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They’re here! They’re queer! They’re graphic novels! The publisher Abrams is beginning a graphic novel imprint dedicated to expanding the presence in the medium of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual creators and stories.
The line, Surely Books, will premiere in spring 2021, and will be curated by Mariko Tamaki, an author whose work includes the graphic novels “Skim,” illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki, about a Catholic school student who falls for her female English teacher, and “Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me,” illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, about the on-again, off-again relationship between two high school girls.
The graphic novels from Surely will be a mix of fiction and nonfiction, and will highlight the activism, achievements and struggles of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. community. The first books scheduled for release include two biographies: one of the novelist Patricia Highsmith, by Grace Ellis, and another of the Revolutionary War hero Baron von Steuben, by Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings. On the fiction side, Terry Blas and Claudia Aguirre will publish a novel about friends who make a surprise discovery one summer.
In a statement, Tamaki said: “I am so excited to have this opportunity to take on a new role in the creative process, to learn more with the writers and artists I’m working with, to find new ways to support queer creators and queer stories, new voices in our community.”
Tamaki will make several appearances at this weekend’s New York Comic Con, which starts today at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, including on a panel about inclusive comics at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday.
