The Times I Knew I Was Gay (urspr publ 2018; utgåvan 2020)

A stumbling and shuffling account of stumbling and shuffling through coming out as gay. It's a pleasant enough read, but falls just a smidge outside the zone of "like" for me due to the lack of flow in the story and art. That may be due to the format of having only one or two images on each two-page spread and having to turn pages repeatedly to compete a single thought.

This 320-page 2020 edition is an expanded version of a 2018 edition that had only 120 pages. I searched for some images of the 2018 pages and see that in the conversion Crewes sometimes cut an original image in two horizontally, made adjustments to any overlapping word balloons and figures, and pasted the resulting halves on opposing pages in the 2020 version. Some other material seems to have been deleted or redrawn. I wonder if I would have preferred that take on the material? ( )

All I have to say is that this is simultaneously relatable and a little sad. The number of times she felt the need to go back into the closet was a little unfortunate, but it's definitely not uncommon. I'm glad she worked it out in the end and some of the scenarios were pretty dang funny regardless.

Recommended for anyone interested in a non-linear coming out story in graphic novel form. ( )

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay was my first time reading a graphic memoir, and I really enjoyed the experience! It was an interesting way to tell a really important story, and I think the illustrations were able to show another layer of the author's life. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell who was who, so I was often confused as to who the images were supposed to be depicting. A lot of the characters looked very similar, and I think the sameness detracted from the overall appeal of the book.

Additionally, this story was mostly highlights, so it was like watching a 15 second Reel on Instagram. You only get a glimpse of the whole picture, and I would have liked more details and interactions with people. I get more out of a single comic issue (roughly 20 pages) than I did out of the 320 pages of this book. It made it hard to connect with the author/main character and the story they were trying to tell. I do think this book will be something a lot of people can relate to, but it lacked a certain oomph. A very interesting concept though!

Eleanor Crewes shows the world that there are a lot of different ways for people to "come out," and that sometimes it happens more than once. Maybe you admit it to yourself in the shower one day, but don't mention it again for several years when you're shopping with your best friend. It may be another couple of years before you're able to talk to your parents about it, or list it on your social media pages. It's different for everyone, and no one should feel bad about the road they have to take to get there. There is no "right way" to discover yourself and who you're meant to be. (★★★⋆☆)

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A graphic memoir about coming of age, coming out, finding yourself - and Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for sexual harassment, homophobia, panic attacks, and eating disorders.)

As a kid, Ellie always felt different: she was more comfortable in pants than dresses and skirts (and even insisted on wearing trousers to her Communion); went through an extended Goth/emo phase; preferred ghost stories and manga to romance novels; was hardcore into Buffy, maybe even before it was cool; and feigned a romantic interest in boys when really she just wanted to be their friend. The Times I Knew I Was Gay is an autobiographical look at her teenage and young adult years, and follows her as she comes of age - and comes out.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-01.jpg

In some ways, the title is misleading; Ellie doesn't have (m)any big "AHA!" moments when she realizes that she's gay. And when she does get an inkling of the truth, she's more likely to dodge and weave instead of confronting her sexuality head-on. For example, there's a great scene where she comes out to her two closest friends at university, drunkenly on New Years, only to never speak of it again...for another two years. In the meantime, she continues to perform heteronormativity, prowling for guys on Tinder, only to find ridiculously minor, Seinfeldian reasons to break up with them when things start to get too serious.

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-02.jpg

When a self-imposed ultimatum finally does force her out of the closet for good, she's met with love and support by her family (ngl, these scenes did it to me).

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-03.jpg

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-04.jpg

http://www.easyvegan.info/img/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-05.jpg

But she's a little disconcerted to find that the dating scene is still messy and sometimes disheartening, if for slightly different reasons.

Spoiler alert: things end up pretty alright.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay is a charming, relatable story about a "weirdo" (I say that with love, from one outsider to another) trying to find her place in the world - and realizing that it's a much easier journey to navigate when you're being true to yourself. There's a big, mushy heart at the center of this story, and plenty of humor to help soften some of the sharper edges.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2020/10/06/the-times-i-knew-i-was-gay-by-eleanor-crewe... ( )