...well, my Coffee machine is blocked up, so I'm doing this w/o my Cup O' Joe today, so forgive me, in advance....
....this story arc w/ Darren wasn't really needed; We were introduced to him as a mild-mannered, slightly geeky (yet stern) Ebony Man who Eduardo fell for, & the B&B'ers accepted in their Home....He gels w/ Brad, Drew, & Mannis the best, can tolerate Rich & Price, & respects Rudy....
...So, having the 'PTSD' arc just...show up, and OUT.... seems unnecessary...It would've been more believable if Ed stepped in and helped Darren, because he LOVES him,bringing their bond closer together, THEN have Drew step in....They are the FIRST Black / Latino 'Out' (Comic) Couple, they need their bond to be strengthened w/o stereotypical story arcs....
...(to Me), It felt like it was just given to have Drew step in (a Kilt) and show up...Darren dealing w/ a different kind of phobia WAS interesting, I wished it was more.....focused.......
....speaking of 'focused', ALL this chit-chat in this Episode, and we only get ONE panel of Darren's rockin' ASS (in an ANGLE, no less) in those HOT spandex shorts he (rarely) wears!?? ...now I REALLY need some Coffee!! ...ha-HAA!!
As a fan of comics in general, I REALLY like the background art in this episode. The boating pier, with glimpses of the water and the forest beyond, is well rendered and interesting to look at.
I suspect that Greg Fox has looked at other comic artists who have drawn realistic people and backgrounds for inspiration. I'm thinking specifically of the strip "Prince Valiant - In the Days of King Arthur" which has been running for years in major newspapers. The physical details of the characters - Darren's large square pecs pushing against his t-shirt, {larger than Eduardo's pecs !] his arms and legs with their proportion and definition, his regular, handsome facial features and beard - all details are well rendered and pleasing to see.
To react to @RBS7079's comments about the "stereotypic" story line - well, yes, BUT - that's the point. Even in the 2020s, men and women are still suffering from the aftereffects of homophobia. As Eduardo said, the boyfriend's suicide wasn't Darren's fault, but he still feels guilty, decades later. That is a result of toxic homophobia with impacts that linger, regardless of how hot someone seems to be in the present moment or how much self improvement they may or may not have done.
Drew's point about addressing the problem instead of letting it fester is a good one. Many men and many people would rather just ignore or bury a problem rather than address it - hoping that it will go away. Yet we see how, years later, the trauma of another person (Levi) brings back the original pain and suffering for Darren.
I think Greg is making a larger point about people being more interconnected than they realize.
...I agree with everything you said, seeing it from a traumatized point of view; I wasn't thinking about the after effects, and the internalization, which SHOULD be mentioned, within the guise of a strip like this....Darren (out of all the Cast) would be the LEAST expected, to be suffering from it....
...I was mostly perturbed by the 'quickness' of the diagnosis, the labeling of it (on Darren), & the fast, "..I'm fine now..." conclusion....I love this strip, and would love to see MORE of the characters have personal turmoil to reach out to each other on...
..For example, does Mannis has anger issues? ...Is Price sadistic? ...Is Sergei suffering from internalized grief, because of his Russian upbringing!? ...HE should've gotten this Story-line, not Darren...
...While I do feel this topic should be addressed, I (personally) felt it should've been fleshed out more....or, at least give 'more' of Darren's FLESH, 'cause those Tits are ROCKIN'(pnl. 6)! ..HA-HAAA!
If this is going to be Darren's story arc, it should have been introduced when he first was introduced. Darren is a gay black man (which is looked down on within the African American community) who is in the police force (when there was a high increase of police brutality against African Americans), and whose first serious relationship was with a white guy who ended up committing suicide, with all that no wonder he may have PTSD. I hope that Greg has some people from the African-American community to help him with this storyline, to fully give it justice. For instance, it would have been nice for Darren to share insights on why he is reluctant to get counseling due to therapy not being very popular within the community and how the history of interracial dating may impact him. I applaud Greg for having Black GAY characters, I just want their storylines to be done with justice and not come off as tokenism.
