout

Gaze back on the ancient times of a few years ago

by Anthony Glassman

Now and then, things come out that just perfectly reflect the zeitgeist. There have been so many cultural changes in the last fifteen years, though, that it's hard to say what's going on, other than the typical American sense of schadenfreude.

Sometimes it's a collection of comic strips, other times a musical reflects its times. Having gone from Ellen making history on her show to Brokeback Mountain, things

FUNNEL OF LOVE

AS SONG REMINDS ME OF A GUY I USED TO KNOW.

THEN HE MET THIS GIRL AND THEY WENT OUT FOR A WHILE,

ONE NIGHT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HER AND HE

JUST STARRED BANUNG. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT To Do.

From Boy Trouble

Press looking back on the last eleven years.

Unlike other titles like Meatmen, for instance, which focused a lot on erotic works or more classic strips like the work of Gerard Donelan, Boy Crazy gave a more punk/ alternative look at the queer world, with a necessarily heavy emphasis on first love, heartbreak and other such topics.

The Book of Boy Trouble, as a sort of "greatest hits," brings together some of the best writers and artists from that decade of issues, and there are some truly incredible strips contained therein.

WE WERE FRUENDS FOR A LONG TIME. YOU WOULD NEVER SEE ONE OF US WITHOUT THE OTHER.

CRAMPS

WHEN SHE STOPPED SEEING HIM HE WAS REALLY

TORN UP ABOUT IT. SOMETIMES WE'D RUN INTO HER

AND YOU COULD JUST SEE HAS HEART BREAKING. IT WAS SO SAD.

图

THIS WAS YEARS AGO. I'VE LOST TOUCH WITH HM BUT I'M SURE HE STILL THINKS ABOUT HER. GOD, IT WOULD SUCK TO BE HUNG UP ON SOMEONE

LIKE THAT.

CAN'T

FUR FUNNEL OF LOVE

PUSH FAPPY

You 3 DAY

4

are moving fast. People often long for a quieter, simpler time.

Hark back now to those days of yesteryear, when blogs were yet to become a part of the landscape. Picture a land teeming with 'zines, large and small, wandering the countryside like giant herds of buffalo. Yes, look back to 1995.

In this long-ago, far-away world, a comic strip artist and writer named Robert Kirby said to himself, "Hmmm. I don't see anything for young alternative gay men," and, instead of complaining about this gaping hole in the cultural milieu, he did something about it.

He created Boy Trouble.

Joined by David Kelly starting in the second issue, Kirby has now released a decade of Boy Trouble, showcasing the finest in comic strips for youngish gay men. Now Kelly and Kirby-whose own "Curbside" runs in these pages-unleash The Book of Boy Trouble, an anthology on Green Candy

E'S GONNA GET

CRAIG BOST-X

No, that last statement is disingenuous. Every strip in the collection is incredible on one level or another, from the final, visceral punch of Sina Shamsavari's "Sunday, 31st October" to the poetic prose of Jaime Cortez' "Aquella Noche." "Across the bar, I see guys casting verdicts with their gazes, but I feel strangely envious," Cortez writes. "I envy one his beauty and the other his wealth, but my strongest envy goes beyond that. They've chosen one appetite to fulfill at all costs, while all around them swirl men like me, with howling orphan hungers they haven't even named yet."

That's powerful writing, backed up with delicate art.

Nick Leonard's "Jesus, That Trick-Stealing Bitch" and

Andy

Hartzell's "Date With an Angel" illustrate just how funny the book can be as well.

It would be pointless to go through and rave about each piece individually. Instead, it would be more direct to just urge anyone reading to go buy it. While it's boy-oriented, there's little that would put it out of the realm of enjoyment for indie-girls. There's some sex, mostly handled humorously, but not a lot of hard-core schtupping. Just a lot of deep-seated shoe-gazing.

Seven or eight years after Boy Trouble dealt, to a great extent, with growing up and coming out, an off-Broadway musical showed how much it sucks to just grow up: Avenue Q, children's television for 20-somethings.

Now, four years later, those wonderful folks at Hyperion have released Avenue Q: The Book, a cute little hardcover clad in puppet fur.

The publishers assure us no actual puppets were harmed in making the book. They

GayPeoples Chronicle.com

might be lying, though.

Pride

Taking a cue from Sesame Street, the musical (and the book) involve the interaction of humans and soft foam puppets who teach the audience lessons about life.

Helping out in the book are the Bad Idea Bears, who pop up in the corners of pages with helpful comments like, "Just put it on

your credit card and pay it later!" and "Those probably aren't herpes, don't worry!"

The first part of the book delves into the creation of the musical, with interviews and really embarrassing photos. It's during this section that creator Jeff Marx asks the important question, "How do you go from racism to homosexuality to getting out of your apartment to porn?"

In the section "Meet your friends on Avenue Q," there are paper dolls to play with, personal and classified ads, web pages and more.

The book includes the script for the musical, including some deleted scenes and photographs from the production. In one dropped scene, the closet-case Republican puppet gives the recent-college-graduate puppet a blowjob, solving all their problems. The real problem was that both puppets were performed by the same actor, and the creators just found the whole thing creepy.

It's a fun, zany, goofy book that makes one wish Avenue Q would tour, instead of being a New York phenomenon.

There is one major drawback to the book. It sheds. All over the place. With no sign of ever stopping.

Orange puppet fur just does not go with my outfit.

Archwood United Church of Christ

2800 Archwood Avenue Cleveland. (Pearl Rd/W 25th, just south of I-71)

Christmas Eve Sunday, Dec. 24

11 AM Worship & Fellowship 11 PM

Candlelight Service

216/351-1060

Joy

www.archwooducc.org All services ASL interpreted

FRIDAY

KARAOKE DECEMBER

Celebrate the News Year All Weekend Long!!

Friday Dec. 29th

Anne E. DeChant

With her FULL BAND! $5 @ the Door

Saturday Dec. 30th

KARAOKE

SUNDAY Dec. 31st NEW YEARS EVE!! Hats! Noisemakers! Champagne Toast at midnight!

micke

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