Themes/Rep:
Identity
Gender Diversity
Transgender
Non-Binary
Acceptance

The Out Side is a collection of comics about gender diversity by a range of fantastic gender diverse creators. A lot of the experiences were similar but presented each in a unique and engaging way. Definitely a must read for anyone, and a perfect Pride Month (and every month!) read. I especially feel like gender diverse readers will find much comfort and understanding within these stories. As a gender diverse person I felt very seen, especially, by the story “Guilty” by Mel Valentine Vargas. Every story added something important to this collection.

The Out Side is a collection of transgender and nonbinary comics written and illustrated by 29 different creators. Each contributor provides a short piece of their work, all with the common theme of figuring out one's gender expression. Every comic is unique in its artistry, but the anthology still feels cohesive.

Books like this are so important right now with how much anti LGBTQ+ legislation is being passed in the United States right now. Trans rights are under fire and media that has representation is needed now more than ever.

Though I do think the book is geared more towards transgender and nonbinary people, I fully believe it can be enjoyed by cisgender people as well. Though I have not directly dealt with gender dysphoria, I still found the book to be relatable.

This book will be ordered and be part of any future pride displays! I loved this inclusive read! Hopefully the community I serve will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Anthologies are always difficult for me to review, especially when it's multiple different artists. Some of the art was amazing and some of it was a little grating for me but over all the good makes up a larger portion of it. I appreciate that these people feel comfortable in their own bodies but I do kind of wish the stories weren't all so similar the entire time. There are definitely some that stand out from the crowd and they make this something that if you are interested in reading this at all you just should.

The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics is a must-purchase anthology of graphic nonfiction. Featuring stories and art from 29 trans and nonbinary creators, the 176 page book packs a punch that showcases the breadth of the gender spectrum and experiences navigating it. While some stories include hateful incidents experienced by creators, the overall tone is hopeful and encourages readers to define themselves in the way that feels most them. The creators have diverse nationalities and backgrounds, which make the work even more impactful in creating an inclusive showcase of trans and nonbinary experiences. A must purchase AND a must read.

The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics

🏳️‍⚧️🥹👏🏻✨🦋

The Out Side is a lovely anthology of trans and nonbinary joy, and I had such a great time reading it! ⚧️

“So I’ll wear my jewelry, and put all the flowers that I want in my hair…and people might ask me ‘what’s the point then?’. But instead of pretending I don’t know what they mean, I’ll tell them: to be happy, what else?” 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

The variety of art between the comics was incredible, and I think this will be a great resource for queer teens who are fearful of what their future may be like. Some of these stories feature moments of trauma or uncertainty these artists had regarding their identities, but they all ended in a way that made it clear that the artists are happy with who they are as a trans or nonbinary person. Queer fiction is obviously very important, but I think it’s also vital that queer youth are able to see real people living their truth. 🥹

📝strong story? ⭐️
🤷🏻compelling author/artist? ⭐️
🎨enjoyable art style? ⭐️
❤️‍🔥did it give me ✨the feels✨? ⭐️
👍🏻recommend? ⭐️

I really enjoyed this collection! As with any compilation, there were certainly ones that I found more interesting than others. Some of the stories were very short and just touched on a moment in the writer's life, while others covered their childhood or journey to self-discovery. I definitely enjoyed the longer ones better, as I felt like I could take the time to get to know them and settle into their words/art style better. All in all, would definitely recommend this to patrons!

This was such a cute & informative graphic novel. It shows that there’s not just one way to be trans or nonbinary. There are as many ways as there are people & that doesn’t get talked about enough.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for a copy of this amazing book.

Not totally my vibe because I didn't like all of the stories but there were some very cute/good ones in there. This is perfect for PRIDE month and so good in comic form.

Thank you @netgalley for the eARC!

I would give this book a million stars if I could. I think this book is VERY important to have in my library's circulation because the stories in this book are real and raw. I think this book will be VERY VERY popular for years to come.

5/5⭐️

Whether you’re well-versed in the topics of gender and sexuality or are just beginning to dive into queer topics, this graphic novel is a must read for members and allies of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community!

This graphic novel contains dozens of short stories, illustrated by dozens of different trans and non-binary artists, sharing a part of their experiences with gender and finding this gender identity. Each artist shares a different story, using different mediums and art techniques, to give readers a little more insight into what it means to be trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming.

