“The day I chose humanity over religion”: Student Project for Graphic Narrative/Script Assignment Part II

Over the past couple of posts, I’ve been writing about the Graphic Narrative/Script assignment I did in my “Monsters, Race, and Comics” class this semester. Today, I want to continue that topic by looking at another student crated project. Like the previous project that I wrote about last post, this project floored me. When I initially read it, I saw the influence of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander’s work, specifically Nita Hawes Nightmare Blog, as well as Pornask Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell’s Infidel and other works. However, when the students presented their product to the class, they discussed so much more, relaying all of the allusions contained within the comic, notably songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Auntie Diaries” and references to Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund. I could do a whole post on all of these that they mentioned; instead, though, I want to take some time a look at some specific moments in the product that really stood out to me when I initially read it.

The students’ product centers on LGBTQ+ rights and the constant barrage of discrimination and violence against individuals, as we’ve seen with the rhetoric surrounding the Respect for Marriage Act, mass shootings, and fear mongering on various media platforms. One need only look at recent…