-STUDIOS-
The Out Side is a comics anthology featuring biographical stories from trans and nonbinary artists who share their personal stories of self-discovery and acceptance!
The Story
The book began as an independent project, made possible by a Kickstarter campaign launched back in August 2021. The production of the original book was organized by The Kao,
Min Christensen, and David Daneman.
Since then, Andrews McMeel Publishing has picked up the anthology and will bring The Out Side to stores and libraries nationwide on September 26, 2023! Originally featuring 18 trans and nonbinary artists and a forward by Julia Kaye, this new expanded edition will feature 29 artists!
It is equal parts encouraging, comforting, and life-affirming.
The Out Side is a love letter to the trans and nonbinary community, designed to inspire anyone who may be struggling with their own identity and to help educate those who seek greater understanding. As artist Julia Kaye writes in the book's introduction: "I’m so glad this book exists. It’s a loud proclamation of our existence in the face of a culture
that has for too long ignored our experiences."
The Artists
(Icons drawn by Liam Coballes)
Al is an ace, enby, 3rd gen Chicane comic artist. By day they work as a professional product designer, but by night they are an indie comic artist for "HUSK." The story has asexual leads, supernatural spooky vibes, and is rich in Mexica mythology. But discretion is advised as it does not shy away from violence, blood, body horror and strong language.
Ashi is a Taiwanese/Filipino artist based in Canada. They work on a slice of life bio webcomic series called "Life is Confusing" on Tapas. On his downtime he'll play video games, like Hades and Genshin Impact.
Coco is a freelance illustrator from the Netherlands. They are currently working on their WEBTOOn series "Acception" which follows the story of Arcus, an upbeat independent thinker and proud fashionista. This series is a cute drama comedy that's made for those that struggle to fit in, find love, or thought high school was pretty much the worst thing ever invented.
Cyrus is a Hispanic/Asian transmasc individual and self-taught artist located in the Southwestern United States. Whether it's commissions, doodles of OCs, or the occasional Art Fights, Cyrus illustrates amazing character designs that showcase their passion. When Cyrus has free time, he enjoys listening to music, taking care of his plants and ferrets, playing video games, and snowboarding in the wintertime.
Dana is a comic artist and writer originally from Gig Harbor, Washington. She's best known for her comic, "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" and "Ozy and Millie." Her books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, and won the Washington State Book Award and the Pacific Northwest Book Award. She currently lives with her spouse and her cat in Santa Barbara, California.
Dashi is a transmasc artist and streamer based in Chicago. Alongside their army of bunny plushies, they work on various commissions and freelance work. However, you might catch him while he's gaming with friends as his bunny Vtuber persona, Apa.
Datoonie is a non-binary digital artist who loves goofy cartoony styles. They have experience as a freelance character designer on "Craig of the Creek," but is also interested in storyboards. Datoonie also enjoys drawing fan art that shows their love for various series and games for others to enjoy along them.
Jam is an artistic swamp-dwelling creature that lives in a bog in Copenhagen. They have created amazing webcomics, that can be found on both Webtoon Canvas and Tapas, as well as traditional comics and graphic novels. Outside of comics, they have previous experience as a background and layout artist for both TV series and feature films.
Julie is a nonbinary Diné (Navajo) artist. They make comics, physical zines, and illustrations. They work as a librarian for American Indigenous Studies and is putting together an Indigenous studies libguides. Outside of that, they love collecting stationary, looking at cool bugs, and reading manga.
Kaz is a queer Asian American illustrator, animator and comic artist. They have experience in creating illustrations for editorial pieces and articles and has worked with The Panther Newspaper and NPR for illustration work. Kaz is drawn towards heartfelt stories that explore self identity, relationships and the silly bittersweet nature of life.
Kyla is an Asian American writer and artist that lives in a town with an ocean view. Their debut middle grade graphic novel, "Foxlight" is set to release in Spring 2024 about a lost fox spirit and the nonbinary noodle maker who helps him find his way home. It will be published by Feiwel & Friends. Other things they've worked on is lettering manga like "Gokurakugai" and "Dadadan" too, as well as being a member of the Utot Komiks Collective.
Lae is an artist based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. While navigating his gender identity, he succeeded in achieving two life goals: making comics and becoming a cat parent. Outside of comics and illustration work, he lives his life to the fullest by regularly participating in creative projects such as drawing at events, making sock puppets at music festivals, acting for music videos, and dancing on stage as a fuzzy skeleton at the KABOOM animation festival.
Lake is a trans, nonbinary, Sapphic storyboard artist working in animation in LA. They've worked for various studios like Nickelodeon, DreamWorks and WB. During their free time, they mentor aspiring storyboard artists, work with the Animation Guild's queer committee to push for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in studios, and actively working on their storyboard comic series "Heart Work."
Liam is a queer Filipino American trans man that was born in Skokie, IL. As a kid, he always enjoyed reading comics and watching anything animated which blossomed into an artistic passion as he wanted to tell stories that depicted characters and themes that were more relatable to his own experiences and ways of expression. After graduating Columbia College Chicago with a BA in traditional animation, he has been living in Burbank, CA working localization industry as a Dubbing Producer.