I absolutely loved this book! As a queer gender studies student who is cisgender, this book taught me more about the trans experience than any class I’ve taken in uni has. What it really taught me is that there is no SINGLE one experience. Every single transgender person has their own unique journey and experience and I loved reading all the diverse ones these artists were kind and generous enough to share for the sake of helping others.

I think this graphic novel and all the diverse experiences shared within it will change so many lives, from trans kids and adults who recognize themselves within these pages to cis people who walk away more educated people after.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This comic anthology clearly means a lot to the artists who contributed and will surely mean a lot to its readers, especially trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming youth that may feel alone in their identity. The individual experiences represented in the comics are varied, as is the art style, but many of them have similar themes of questioning, learning, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. Many artists specifically note that they never saw people like themselves in media when they were young and discovering their identity; the fact that they get to change that for future generations is so inspiring, especially in the wake of politically motivated attacks on trans and nonbinary youth.

<blockquote>Everyone Deserves to be happy.</blockquote>
I received this Read Now ARC in exchange for an honest review, Thanks to all the amazing individuals that took part in this amazing anthology, for sharing their lives with us, their toughest times, and their greatest times of reaching peace with who they are, and thanks to Netgalley.
This will come out in 26 September of this year, This is an extended version with a few more artists than the last version, it has 65 more pages worth of stories, i would read it again, i am bound to learn new things that i didn't notice the first time, and fall in love with a few more art styles!
3.5/5 Stars

My 8th review for NetGalley, in such a short time, despite being busy with so many different things.

<blockquote>When i was met with resistance i doubled down, It felt dark, but i think we need the dark too, Darkness is a time for us to rest and grow.</blockquote>
I relate to the LGBTQ community, in the coming out thing so much, coming out as an atheist among most Arabs, is pretty similar to coming out as LGBTQ, but the funny thing is, the bigotry and obnoxiousness that i got faced with by most people i confided in as friends, was actually what made me stronger, what made me adamant on talking about it more, and single handedly beating all the vengeful little idiots who had banded against me.
Our personalities are different, it wasn't always looking bright, i had doubts, but once i calmed down, i just pushed through, putting my foot through faces, but it's also fine to not be gutsy and confrontational, we all have our different rhythm of revealing ourselves to the world, and fighting back for our rights, freedom will prevail in the end mark my words.
They don't know it now, they are facing us with bully mentalities, but they forget bullies are the weakest there is, they only prey on who they think is weaker than them, and get absolutely shattered when they realize they were wrong after their first loss.
I might not have a support system like most LGBTQ people, atheists are a herd of cats, each keeps to their own, but i faced Death and kicked his ass, you are beyond delusional to think you can beat me.

I would like to start with why 3.5 stars, The art in most stories were nothing special really, a variation of web art styles, many of them where the ones that needed the littlest effort, Which is usually what web artists do because they are presenting great emotional stories, rather than selling great art really.

Which gets us to the second point, the stories themselves, varied for me between 4 and 5 stars, the vast majority of them were great and emotional, and give such good inspirational power and energy, they inspire you to stay true to who you are, no matter what your difference might be.

But despite saying that about the art, many of these art styles were really cute actually, that i wouldn't mind reading for again, but would still feel apprehensive to give high marks, because i save those to the really impressive.

Many coloring styles were also great, a really good mix of bright color, that is really rare in the comic medium, but there was a couple impressive dark color styles as well, which blew me away.

Nasr ben Safwan was actually the most unique artist in the anthology, i know i am bias because we are both Arabs, but not really.
I am never bias, his style has that decorative style, which is a trait Arabic art is so good at.
Its unique, it's beautiful, it's intricate.
I also like Kayla Aiko so much, even though it was simple and clean pencils, void of color and intricate details, it still caught my attention.
Cyrus was awesome too!
Aidyn AKA snaillords even though he is webtoony, and i think webtoon art is trash from my experience with solo leveling, i think he is actually three levels better than Solo Leveling which is huge, they took the world by storm, and in 5 pages, he won me over.

I feel like i am doing a bad job, reviewing anthology seem to make me talk too much...
This was my first ever Trans/nonbinary comic about real life stories, and this was my first time ever getting close to these people and understanding them, i was googling terms all the time while reading, and learning more and more, it's a vast world we live in, and it just become vaster for me!