DISCLAIMER: I am a black gay man, that's why it may come off passionate
....Greg has LONG been an ally for the African American community...and MANY others races & religions, too...
- Jeremy / Andrew (Asian), Lance / Matthias / Darren / Delia (Black), Breyer / Richard (Canadian- Jewish / Jewish), Mannis / Rudy (Scottish), Sergei (Russian) / Eduardo (Latino), Jeff (Irish), Jake (Polish), Price / Drew (Southern), Nick (Italian), Morgan (Transgender) .....
...Greg has always melded all types of People into this Comic series, and here, they are just ....PEOPLE....; Also, Greg is the ONLY ONE who scripts this Series, so he may not (personally) know of some experiences of other races....but he does a WONDERFUL job, and I respect his work enough, to be 'passionate' about it, too....
...Darren (possibly) has been the BEST representation of a GAY BLACK MAN any Comic ever approached; He also is a wonderful PERSON..he became the BEST addition to this strip since DREW, and entered the 'respected' circle (Brad, Mannis & Drew), because of his looks & personality.....
...even though I would LOVE to see some HOT skin on him time-to- time, I respect Greg's vision to the character (...Greg once said he didn't feel Darren would be the 'exposed' type, & wanted to stay true to the character's clothing mindset)....
...So, no need to 'disclaim' Babe, 'cause we ALL love the Ebony Men, here....Even if we have to send out a search Party for LANCE! ...ha-HAAA!!
I can agree SOMEWHAT with what RBS7079 states. I DO think that Greg attempts to put African American gay men in the strip and he's doing his best but there are CERTAIN things that he leaves out such as gay racism within the gay community. In a lot of instances, interracial couples center around black and white but not black and latin and all black couples have not occurred in this strip yet. So his (Greg's) view is a limited one but it's a lot better than say Josman (a KNOWN gay artist who is seen as bigoted) and others. To date, the ONLY gay comic strips that truly featured black gay men was the now defunct Chelsea Boys.
I DO think that Greg would do well to solicit more opinions from black gay men because too often we are seen as a fetish and little more and that isn't going to change. That being said: I DO like the pairing of Darren and Eduardo (even is Ed is a human pin cushion)
Greg generally does a good job of having a diverse cast of characters. Aside from the visuals, the storylines are mostly race-blind; with exception of a few character backgrounds the cast members' ethnicities are interchangeable. That works nicely in a utopian world where skin color and race are a bit like hair and eye color, though we've seen glimpses - Lance's revelation to Drew about racist treatment from his ex's family.
Greg's well-intentioned, color-blind storylines have led to examples where a plot event comes off poorly due to optics. Price was very kind and loving towards Mya the child patient, though his condescension and hostility towards Lance, Kristian (whom he initially hired) and Jason can come off as racist being that he's a rich, pompous Southerner. It's always bothered me the plot of Price falsely reporting Kristian as a drug dealer was treated casually - just Price being Price. That storyline occurred during a few months where Black people were experiencing exactly such police actions falsely reported around the U.S. I initially thought Greg was trying to highlight the issue. People have lost their lives due to false police reports, which are themselves a crime.
It's nice to see Darren's character have some depth and raises how damaging homophobia can be from family members (I disagree with the assessment of Black people being resistant to therapy or intrinsically homophobic - that's certainly true of many and no more so than other races. We are not a monolith). Hopefully, this very serious topic will be treated sensitively and resolved with Drew's counseling and Eduardo's support. It needn't be an all house discussion nor have Richard's comic relief tossed in - that can come off poorly to readers personally affected by homophobia where suicide occurred.
Writing about characters who are a different gender, race, nationality from oneself can be tricky - Greg is adept at this largely because he avoids the issues which arise for some. But it's sometimes necessary - Sergey's character could not ignore the Russo-Ukraine war. Keep up the great work Greg though do consider your fans' comments and how even in a fictional gay comic, one shouldn't dismiss real world issues and effects when presenting the storylines.
7 comments:
...well, my Coffee machine is blocked up, so I'm doing this w/o my Cup O' Joe today, so forgive me, in advance....
