Conny's guide to trans-focused comics

My name is Anzie (Conny is fine too) and I'm working to find the best (and worst) comics featuring trans characters! I read mostly manga and American graphic novels, but occasionally I also read some superhero stuff. Hope you find something you want to read! Follows from: @connyscomics / personal blog: @anziewouldliketodriveatank

[connyscomics]

A brief guide to Conny's Comics

Hello, I just wanted to give a brief description of my rating system :3

There are two different metrics I use for rating a comic, a score of 10 in either metric earns a🐱.

Trans representation is the first metric, rated on a 0-10 scale. This one can be a bit tricky because a low score can either mean that the trans rep is just not very significant or that it is actively harmful. Generally speaking, the ratings look like this:

0-1 is no representation at all (probably wouldn't even post it, so you'll most likely never see this)

2-5 is a case of a problematic or harmful depiction of trans/gnc people

6-7 is for comics with a positive portrayal of trans/gnc people that don't go into depth or aren't explicitly trans

8-9 is for incredible depictions of trans people, some of the best comics out there!

10 my personal favorites :3

The second metric I use is general enjoyment, which is similarly rated out of 10. General enjoyment is incredibly subjective to my own taste in comics, but it can hopefully give you some idea of how "enjoyable" a comic is to actually read. Some comics have good trans representation but are incredibly boring or poorly written, which can often greatly detract from the experience of reading it. My rating scale looks kind of like this:

0-5 you shouldn't bother reading this, its really quite awful

6-7 this is fine, but a bit lacking

8-9 I love and recommend this comic!!!

10 my personal favorites :3

The final thing I must note is my inclusion of age ratings. This is not supposed to be a highly restrictive number but instead a general indicator of the kinds of content in a comic.

all ages - very child-friendly, limited discussions of transphobia, bullying, self-hate/dysphoria, depression, trauma, etc. No sex and doesn't focus on romance

10+ - mostly child friendly. A bit more emotionally involved, may include more intense romance, but still explicitly no sex (though maybe some fanservice-y stuff from manga).

16+ - may include sexual content (I won't post comics intended as porn, but some may have sex or intense intimacy). May also reference more mature content, both in relation to transphobia and bullying as well as dysphoria and depression. I will try to make it clear in the post if there is any prolonged discussion of suicide.

Hope you enjoy :3

Btw my memes/reposting blog is @anziewouldliketodriveatank so uh yeah thats a thing lol

[connyscomics]

Until I Become Me by Satou Hatsuki

Trans rep: 8/10

General enjoyment: 8/10

Okay so this will be the first of my longer reviews that I post, and so for readers that don’t want that I’ll first say some words about the comic (in summary or smth). Basically the comic is good but oddly executed and is built around a sort of stupid gender swap premise. Okay so uhm yeah heres my goliath of an essay (actually its just like 600 words, but yk this is tumblr not a newspaper… oh whatever):

I started writing about Trans comics almost three years ago because I noticed that there was not one single thorough guide or reading list for someone trying to find comics about Trans people. There are a few guides out there that allow you to search under the tag of “Transgender”, but every single one has the same five or ten entries that barely have any Transgender representation.

The genre of Transgender comics may seem small, but once you start digging you’ll quickly find that there are so many great comics to be found, if only you just look hard enough!

It took me three years of searching to find Until I Become Me by Satou Hatsuki in the footnotes of a poorly written article about another Trans comic I was researching, but boy was it worth the wait. Until I Become Me is a not-so-classic twist on the classic manga trope of “gender benders” or “gender swap,” in which a character (typically male) magically Transforms (typically overnight) into the opposite sex. This trope generally plays into outdated understandings of gender and sex and the intersection of the two to create what has historically been seen as a humorous plot point.

Gender swap tropes are rooted in a gender-essentialist perspective that there is something inherently “female” about some bodies and something inherently “male” about other bodies and that only a magical binary “switch” could turn a boy into a girl. In reality, gender and bodies are not so completely binary and not so completely set in stone, and furthermore if someone wants to change their body, modern medical transition options are very effective for changing someone’s “sex”.