I loved the J.K. Rowling trash talk it was hilarious, i am pretty sure she was in 1 story, but it might have been implied in 1 or 2 more.
Getting that much feedback of people being hurt by what you are saying about them, and continuing to say it, is just horrible honestly, i would never want to harm anyone intentionally.

Read The Out Side, it will help you cross the gap to understand and love trans and non binary if u didn't before, but what's even better, it will give you a glimpse into the lives of 29 amazing individuals.
It's also bound to help people struggling with their gender identity to relate to the artists and their stories, and finding their true selves.

This book is wonderful! A true love letter to all trans folks out there, showing affirmation, support, acceptance, and so much more. It brings us an incredible collection of comics from trans and non-binary comic creators, showing their experiences and journeys to self-love, acceptance, and being their true self.

I believe this amazing comics collection can bring self assurance to other trans and non-binary folks as well as educate those of us seeking to learn more to support those close to us and the community as a whole.

I absolutely recommend this book!

Rarely do you find an anthology, of any kind, that you have minimal complaints about but here The Out Side is.

One of my primary critiques of anthologies like this is a lack of diversity in contributors, The Out Side does not have this problem, the contributors are from multiple different identities within the trans community, different countries, different sexualities, different ages, different art styles, different races, different publishing backgrounds, it was incredible to see.

Every artist brought something unique and beautiful to the topic of gender and self discovery and while some artists' styles weren't to my personal taste, I thoroughly enjoyed reading every single piece.

There are many artists in here who's work I will be hunting down after this because this graphic novel was nothing short of incredible.

CW: Transphobia,. misgendering, racism, outing, abandonment

We need more books like this. The Out Side is a wonderful anthology of comics about the life experiences of trans and nonbinary people. These stories are so important in the world that we live in currently. Where trans people are constantly villainized and made to feel shame for who we are, these stories shine a light on all of the amazing and beautiful experiences that trans people have.

These artists have done something truly wonderful with this anthology. Their differing styles, and their stories, all make up a gorgeous collage of human experience.

If I have one criticism of this book, it's that I wish it were longer. Some of the stories felt too short, and it felt like there was room to include more of them. But that just means there's room for a second book!

This book is well put together and offers a variety of experiences of people learning about and accepting themselves. I appreciated how readers are exposed to a variety of art styles and get to see queer artists from around the world. Some of the stories were extremely heartwarming while others felt like they fully captured how coming to understand who you are is a spiraling, confusing ride. An anthology like this feels incredibly valuable in helping people understand the feelings of trans and nonbinary people as well as how it isn't cut and dry with how everyone's' experiences should be.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 rounded up.

As with all anthologies, some chapters are stronger than others. The art styles are widely varied, but the theme is the same across all entries: coming to terms with one's gender. It's cool to see the varied perspectives and experiences of coming out to oneself and the world around them, but sometimes it felt repetitive. I would recommend this for people who are seeking some validation and kinship while they travel along their own gender identity journeys, and possibly to people who want to learn more about and build there empathy for trans people but don't have much familiarity with the community already. I wouldn't recommend it to most other readers just because I don't feel it's bringing anything especially new or different to the table.

The Out Side sets out to do one thing, and that one thing it does extremely well. It's hard not to appreciate this anthology for what it is, especially with the way America is devolving into hate from coast to coast.

This collection features stories from a variety of trans and non-binary artists that share their experiences on the long road that begins at struggling with their gender identity, and eventually leads to self-acceptance. It's both a teaching tool and a proclamation, a simple "I Exist and That's Amazing" message that is sorely needed and will keep on being needed.

As with any anthology, some stories and art I enjoyed way more than others. At times I wished the artists had more page time to expand their stories, but some were absolutely perfect at a simple 2-4 pages. My favorites were How I Got These Sweet Nips! by The Nifty Fox for the comedy that hit my funny bone in the exact right place, and Familiar by Cyrus for the absolute gut punch of wonderfully effective art.

Whether you are a part of the rainbow or an ally, I think everyone can benefit from checking out this anthology. We're all human in completely different ways, and it's lovely seeing the spectrum of queerness and human expression represented here.

The Out Side began as a Kickstarter project, and is now being traditionally published by Andrews McMeel Publishing for release on September 26, 2023. Thanks to Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was super cute and a really quick read. I loved all of the art styles and the different perspectives and experiences!