Beforehand in The Beat‘s Comics Crowdfunding Spherical-Up column, we introduced that Stacked Deck Press’s newest venture, Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports activities Venture, which is now reside on Kickstarter and runs by April 3, 2025.
Come Out and Play is a full-color comics anthology of over 200 pages about LGBTQ+ folks and their experiences in athletics, with contributions from outstanding queer comics creators reminiscent of Josh Trujillo, Sophie Labelle, and Ajuan Mance, and well-known sports activities figures, reminiscent of NFL veteran R.Ok. Russell and Hockey Corridor of Famer Angela James.
The Beat caught up with sports activities comics creators Megan Praz and Meghan Kemp-Gee, the co-editors of the Come Out and Play anthology from Stacked Deck Press, over electronic mail to debate the inspiration behind an LGBTQ+ sports activities anthology and why it’s so essential to debate queerness in sports activities proper now.
OLLIE KAPLAN: What impressed you to create this LGBTQ sports activities anthology?
MEGAN PRAZ: For me, that is about combining my life’s biggest passions: sports activities, artwork, and LGBTQ+ themes. Meghan and I’ve been making comics collectively for greater than ten years. We love sports activities comics. We wrote the sports activities comedy graphic novel One Extra Yr. As we have been writing that ebook, we began to understand that there have been so many different sports activities tales to inform, however that a few of them weren’t ours to inform. We realized there was a lot potential to inform nice comics tales about sports activities, and we needed to offer a platform for different creators to do this.
MEGHAN KEMP-GEE: Come Out and Play! was initially the brainchild of Megan and Stacked Deck Press EIC Tara Avery. They met at WonderCon final yr and abruptly realized that nobody had ever finished an LGBTQ-themed sports activities anthology earlier than. Tara was all like, “How has nobody finished this earlier than?!” I used to be immediately on board. Like Megan, I’m so obsessed with sports activities artwork and sports activities storytelling; my PhD dissertation is about sports activities literature and sports activities poetry, and I strongly imagine that there’s this inherent connection between athletic and inventive human expression. This anthology would possibly sound “area of interest,” but it surely’s really not! Persons are so hungry for tales like this: tales that commemorate the complete pleasure and agony of sports activities, id, and expertise.
KAPLAN: I beloved the pattern story from R.Ok. Russell that explores the connection between soccer and battle video games. What themes or messages do you hope to convey by this anthology?
KEMP-GEE: Sure, isn’t it nice? I first encountered Russ’s poetry throughout my dissertation analysis into sports activities poetry. I may be unsuitable, however I believe he may be the one professional athlete who’s revealed a ebook of poems! I learn his assortment Jail or Ardour, after which his memoir The Yards Between Us. Russ is such an superior storyteller, and particularly, his use of images and his descriptions of sports activities motion actually lend themselves to comics. That is his comics writing debut, however we’re fairly positive it gained’t be his final time doing this!
PRAZ: It was so essential to us to search out the correct artist to execute Russ’s provocative imagery, and discovering Wilfred Santiago was a godsend. He’s the creator of a Roberto Clemente graphic novel and a Michael Jordan graphic novel… However Wilfred isn’t simply reverential about sports activities. He’s vital, and there’s a darkness to his standpoint. This was the proper pairing.
KEMP-GEE: We’re thrilled about how “Soccer is Not Warfare” turned out; it’s a provocative have a look at sacrifice, violence, and professional sports activities that solely Russ and Wilfred might have created.
PRAZ: After which we will put that story side-by-side with a foolish story, like a sci-fi historical past of pickleball or a narrative about placing underwear on a goat at a homosexual rodeo. Or a slice-of-life memoir from indie cartoonists like Richard Fairgray or Sonya Saturday, who’ve a extra difficult or adversarial relationship with sports activities.
KEMP-GEE: I believe that’s one of many messages of this anthology: that nice sports activities tales are genuine tales, and genuine tales come from all types of locations.
KAPLAN: This anthology contains tales from numerous contributors, from Angela James, the primary and solely Black girl to captain Canada’s Nationwide Ladies’s Hockey Staff, to former NFL star R.Ok. Russell, to furry comics creator Knave Murdoch, and Marvel/DC powerhouse Josh Trujillo. How did you strategy deciding on the contributors and their tales?
PRAZ: In a whole lot of eventualities, they got here to us! They noticed the decision for submissions and have been so excited to pitch tales. You would really feel the keenness and the eagerness as our inbox began filling up with pitches!