Normally I can’t stand comics like this because they are full to the brim with Transphobic rhetoric, gender-essentialism, and usually a good amount of oversexualization. However, Until I Become Me is different, because the gender swap mechanic is not seen as a funny joke or a one-off bit but instead as a serious and confusing emotional experience for a character with a lot of internalized self-hatred and Trans desires.

The main character, Akira, hesitantly explores what it means to have a feminine body while simultaneously coping with her growing enjoyment of this experience: she didn’t magically become a girl overnight (mentally speaking) but the “girl” might have been there all along.

This strikingly fresh take on both the Transgender experience and the gender-swap trope is as fun as it is heart wrenching. Before her body changed, Akira regularly harassed and bullied girls in her class, and then after changing ends up facing much of the same treatment from boys in her class. Watching Akira reflect on her own past behaviors towards girls when she was a “boy” hits deep into the real-world challenge of many Trans people to balance internalized prejudices with learned experiences.

Although overall I found the comic really enjoyable and its storyline surprisingly poignant, there were definitely some moments that were hard to read.

The way in which her parents treat her, as a freak of nature that desperately needs “fixing,” and the way that boys in her class (particularly early on when they knew her before the change) treat her, as a subject of ridicule and regular sexual harassment, its all quite difficult to read. But this does not make the story any less valuable as a Trans narrative, in fact the balancing of the softer internal exploration with the harsh outside world is exactly what makes Until I Become Me one of the most harshly realistic comics I’ve ever read.

Admittedly, the gender swap mechanic is a bit cheesy at first, but I think Hatsuki did a good job separating the brain from the body and allowing the Transgender themes to come front and center. The comic is on chapter 63 currently and regularly updating, already having cemented itself as one of the greatest Transgender texts, comic or otherwise, that's ever been written.

[connyscomics]

I know noone really cares probably but I’m sorry for not posting for so long 💜 I started writing for a friend’s local independent paper and writing longer form comic reviews! Thus a lot of my comic-review energy has been expended on rewriting old reviews instead of writing new ones. Anyways idk if anyone will even see this post but if anyone does would you like me to post all of those longer form reviews? Also I finally wrote a new one today (also longer form) so Ill definitely be posting that one.

Post my long form reviews?

Yes please 🫣

No, I like the current vibe

Voting ended onJun 6, 2024

[gendercensus]

The 2024 Gender Census is now open!

[ Link to survey ]

The 11th annual international gender census, collecting information about the language we use to refer to ourselves and each other, is now open until 13th June 2024.

It’s short and easy, about 5 minutes probably.

After the survey is closed I’ll process the results and publish a spreadsheet of the data and a report summarising the main findings. Then anyone can use them for academic or business purposes, self-advocacy, tracking the popularity of language over time, and just feeling like we’re part of a huge and diverse community.

If you think you might have friends and followers who’d be interested, please do reblog this blog post, and share the survey URL by email or at AFK social groups or on other social networks. Every share is extremely helpful - it’s what helped us get 40,000 responses last year.

Survey URL: https://survey.gendercensus.com

The survey is open to anyone anywhere who speaks English and feels that the gender binary doesn’t fully describe their experience of themselves and their gender(s) or lack thereof.

For the curious, you can also spy on some graphs and demographic data for the incoming responses here.

Thank you so much!

[ Link to survey ]

Image credit: Malachite and rhodochrosite.

[connyscomics]

ITS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR EVERYONE PLEASE FILL THIS OUT

[nekhcore]

HEY YOU!

Yeah, you! Are you trans? Do you like reading books? Or watching movies?

Do you like media about trans men/transmasculine characters but don't know where to find it?

That's sooo crazy because I have this little spreadsheet I'm working on where I'm trying to document all media with protagonists/major characters who are FTM or transmasculine.

The spreadsheet currently has 200+ entries spread across the following categories:

Books

Manga

Memoirs and non-fiction

Movies

TV Shows

Graphic novels / Comics

Webcomics

Audio dramas

Books and movies are also sorted by:

Which character is trans (MC, love interest, antagonist, etc)

If the trans character is POC

The trans character's sexuality (Because I saw lots of transhet guys sad about only being able to find gay romances)

If the author/actor is also trans (if we know for sure)

It's free to use, and free to add to as well! Editing permissions are on, and I check on the spreadsheet every now and then to make sure everything is in order and to clean up.

