Megan Rose Gedris
| Megan Rose Gedris | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 12, 1986 |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Artist, Writer, Publisher |
| Pseudonym(s) | Anonymous Manga Rosalarian |
Notable works | YU+ME:dream I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space |
| http://rosalarian.com | |
Megan Rose Gedris (born June 12, 1986) is an American cartoonist, writer, and Publisher whose most well-known comics include YU+ME:dream and I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space. She is commonly regarded for writing about the advancement of women, LGBTQ+, sex and body-positivity within her work.
Work
YU+ME:dream (2004-2010)
YU+ME:dream is a webcomic begun in 2004, using manga and other types of styles, about an 18-year-old girl named Fiona who spends all her time dreaming. At home, she lives with her father and stepmother and while she is not at home, she frequently experiences bullying at the hands of her classmates at West Catholic High. Enter Lia, a new girl at school. Fiona is confused by Lia until she arrives at the realization that girls can be in love with girls. The two begin a secret relationship, however, while they are attending a school dance, Fiona discovers that the past few months have merely been a very long dream while she was in a coma.The remaining two-thirds of the story follow Fiona's attempts to return to Dreamworld, find Lia, and resume their relationship against the wishes of Sadako, Queen of Dreamworld. The Dreamworld sequences employ a number of different art styles, including collage and Clay modelingclay sculpture, to portray different realms in the imaginary world.
The webcomic won the second Queer Press Grant from Prism Comics which allowed Gedris to publish the first collected volume of the series.[1]
Gedris writes, "So many stories (bad ones) end with '. . . and it was all a dream.' But I always wanted to know what would happen after that. How would this affect someone’s life." [2] Therefore, the "it was all a dream" twist comes not at the end of the story, but one-third of the way through. According to Gedris, "I put my twists in the middle, rather than the end. . . . Instead of ending with it being a dream, we follow how things go after the dream ends."[3]
Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space (2006- )
Gedris' second webcomic, I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space (usually shortened to Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space or LPFOS), created in 2006, centers on Susan Bell, a secretary living in the 1950's who is kidnapped by a group of titular lesbian pirates. Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space follows the humorous and occasionally risqué situations that develop as Susan lives alongside them, and chronicles Susan's eventual realization that she too is homosexual. The lesbian pirates are a race of Amazonesque beings who come from a planet referred to as "Lesbos-1," named after the Greek island of Lesbos.
Gedris created the webcomic as an antidote to the portrayals of lesbians in the comics media. The webcomic is based on the historic Cold War pulp novels about lesbians. Gedris entered the Platinum Comics Comic Book Challenge and was a finalist (first place going to D.J. Coffman for Hero by Night).[4] As a result, Platinum Studios began publishing the webcomic via the Drunk Duck webcomics site; in May 2008, the first story arc was published in print. Prism Comics stated that the webcomic had "laugh out loud moments in every issue".[5] The webcomic was one of the most popular titles on Drunk Duck since its debut.[6]
In November 2013, Gedris took all 18 chapters of Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space down from the web, where it had been hosted by Platinum Studios since 2007. She said the company had not paid her since 2007, and had strung her along for years with false promises.[7]
Le Jardin (2008)
Darlin' It's Betta Down Where It's Wetta (2010- )
Meaty Yogurt (2010- )
Spectacle (2018)
In Spectacle, published 2018 by Oni Press, Gedris shares the story of Anna, a pragmatic engineer who despite working as a psychic at the Samson Brothers Circus, is completely skeptical of the supernatural. That is, unti her twin sister, Kat, is stabbed suddenly and after she dies she gets reincarnated into a needy ghost. The two, who have consistently had problems sharing in their childhood, must now share a body together to find Kat's killer. With their troupe backing the pair upon numerous paranormal occurrences at the circus, the effort to identify them still seems hopeless. On their journey there, they discover that the killer wasn't the scariest thing there at all.
On Gedris' website, she offers a "Meet the Cast" bonus for fans who want to know more about the characters. Her character illustration in this book frequently resembles a doll and the appearance as a whole is very colorful. Anna's narration bubbles are said to be casting spells of its own as they are wrapped into the side pieces [8].There is a planned second book to be released either late 2018 or early 2019.
References
- ^ "Prism Comics » Rosalarian". Archived from the original on 2009-11-20.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "YU+ME: dream » FAQ - Surreal Lesbian Romance Adventure Webcomic".
- ^ "YU+ME: dream » Archive » A few questions answered… - Surreal Lesbian Romance Adventure Webcomic".
- ^ "Arts, Briefly - Comic Book Contest - NYTimes.com". 1 May 2007.
- ^ "Prism Comics » Features » I Was Kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space!!!". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "It?s Not a Challenge, It?s an Experience - Broken Frontier - Comic Book and Graphic Novel News & Community - Articles and Interviews".
- ^ Sunu, Steve (2013-10-29). "Gedris taking 'Lesbian Pirates' offline, offers advice to creators". Comic Book Resources.
- ^ "Review: 'Spectacle' Book One — Good Comics for Kids". blogs.slj.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
External links
Interviews
 | This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2008) |
- Coming to a Comic Store Near You: Lesbian Manga, After Ellen, December 6, 2006
- Comic-Con: Gay comic-dom still runs strong, Gay and Lesbian Times, July 24, 2008