....this story arc w/ Darren wasn't really needed; We were introduced to him as a mild-mannered, slightly geeky (yet stern) Ebony Man who Eduardo fell for, & the B&B'ers accepted in their Home....He gels w/ Brad, Drew, & Mannis the best, can tolerate Rich & Price, & respects Rudy....
...So, having the 'PTSD' arc just...show up, and OUT.... seems unnecessary...It would've been more believable if Ed stepped in and helped Darren, because he LOVES him,bringing their bond closer together, THEN have Drew step in....They are the FIRST Black / Latino 'Out' (Comic) Couple, they need their bond to be strengthened w/o stereotypical story arcs....
...(to Me), It felt like it was just given to have Drew step in (a Kilt) and show up...Darren dealing w/ a different kind of phobia WAS interesting, I wished it was more.....focused.......
....speaking of 'focused', ALL this chit-chat in this Episode, and we only get ONE panel of Darren's rockin' ASS (in an ANGLE, no less) in those HOT spandex shorts he (rarely) wears!?? ...now I REALLY need some Coffee!! ...ha-HAA!!
..don't hate me, CHOW!
As a fan of comics in general, I REALLY like the background art in this episode. The boating pier, with glimpses of the water and the forest beyond, is well rendered and interesting to look at.
I suspect that Greg Fox has looked at other comic artists who have drawn realistic people and backgrounds for inspiration. I'm thinking specifically of the strip "Prince Valiant - In the Days of King Arthur" which has been running for years in major newspapers. The physical details of the characters - Darren's large square pecs pushing against his t-shirt, {larger than Eduardo's pecs !] his arms and legs with their proportion and definition, his regular, handsome facial features and beard - all details are well rendered and pleasing to see.
To react to @RBS7079's comments about the "stereotypic" story line - well, yes, BUT - that's the point. Even in the 2020s, men and women are still suffering from the aftereffects of homophobia. As Eduardo said, the boyfriend's suicide wasn't Darren's fault, but he still feels guilty, decades later. That is a result of toxic homophobia with impacts that linger, regardless of how hot someone seems to be in the present moment or how much self improvement they may or may not have done.
Drew's point about addressing the problem instead of letting it fester is a good one. Many men and many people would rather just ignore or bury a problem rather than address it - hoping that it will go away. Yet we see how, years later, the trauma of another person (Levi) brings back the original pain and suffering for Darren.
I think Greg is making a larger point about people being more interconnected than they realize.
Comixfan
@Comixfan:
...OK, ya got me.....
...I agree with everything you said, seeing it from a traumatized point of view; I wasn't thinking about the after effects, and the internalization, which SHOULD be mentioned, within the guise of a strip like this....Darren (out of all the Cast) would be the LEAST expected, to be suffering from it....
...I was mostly perturbed by the 'quickness' of the diagnosis, the labeling of it (on Darren), & the fast, "..I'm fine now..." conclusion....I love this strip, and would love to see MORE of the characters have personal turmoil to reach out to each other on...
..For example, does Mannis has anger issues? ...Is Price sadistic? ...Is Sergei suffering from internalized grief, because of his Russian upbringing!? ...HE should've gotten this Story-line, not Darren...
...While I do feel this topic should be addressed, I (personally) felt it should've been fleshed out more....or, at least give 'more' of Darren's FLESH, 'cause those Tits are ROCKIN'(pnl. 6)! ..HA-HAAA!
CHOW-CHOW!
If this is going to be Darren's story arc, it should have been introduced when he first was introduced. Darren is a gay black man (which is looked down on within the African American community) who is in the police force (when there was a high increase of police brutality against African Americans), and whose first serious relationship was with a white guy who ended up committing suicide, with all that no wonder he may have PTSD. I hope that Greg has some people from the African-American community to help him with this storyline, to fully give it justice. For instance, it would have been nice for Darren to share insights on why he is reluctant to get counseling due to therapy not being very popular within the community and how the history of interracial dating may impact him. I applaud Greg for having Black GAY characters, I just want their storylines to be done with justice and not come off as tokenism.