If you know something that isn't on the list, please add it! You don't have to fill in every single column, but fill it to the best of your abilities.

If you don't want to use the big ass long link below, you can also use: bit.ly/FTM-protags

Directory of media with major FTM and/or Transmasculine characters

About short link: <a href="https://bit.ly/FTM-protags">https://bit.ly/FTM-protags</a>,Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/_nekhcore">@_n

I made this because I want it to be a community resource. So even if you're not a trans guy or transmasculine person, please reblog!

[connyscomics]

THIS IS RLY COOL

[connyscomicsbutgay]

Connyscomics but gay fhfhhf

[connyscomics]

Hey y’all just letting you know that this exists, sorry for not posting any trans comic reviews in a bit. I honestly just havent read anything great recently. Please check out some of my reviews of wlw comics 💜

[connyscomics]

The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge

Trans rep: 7/10

General enjoyment: 9/10

Age rating: all ages

I actually discovered this one when I took my little sister to the library and was looking through kids books with her. There are two main characters, Val (who’s autistic) and Lanie (who’s a trans girl), and they are best friends joined together by a shared status as social outcasts. The characters are also really into occult stuff and-long story short-they end up summoning a demon that then takes over the body of the school bully.

I rated the trans rep on this one a bit low because, to be honest, it just isn’t crucial to the story. I dont want this to make it seem like there’s anything wrong with the comic though, in fact quite the opposite! This is one of my favorite children’s graphic novels I’ve read in a long time. It’s unabashedly queer and alternative but it also allows the characters to grow into complex and interesting people undefined by their identities and interests.

Please read this one if you get a chance and also remember to visit your local library 🐱

[connyscomics]

All Because Of You by Norito Asazuki

Trans rep: 6/10

General enjoyment: 6/10

Age rating: 10+

Ive been struggling to find good trans comics because it feels like 90% of them are like magical genderswap narratives full of transphobic stereotypes and sexualization of the identity. This comic is in the same vein but it doesnt handle things with a bit more tact.

Basically in the world of this comic a small number of people have a condition known as “transsexual syndrome” (great name, I know) and they randomly change “sex” from girl to boy and vise-versa. There are a couple interesting parts of this story though, for starters the change is not a one-time thing but instead happens repeatedly based on external stimulus. The main character is a TSS and he (the pronoun used in the comic) falls for another TSS, but its made complicated because they both have fluctuating genders + bodies so they have to contend with that.

The plot is kind of dumb and all but there are some interesting bits. The main love interest is a TSS who has been like that ever since they were young, causing them to have no “base” gender (unlike the mc who identifies as male even when in a “female” body). Possibly in ways far beyond what the author intended, this actually makes for a very interesting character!

Long story short probably dont need to waste your time with this one unless, like me, you are running out of things to read 💜

[kiitoskiitos]

confusing comic about existing as a trans person during confusing times of trans visibility.

[connyscomics]

I dont normally post about shorter comics like this, but I thought I should reblog this because its just so incredible! The art style, the abstract yet shockingly relatable human body design, the influx of opinions from others, etc etc. I just love this comic so much!

[connyscomics]

Hey thanks for the great comics to read. I was searching for a lot and I hopefully find more from your blog 💙🏳️‍⚧️

YAY THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY 💜

Also just a general thing if anyone has a suggestion for smth to post feel free to lmk

Editing to add: its literally so hard to find good trans comics… like I’m literally the person whos blogging about this shit and I can’t seem to ever find good stuff

[connyscomics]

Rain by Jocelyn C. DiDomenick 😺

Trans rep: 10/10

General enjoyment: 9/10

Age rating: 10+

Okay so I finally finished this one and... OHMYGODIMINLOVE. Rain is a webcomic with over 40 chapters (7 print volumes I think) and is seriously one of the best comics I've ever read. I could go on an on about all of the things I love about this one, but for yall's sanity as well as my own, I'm just going to talk about a couple things. Oh and a quick plot description: The comic follows a trans girl named rain as she attends a religious high school and meets other queer people. A lot of stuff happens in the many chapters of this comic, and it variously touches on pretty much everything that one might encounter as a young queer person, both positive and negative.

