FanFare

Little Ash, a lesser son of the famed demon king Ashmedai, studies Talmud all day with his counterpart, a forgetful angel, in the synagogue of a tiny Jewish town in the Pale of Settlement. But Little Ash wants to see more than their unnamed shtetl: He convinces the angel to go to America, ostensibly to find out what happened to Essie, the baker’s daughter who hasn’t written since she left Warsaw. Steeped in Ashkenazi lore, custom, and faith, this beautifully written story deftly tackles questions of identity, good and evil, obligation, and the many forms love can take. Queerness and gender fluidity thread through both the human and supernatural characters, clearly depicted without feeling anachronistic.
posted by latkes on Jun 19, 2023 - 4 comments

Conflicts and alliances among the military, civilian oversight, new enemies, and witch society further emerge and roil our characters. Streaming on Hulu and some other services in the US. This season includes an in-universe TV ad, the introduction of nonbinary witch M portrayed by nonbinary performer Ess Hödlmoser, a mystical mycelial network, battles, romance, and the scenery-chewing villain Alban Hearst, portrayed with glee by Bob Frazer. [more inside]
posted by brainwane on Aug 3, 2022 - 4 comments

Zen Cho's latest fantasy novel: "A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy." A closeted gay woman moves, with her mom and dad, back from the US to Malaysia, and discovers even more secrets to untangle. Suspenseful, funny, observant.
posted by brainwane on May 17, 2021 - 3 comments

Danielle Cain is a queer punk rock traveller, jaded from a decade on the road. Searching for clues about her best friend’s mysterious and sudden suicide, she ventures to the squatter, utopian town of Freedom, Iowa. All is not well in Freedom, however: things went awry after the town’s residents summoned a protector spirit to serve as their judge and executioner. Danielle shows up in time to witness the spirit—a blood-red, three-antlered deer—begin to turn on its summoners. Danielle and her new friends have to act fast if they’re going to save the town—or get out alive.
posted by dinty_moore on Jun 30, 2019 - 7 comments

2019 Hugo Nominee for Best Graphic Story: A webcomic where a ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together. Two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love―only to learn the pain of loss. [more inside]
posted by dinty_moore on Apr 8, 2019 - 8 comments