My new comic that I hope you read but my family doesn't
It's my favorite kind of week, a week I have a new comic out.
I'm Straight is my first experiment with writing an auto-bio comic, a very popular genre in the indie comics/graphic novel space but one that I don't usually step into because there's no swords or dudes with cool powers.
My first venture into this kind of story is a short comedy about my experience of realizing that I wasn't straight. I could talk more about that, but that's kind of what the comic itself is for. I wasn't sure anybody would recognize or relate to my particular "journey", but that was kind of the point of doing the comic: that even if I was the only one who was like me, I still counted. But an acquaintance who bought the comic messaged me saying "Wow, Chris Hutton wrote a comic about me." So that was really nice to have this speak to somebody else!
The story involves more intimate secrets from my life than I share with most people, let alone asking an artist to draw them, so that added a new element to the process of finding the right partner for this. But I was lucky to work with Nicky Rodriguez!
We were mutuals on social media, and she occasionally posted NSFW art, so I figured she wouldn't be super opposed to drawing tasteful depictions of some young gay dalliances. She also had the right kind of cartoony style I was envisioning, and the thing that made her stand out the most: I love how she draws people and expressive body language and faces. That alone has made me want to work with her again, and now we're cooking up a full book together that we're both really excited about. A teaser just for you newsletter friends: it came about from us talking on Bluesky about how much we both love Bodies Bodies Bodies.
Nicky is a fun artist and a new friend, and she's in a tough financial situation where she's been stressing about being able to make rent. I decided that to help even the tiniest bit, all the money this comic makes will go to her.
So you get to do like 3 good deeds if you buy this comic: supporting your friend's art, helping your friend's friend afford her home, and being a fuckin' ALLY. I can hear Saint Peter adding your name to the entry list now. And it's only $3! Even Patrick Star has that much.
https://chrishutton.itch.io/im-straight
Thanks as always for caring enough to subscribe and read these!
From Detroit with love,
Chris
10.20.23