Okay, so the first highlight for me is the main character herself. I really like her character and as a young trans person navigating being transfem in high school I really connected with a lot of her story. In particular I appreciated the representation of a character who is mostly cis-passing BUT has to go to great lengths to make this happen (at least from the not-so-supportive people in her life). I feel like with trans rep you either get like people who have an uncharacteristically easy time passing or you have people who are portrayed as like a grotesque caricature of trans people (not to say that non-passing trans women are gross or that passing is needs the goal for everyone, but the visual of the like hyper-masculine figure with messy makeup and a dress isn't usually benign). Anyways, Rain is a great main character.

Another character I want to talk about is Ky/Kylie, they are genderfluid and in my opinion done really well. I honestly related to their character a lot because even though I'm technically not genderfluid, I have very fluid desires as far as presenting. I Ky/Kylie starts out not really understanding their own identity and just being like "idk I'm a girl but sometimes I dress up like a guy" and then as the story progresses becomes more confident in their identity as a genderfluid person. The story also considers the struggles of dating for genderfluid people, with a love interest liking them more for one gender identity than another but eventually growing to understand that he can't pick and choose which gender identity he wants Ky/Kylie to have at any moment.

I should probably wrap this up before I start going into every character I love. In general, what makes this story so great is that there is a character for pretty much anyone to connect with (yes, even cishet allies), and all of the characters are done pretty well. I do have a couple minor considerations though. First, the author changed a lot as a person while writing this (I mean she started writing in 2010 and finished literally this year) so the beginning of the comic is definitely a bit outdated with some of its narratives. Though, I think it ends up working out because it generally reads as the characters learning and developing as people, which is something that comics don't always show because of a fear of saying things that are now seen as insensitive. The only other thing is that there are kind a disproportionate number of queer people in Rains community, which at times feels a bit unrealistic given that shes literally at a catholic school, but honestly I can't complain that much cause all of the characters are so much fun!!! Sorry for the extra long review yall, I just had so much to say about this one! 😺

[connyscomics]

Welcome To St. Hell by Lewis Hancox 🐱

Trans rep: 10/10

General enjoyment: 8/10

Age rating: 16+

Welcome to st. hell was seriously one hell of a comic (I'm so funny). The story is an autobiographical tale of growing up transmasc in the UK in the early 2000s. It's told from the perspective of Hancox as an older man looking back on his teenage pre-transition years and walking the reader through his personal struggles and gradual development into the person he is today. Possibly one of the best parts about this story is that way that Hancox, as the narrator interjects humor and hindsight wisdom into the narrative.

I don't have any major criticisms of the comic, other than that I think its a tad visually misleading. The playful art style and the use of words like "misadventure" naturally made me think that I was sitting down to read a book written for younger audiences (like elementary school). This is definitely more for a high-school or older audience. The story touches on early-experiences with sex (including a page showing a nude drawing of teenage Lewis with a diagram explaining which parts of his body were okay to touch during sex), body image issues and anorexic behaviors, transphobic bullying (including use of slurs), and excessive drinking, all under the backdrop of a cultural context mostly unknown to anyone born after 2010. Despite the slightly misleading nature of the art, the visual style and general mood contrasted by the grittier details and rougher themes helped to create a perfect balance between not being so depressing that its hard to enjoy or so lighthearted that it feels unrealistic.

[connyscomics]

Hi so I got introduced to Our Dreams at Dusk from this blog and… I just wanted to say thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again after that: I’m closeted to a lot of people and I just… I don’t know. It just brought be so much joy. I’m going to be reading some more of the recommendations after: I’m not sure if I’m transmasc or non binary or… I’m not sure yet; But seeing these comics just brought me so much joy and felt so relatable in so many ways that I’m starting to question it more. I guess I’ve always had a feeling, but… Yeah. Sorry for this whole thing.

But anyway: Thank you. Thank you so much. This blog means a lot to me, and I’m so grateful I found it.

Sorry if this is getting a bit emotional… But… Yeah!

Have a good day! Best of wishes!

This melted my heart fr, seriously so cool! Accessible trans representation in media is so important for this reason 💜

Tangentially related but I recently started working on a research paper for one of my classes where im going to do a deep analysis of the trans representation in wandering son (the comic that first helped me realize im trans)!

