THE COMPLETELY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN + THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET ORIGIN OF COMIC BOOKS - Serio Comics 37
THE COMPLETELY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN written and drawn by Eric Orner + THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET ORIGIN OF COMIC BOOKS written and drawn by Shannon Wheeler
Blurbs!
Back when I enthused about Laurie Sandell’s THE IMPOSTOR’S DAUGHTER.
She mentioned advice for SHOULD WE BUY A GUN? that she often has blurbs from fellow authors put in her pitch documents for her agent to editors/publishers.
This gave me the idea to ask Eric Orner who I connected with from his book reading in LA of SMAHTGUY: The Life and Times of Barney Frank.
He delivered with a completely fabulous blurb!
So then I asked the Eisner-nominated Laurie.
And she came through with a wonderful one, too!!
And then I went for a third with the illustrator of many of my book cover’s friend,
, who is a two-time Eisner-winner.And the pro is currently dazzling a third perfect blurb!!!
It’s been a fun experience asking for and receiving praise from luminaries in the field.
Though I’ve self-published 9 other books.
This will hopefully be the first traditionally published.
And I’m grateful they believe it’s of enough quality to be associated with it.
I wanted to find a way to say thanks to my blurb fam.
What better way than enthusing about some more of their works???
THE COMPLETELY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN
For Fans of Bechdel and Sedaris
In Serio Comics 35, we covered how Alison Bechdel’s FUN HOME was one of two graphic novels that made The New York Times’ top 100 books of the 21st Century.
Bechdel initially came to prominence with her comic strip, DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR, which is widely considered the first lesbian comic strip, and it began in 1983.
However, the first gay comic strip is widely considered to be THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN created by Eric Orner in 1989.
The foreword by David Ebershoff puts the work into its significant context:
“And yet before Ethan Green, had we ever seen it depicted with complexity and dignity in a comic strip?" Before Eric Orner, had a cartoonist ever show the fullness of a gay man’s life?”
He continues:
“Some have aptly compared Orner to Alison Bechdel…both are original and subversive artists who have depicted their respective queer communities with honesty, depth, and humor. Like Bechdel, Orner’s work shows gay men (not all gay men, I realize) as we actually live. Orner first drew Ethan Green for other gay men, and in doing so ended up creating something universal.”
Ebershoff notes that essayist David Sedaris and Orner are among the most widely read gay writers of recent times.
“It’s interesting to note how each man uses many tools of the novelist (character development, plot, specificity of detail, voice and style) to tell his story, while creating something quite different than a traditional novel. Each uses a serial format of storytelling to tell a larger story…We have come to know Sedaris and the evolution of his relationship with…Hugh.. through dozens of unlinked essays across many years.”
For Ethan’s character, we get to see him evolve and mature as a person through the various episodes of a variety of relationships.
The Universal Sexuality of Ethan Green
When I ventured back out on my own after a 10 year relationship, catalogued at times in my other Substack, Shuffle Synchronicities.
I was often bemused by how chaotic my romantic life could be.
Which is something that Orner captures so universally with Ethan Green.
Orner’s often joyous depiction of sexuality is also something I’ve begun to relate to as I began to prioritize that element of romantic relationships.
As well, Orner expertly depicts the hilarity of the complexities of this powerful aspect of life.
Serio Comic 90s AIDS Depiction
Orner finds a comedic yet serious and relatable tone for an experience affected by HIV and AIDS but not completely blighted by it.
Orner wrote: “It was hard to draw about all of this in any way that approached my conception of what cartooning should be, namely funny. But it seemed asinine and a sort of dereliction-of-duty to ignore the disease in my strip. I started to…learn how to communicate—and be less terrified—about what was happening around us.”
Here’s a famous panel with Ethan and his boyfriend Doug first learning that Ethan’s not-positive and Doug is, yet deciding to continue to be in a relationship.
It’s enjoyably and fascinatingly real and complex that Ethan and Doug’s relationship doesn’t end because of Doug’s AIDS diagnosis.
But because of something much more satisfyingly unsatisfying…
Movie Adaptation
Orner’s comic strip gained significant popularity and even inspired a film adaptation.
Orner writes of the experience: “In the mid-nineties, I’d made a production deal with a couple of young independent filmmakers from Hollywood…After being in LA for a number of years, I had come to understand that development deals don’t normally pan out. To my astonishment, however, the Ethan movie got made…in 2005…It’s a heady experience getting a movie made of one’s work—even one that doesn’t exactly sweep the Oscars—and one I’ll always be grateful for.”
Definitely a dream for many cartoonists and graphic novelists ;0
Non-Disney Disney Moments
I loved the moments that were full of the sweet sentimentality that might be in a Disney movie if it was made by one person instead of a conglomerate.
Orner’s actual brief stint at Disney showed him he preferred to tell his own idiosyncratic stories, for which we are grateful.
Shannon Wheeler!
Shannon Wheeler is another legend.
He’s best known as a cartoonist for The New Yorker.
The Eisner Man
And for creating the satirical superhero TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN.
The cult classic won an Eisner in 1995 for its quirky and endearing cultural criticism and charming characterizations.
Wheeler’s also known for I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER, in which he famously collected cartoons rejected by The New Yorker.
While Instagram now has some meme accounts about this part of publishing, Wheeler’s book was groundbreaking when it won an Eisner in 2011.
Substack and Etsy
Shannon currently has an awesome Substack!
And a popular Etsy store!
Trump Tweets
I particularly remember really identifying with his work during the Trump era.
Wheeler published two books of illustrations of Trump’s tweets.
That are still, um, quite resonant.
DC Comics Secret History
During our phone call, Wheeler shared a recent cartoon strip he did, which described the little-known history of DC Comics.
How its originator was kicked out of the business by mobsters.
And that originator was Wheeler’s own distant relative…
Here it is!
That’s something they don’t teach you about at Comic Con!
Much respect to Shannon Wheeler for battling big topics in small panels.
Thanks for reading this week’s enthusiasms!