KEMP-GEE: And I’ll give one other shoutout to Tara Avery, who has this unbelievable Rolodex of wonderful artists and storytellers that she recruited to affix us. We additionally actually felt strongly about reaching out to somebody like Angela James as a result of we knew she had a narrative to inform. Like R.Ok. Russell, she’s clearly already a widely known sports activities determine, however there’s a distinction between being a profile athlete and letting folks see the story what it’s really wish to reside that have.
KAPLAN: What function does illustration play on this anthology, and why is it essential within the context of sports activities?
PRAZ: Our trans siblings and teammates are below assault proper now. And sports activities is so typically the main target of those assaults. However I believe sports activities are an area for unity, not division.
KEMP-GEE: I believe that’s why transphobic assaults are sometimes targeted on sports activities. Really, I believe that’s the identical motive folks use sports activities to advertise racism and sexism and homophobia as nicely. As a result of sports activities are this house the place folks can workforce up and work collectively and find out about themselves and different folks shut up. Like Megan says, we now have to make a stand for this particular house, and we now have to make it now.
PRAZ: I heard Elton John say as soon as that sports activities and music are two issues that universally carry folks collectively. I might develop that to sports activities and artwork.
KEMP-GEE: I’m skeptical of “illustration” as a result of typically I really feel like folks strategy it like a guidelines or an aesthetic. One factor I really like about this ebook is that it embodies the variety and distinction in our group. We’ve tales and creators about all totally different sports activities, from all totally different factors of view, from celebratory to excessive criticism. We’ve tales about professional and beginner sports activities from creators who’re twenty years previous and revered elders in our group from 5 totally different continents. There’s actual energy in a workforce like this.
KAPLAN: Are you able to share any standout tales or essays from the anthology that you just imagine will resonate deeply with readers?
PRAZ: We really feel like this anthology is that this excellent puzzle; I don’t suppose you may take any one in all them out and have the ebook nonetheless work in addition to it does!
KEMP-GEE: What about Scout Tran‘s story a few “stealth” trans lady competing at a Brazilian jiu-jitsu event?
PRAZ: Or what about Andy Casadonte‘s story “Like a Lonely Soul on Hearth”? It’s about falling in love with the game of operating and falling in love with a teammate on the identical time, with a beautiful coloration story.
KEMP-GEE: We even have a narrative about ballet from Jam Dyer and Tristan Crane. I do know some individuals are going to be like, “Is dance a sport?” And I’m not going to reply that query, however belief me, you might want to learn this story earlier than you determine! (Interviewer’s notice: As a former dancer, I’ve some sturdy opinions on this topic however may also let the readers determine.)
KAPLAN: Why does LGBTQ+ illustration in sports activities literature matter, and the way can it impression readers and athletes alike? What suggestions or impression are you hoping to obtain from the LGBTQ+ group, athletes, and allies?
PRAZ: Queer folks have all the time performed sports activities and all the time will play sports activities. Like R.Ok. Russell says, “queerness and athletics usually are not at odds, however deeply intertwined.”
KEMP-GEE: And but a lot of the dialog is different folks speaking about LGBTQ+ athletes.
PRAZ: That’s our objective for the ebook: to maintain constructing this group, constructing this dialog, and telling these tales.
KAPLAN: Do you envision this anthology as half of a bigger motion to carry extra LGBTQ+ voices into the sports activities world, each on and off the sphere? How do you hope this anthology can contribute to the continued dialog about LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports activities?
PRAZ: I do know it is a ebook that may have meant rather a lot to me as a child. That’s the center of why I needed to do that. To point out that there’s a place for me, a group the place I might be myself each on and off the sphere.
KEMP-GEE: I’ve felt pissed off my complete life as an athlete, and as a feminine athlete, by the conversations that individuals have about us. Athletes’ our bodies are the main target of a whole lot of dangerous narratives, and I wish to flip the script on that! We are able to inform our personal tales about ourselves and what sports activities imply to us.
KAPLAN: Have been there any challenges or surprises whereas curating the anthology?
KEMP-GEE: Truthfully, the editorial course of has usually been not solely easy however continuously inspiring! The tales on this ebook continuously stunned and delighted us as we noticed them taking form… The workforce of contributors are all doing excellent work; even should you’re already aware of the creators within the ebook, you can be stunned and delighted by what they’ve finished right here, too!
PRAZ: The one problem we now have left is to complete getting funded! Our Kickstarter continues to be reside till April 3, and that is our huge likelihood to get these tales into the world. Be part of us! It is a enjoyable workforce to be on.
Turn into a backer for Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports activities Venture right here!