[connyscomics]

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

Trans rep: 9/10

General enjoyment: 7/10

Age rating: 16+

I really liked the art for this one and I'd been looking to read it for quite some time, and honestly I was a bit disappointed. I mean the comic isn't bad, it just appeals to an audience that I couldn't really relate to at all, which made it hard for me personally to connect with it. On top of just not being super relatable I struggled to like the characters or the story all that much. A lot of my personal issues with the comic may be in part because it had taken me so long to find a copy that I'd overdone my expectations of the comic, so I'm being as nice as possible with the rating.

The story follows four queer friends who are all struggling with becoming middle aged adults and not having really settled down yet in the way that many of their peers have. Each character has their own struggles to face, whether its parenting, a too-good-to-be-true relationship with their boss, or trouble finding steady work. Each character has to balance their need for stability and their desire to hold on to their identity. Most of these struggles make sense, though I don't really love the way that Alex's character is written, like it feels like his stuff (no spoilers :3) comes out of nowhere and isn't properly resolved. Overall, this story might be great for older readers who want a comic that appeals more to their experience, but otherwise this one probably isn't the most exciting read.

[connyscomics]

Stone Fruit by Lee Lai

Trans rep: 8/10

General enjoyment: 8/10

Age rating: 10+

I picked this book up from the library a few months ago, got home, and read it 3 times in a row. Stone Fruit is one of the more emotionally challenging comics I've read in quite some time, and it connected with me and my own current situation in ways that hit incredibly deep for me.

The story follows two women, Ray and Bron, as they navigate their collapsing relationship with each other. Their break-up reaches its peak as they both attempt to rekindle relationships with their families. This family interaction, especially for Bron who is trans, reminds me a lot of my own struggles with connecting to my family. It can be incredibly hard as a queer person to balance your desire to be safe and comfortable in spaces that truly appreciate you for who you are and your simultaneous desire to maintain a relationship with loved ones who don't really understand you.

In addition to the family stuff, there is also a really interesting dynamic between the two women and Ray's nephew. Even in their collapsing relationship, they bond over their love of this child and often go on magical imaginary adventures with him in the woods. These scenes speak to the power of children to be supportive and kind, without the burden of prejudice that many adults have. I don't have nieces or nephews, but I do have much younger siblings and I feel like there is a really special kind of queer joy in being able to connect with younger people in a way that is unaffected by the awkwardness that many adults feel in regards to my gender identity or sexuality.

[connyscomics]

I hath returned :3

Sorry for not posting for a while, I've had a busy summer and weird mental stuff so I kinda forgot to keep reviewing things. I'm thinking about expanding this blog to include lesbian stuff, cause I read a truly insane amount of lesbian comics and those could probably use a review as well, it'll really depend on my energy level this year.

[gendercensus]

The 2023 Gender Census is now open!

[ Link to survey ]

The 10th annual international gender census, collecting information about the language we use to refer to ourselves and each other, is now open until 9th May 2023.

It’s short and easy, about 5 minutes probably.

After the survey is closed I’ll process the results and publish a spreadsheet of the data and a report summarising the main findings. Then anyone can use them for academic or business purposes, self-advocacy, tracking the popularity of language over time, and just feeling like we’re part of a huge and diverse community.

If you think you might have friends and followers who’d be interested, please do reblog this blog post, and share the survey URL by email or at AFK social groups or on other social networks. Every share is extremely helpful - it’s what helped us get 40,000 responses last year.

Survey URL: https://survey.gendercensus.com

The survey is open to anyone anywhere who speaks English and feels that the gender binary doesn’t fully describe their experience of themselves and their gender(s) or lack thereof.

Thank you so much!

[ Link to survey ]

Image credit: Avery at Tradescantia Hub

[gendercensus]

Monday 10th April 2023

So far so good, the survey has been open for about 8 hours and there are almost 6,000 responses! Keep 'em coming, folks!

If you're into this sort of thing, I've made the usual public spreadsheet of data-crunching, which I'm hoping to update manually twice a day or so. (Probably more often towards the beginning of the survey, while everything is busy!)

It compares this year's participation with the previous two years, and gives some info about ages and locations of participants, plus how everyone's finding the survey this year.