Lucas is a talented storyteller and illustrator based in Canada. They have illustrated for a children's book series called Princess Boo Boo, but their main comic strips focus on their life experiences. From gender and sexuality exploration to tackling various challenges with ADHD and adulting, their comics are both witty and cheeky, as well as insightful and warm-hearted.
Maddie is an illustrator, storyboard artist, and cartoonist that currently resides in Portland, OR. She has years of experience making comics and zines, with even a few of them being published! When she has downtime, she'll spend time with her adorable corgi, collecting action figures, and chowing down on a good burger.
Matteo is a gay aro trans latine (Mexican) webcomic creator and artist. His work is more than just the fan art and doodles. He also makes adult art that is focused on MLM (men loving men) content, as well as trans positive content. Outside of art, Matteo conducts research about queer theory through writing and studies, as well as decolonization and marginalized liberation. He is a recent graduate with a BA in Spanish and a minor in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Mel is queer Miami born, Chicago based, Latine comic creator and illustrator. After graduating Columbia College Chicago with a BA in illustration. Mel had worked with Candlewick, Little Brown, Harper Collins, and Penguin Random House. Mel's goal and focus when creating art is uplifting minorities, which is largely inspired by LGBTQ+, Hispanic, and fem experiences. This is shown in their graphic storytelling with themes that help highlight minority lifestyle of all shape and sizes!
Min is a Danish comic artist and illustrator. They were nominated for a Danish comic award for their comic "Fail By Error," which is available on Tapas. Later, graduated as a graphic storyteller from the Animation Workshop of Viborg, Denmark and has done some illustrations for several books for children and young adults. They also acted as one of our creative mods when The Out Side first launched on Kickstarter.
Nasr is a Muslim Arab/Latino concept artist and illustrator. They enjoy exploring new mediums and aesthetics in order to create unique styles of storytelling. Nasr is also a big marine conservation and climate advocate. He supports groups like Climate Justice Alliance, Ocean Conservancy, and Nature Conservancy that work hard to keep our planet clean.
Sage is a trans, non-binary cartoonist living in Chicago, IL! They have been published by The New Yorker, The Washington post, The Nib, and multiple winning comic anthologies, like Comics for Choice and Be Gay, Do Comics. You might have even seen their work in 2021 GLAAD-Nominated video game Bugsnax!
Sam is a trans artist based in New Jersey. You might know him for his webcomic called "Man Time" that focus on the day to day life as a trans man. He focuses on making comics with LGBTQ+ characters with the goal of making comics more inclusive, as well as providing more representation in the comic world, something he didn't have growing up. When he isn't creating comics, he tend to go on trans-masc hiking clubs or lounging on the beachy shoreline.
Snailords is a manga, comic, and WEBTOON artist. He is best known for his romance webtoon, "Freaking Romance." He is currently working on a thriller webtoon, called "Death: Rescheduled." The story focuses on Kreyul, who was born into a world where everyone gets one murder a year. After facing a tragic loss due to the one-kill rule, Kreyul vows to put an end to this horrific practice.
Tara is a talented woman that wears many hats. She's not only a cartoonist, but a publisher for Stacked Deck Press, and a board member of Prism Comics. She's also a bi activist and created a bisexual-themed comic called Gooch. Her most recent achievement was that she was the editor and contributor to the Ignatz Award-winning comic, We're Still Here: An All-Trans Comic Anthology.
Veronica is a comic artist living in Australia with her wife and small cat (who is a very good boy). She dabbles in many things, from slice of life comics about her life to videos on YouTube about various medias.
Vix is a queer Xicanx comic artist based in Chicago. They love making comics, whether it's traditional or digital, they find visual storytelling vital for communicating stories and ideas. Vix has appeared at various conventions like Ink Fest Chicago, Pocketcon, and Little Indie Press Festival. Outside of making comics, they enjoy experimenting with mix media and take care of their two cats.
Wey is an illustrator and comic artist based in Michigan. He hopes that his stories not only resonate with people, but that they connect with the themes of self discovery, escapism, and sense of nostalgia as well. He is a big fan of adventure stories and will spend a lot of hours playing on their Nintendo Switch in their free time.
Wren is a black queer cartoonist and illustrator that draws bio comics. Some of her comics appeared in "The New Yorker" but you can find most of his work on IG. His comics explores personal experiences with ADHD or how she allowed herself to be vulnerable after a break up. He does his best to depict a concise and honest story that is not only relatable, but easier understandable through illustrations. When he isn't drawing, she spends time with her adorable dog, Jaycee.
Zhen is a queer, trans, autistic Chinese artist raised in Atlanta, GA. With their background in graphic design, they currently work as a full time as an independent artist and creator. Some of the comics they've made are "Hello, we are rats!" and "Corgli and Co". When they aren't creating something, they find themselves either thinking about life or existential matters or diving into silly nonsense and curiosities with no answers.