Howard Cruse was een Amerikaanse alternatieve striptekenaar, bekend om zijn verkenning van gay thema's in zijn strips. Zijn werk ging vaak dieper in op de zoektocht naar identiteit en verbondenheid binnen de bredere samenleving. Cruse gebruikte zijn unieke visuele stijl en satirische aanpak om de complexiteit van menselijke relaties en sociale normen te onderzoeken. Hij was een pionier in het uitbeelden van queer leven, en zijn invloed op strips die LGBTQ+-onderwerpen behandelen is onmiskenbaar.
Just in time for its twenty-fifth anniversary, First Second is republishing Howard Cruse's groundbreaking intersectional graphic novel about coming out and finding your voice during the civil rights movement.
As a young gay man leading a closeted life in the 1960s American South, Toland Polk tries his best to keep a low profile. He’s aware of the racial injustice all around him—the segregationist politicians, the corrupt cops, the violent Klan members—but he feels powerless to make a difference. That all changes when he crosses paths with an impassioned coed named Ginger Raines.Ginger introduces him to a lively and diverse group of civil rights activists, folk singers, and night club performers—men and women who live authentically despite the conformist values of their hometown. Emboldened by this new community, Toland joins the local protests and even finds the courage to venture into a gay bar.No longer content to stay on the sidelines, Toland joins his friends as they fight against bigotry. But in Clayfield, Alabama, that can be dangerous—even deadly.