DISCLAIMER: I am a black gay man, that's why it may come off passionate
@Markeece:
....Greg has LONG been an ally for the African American community...and MANY others races & religions, too...
- Jeremy / Andrew (Asian), Lance / Matthias / Darren / Delia (Black), Breyer / Richard (Canadian- Jewish / Jewish), Mannis / Rudy (Scottish), Sergei (Russian) / Eduardo (Latino), Jeff (Irish), Jake (Polish), Price / Drew (Southern), Nick (Italian), Morgan (Transgender) .....
...Greg has always melded all types of People into this Comic series, and here, they are just ....PEOPLE....; Also, Greg is the ONLY ONE who scripts this Series, so he may not (personally) know of some experiences of other races....but he does a WONDERFUL job, and I respect his work enough, to be 'passionate' about it, too....
...Darren (possibly) has been the BEST representation of a GAY BLACK MAN any Comic ever approached; He also is a wonderful PERSON..he became the BEST addition to this strip since DREW, and entered the 'respected' circle (Brad, Mannis & Drew), because of his looks & personality.....
...even though I would LOVE to see some HOT skin on him time-to- time, I respect Greg's vision to the character (...Greg once said he didn't feel Darren would be the 'exposed' type, & wanted to stay true to the character's clothing mindset)....
...So, no need to 'disclaim' Babe, 'cause we ALL love the Ebony Men, here....Even if we have to send out a search Party for LANCE! ...ha-HAAA!!
...CHOW-CHOW-CHOW!!
@Markeese:
I can agree SOMEWHAT with what RBS7079 states. I DO think that Greg attempts to put African American gay men in the strip and he's doing his best but there are CERTAIN things that he leaves out such as gay racism within the gay community. In a lot of instances, interracial couples center around black and white but not black and latin and all black couples have not occurred in this strip yet. So his (Greg's) view is a limited one but it's a lot better than say Josman (a KNOWN gay artist who is seen as bigoted) and others. To date, the ONLY gay comic strips that truly featured black gay men was the now defunct Chelsea Boys.
I DO think that Greg would do well to solicit more opinions from black gay men because too often we are seen as a fetish and little more and that isn't going to change. That being said: I DO like the pairing of Darren and Eduardo (even is Ed is a human pin cushion)
Jack
Greg generally does a good job of having a diverse cast of characters. Aside from the visuals, the storylines are mostly race-blind; with exception of a few character backgrounds the cast members' ethnicities are interchangeable. That works nicely in a utopian world where skin color and race are a bit like hair and eye color, though we've seen glimpses - Lance's revelation to Drew about racist treatment from his ex's family.
Greg's well-intentioned, color-blind storylines have led to examples where a plot event comes off poorly due to optics. Price was very kind and loving towards Mya the child patient, though his condescension and hostility towards Lance, Kristian (whom he initially hired) and Jason can come off as racist being that he's a rich, pompous Southerner. It's always bothered me the plot of Price falsely reporting Kristian as a drug dealer was treated casually - just Price being Price. That storyline occurred during a few months where Black people were experiencing exactly such police actions falsely reported around the U.S. I initially thought Greg was trying to highlight the issue. People have lost their lives due to false police reports, which are themselves a crime.
It's nice to see Darren's character have some depth and raises how damaging homophobia can be from family members (I disagree with the assessment of Black people being resistant to therapy or intrinsically homophobic - that's certainly true of many and no more so than other races. We are not a monolith). Hopefully, this very serious topic will be treated sensitively and resolved with Drew's counseling and Eduardo's support. It needn't be an all house discussion nor have Richard's comic relief tossed in - that can come off poorly to readers personally affected by homophobia where suicide occurred.
Writing about characters who are a different gender, race, nationality from oneself can be tricky - Greg is adept at this largely because he avoids the issues which arise for some. But it's sometimes necessary - Sergey's character could not ignore the Russo-Ukraine war.
Keep up the great work Greg though do consider your fans' comments and how even in a fictional gay comic, one shouldn't dismiss real world issues and effects when presenting the storylines.
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