The Book of Boy Trouble, Volume 2

The Book of Boy Trouble

by Robert Kirby, David Kelly, Dave Ortega (contributor)

The second volume of The Book of Boy Trouble further expands the zine’s influence and relevance. Its roster of 24 male and female cartoonists spans generations, exploring the alternative gay boy experience and aesthetic from a host of diverse perspectives. Included are works by queer zinester and scene-maker Anonymous Boy, legendary underground cartoonist Howard Cruse, Andy Hartzell, author of the critically acclaimed graphic novel Fox Bunny Funny, and Tim Fish, creator and editor of Young Bottoms in Love.

Genres: LGBT, Comics, Queer

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Rob Kirby's solo books include Curbside and Curbside Boys. His anthologies include two volumes of The Book of Boy Trouble; 3 issues of the Ignatz-nominated series THREE; the Ignatz Award-winning QU33R; What's Your Sign, Girl?, & The Shirley Jackson Project. His graphic memoir, Marry Me a Little, is now available from Graphic Mundi/PSU Press.

Reviews

[Robert Dunbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautifully assembled volume – and such a spectrum of artists! The strips, many quite short, run the gamut from touching vignettes to fascinating novelistic fragments – like Robert Kirby’s “Killer and Me” – some are bizarre, some poignant, some disturbing. (Jon Macy’s “Crazy in Bed” was a standout.) Themes vary wildly. Entries can be profound, or angry, many are full of regrets. (Whose love life isn’t?) Despite a few tales about lesbian couples, most strips chronicle early relationships between young men, often VERY young men, groping each other as they grope toward some sense of self. (Only a handful of characters seem to be headed in the opposite direction.) These variations create a sense of richness, and even the artistic techniques diverge sharply. For instance, Justin Hall’s “Evil Bear Man” – a hilariously sexy slice-of-life entry – utilizes conventional comic book storyboarding, whereas M. Fahy’s “Litany” is a poetically intense portrait folio.

Kudos to editors Robert Kirby and David Kelly. This is a generous selection, handsomely presented. When all you want to say about a book, any book, is that you hated to reach the end, you know you’ve struck gold.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking news: "Ex-Communication" by Steve MacIsaac, which first appeared in this book, is one of the comics featured in the 2010 edition of Houghton Mifflin's Best American Comics series:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79....

While several Boy Trouble stories have been featured in the "Notable Comics" index in the back of past editions of BAC, Steve's piece is the first Boy Trouble comic to be selected and reprinted as the best of the best. Congrats to Steve, from a proud editor and fan.

(Also, need I say it, the rest of this book is awesome as well).

[Damien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just as mediocre as the first volume, but more pretentious. There were a couple good moments, but not enough.

[Joseph Longo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of gay comics.

[Nathan Kibler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having met editor David Kelly personally and follow editor Robert Kirby on the web at his various haunts, I have collected and watched Boy Trouble grow from its humble beginnings to its current handsome volume. I am as big a fan of graphic realism and the combination of stories in this volume show that the Gay comic book has matured along with its creators. There is now more focus on real emotion and less of the magical realism we saw in the Gay Comix anthology. At the same time, I wonder where the fantasy element has gone. Perhaps all the gay superheroes being developed by the mainstream publishers are filling that need now. And certainly there is no end to the sexual fantasy revealed in everything from Class Comics and other porno publishers. It could be a sign that Gay men as a community have matured as well.

[Larry-bob Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

New original anthology of full-color queer comics. Primarily written and drawn by guys, with a few pieces by women. While quite a few of the pieces are fairly short, only a page or two, there are a few more extended stories. There's really too much great stuff in the book to run down it all.

[Roclaf Alter -Ego · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the first volume was much better.

I found most of the comics uninteresting.