Comic books have been a staple of American print media since the 1930s. Publishers like Marvel and DC Comics pioneered comic books and graphic novels, but the industry is filled with stories and storytellers that reach all genres and identities.
St. Louis comic book artist and author Lorry Jamison combines their love of the horror genre and their non-binary identity in their young adult series, the “Nightshade Anthology.” The series blends teenage comedy, drama and horror to create honest stories about the queer experience.
“I think that these genres really lend themselves very well to coexisting,” Jamison told St. Louis on the Air. “These characters are going through these big emotional arcs, these monsters are metaphors for larger, difficult emotions that can be very universal feelings. From feeling a first crush to not fitting in, they overlap in very intriguing ways that are so much fun to draw.”
There is a longstanding relationship between gay, lesbian and transgender communities and the horror genre. Queer representation has been a staple of horror films, and many of them feature queer story lines like “Seed of Chucky” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.”
“As queer people, we really graft onto this genre because it addresses these social issues through some of the weirdest and most creative metaphors possible,” they said. “It often makes spaces for these marginalized identities who haven't often found themselves represented in media or represented well.”
Such representation is seen in “Screak,” the third book in “Nightshade.” A demonic minion named Irving terrorizes employees and guests at the Screak Shack, a haunted attraction where protagonist Addie works as a scarecrow.
“The protagonist is hiding a more difficult secret from her parents, and this monster sort of represents that secret literally coming to life,” Jamison explained. “Wrecking mayhem and kind of going against whatever narrative she's been trying to play with her close ones, her friends and family.”
Jamison also illustrated the “Nightshade” series — they used specific color schemes to express the romantic tensions between a vampire and a human in the second installment titled “Blush.”
“Blush, which is this sort of first major same sex crush for the protagonist, is depicted in this very stark kind of crimson color,” Jamison said. “Both because it features vampires so thematically, that kind of fits, but also it's embarrassing and messy, and there's a lot of feelings behind it, and so that intensity of the red really amped up that connection for me.”
The next book in the series is “Nightmare Girl,” Jamison teased that the story will further connect the entire series together.
“It profiles a character that sort of acts as a mentor, that kind of brings the previous protagonists of these four issues together in a way [like] Nick Fury bringing the Avengers together.”
Jamison said their storytelling is for young queer people who should see themselves represented in media — and to fulfill a need they had as a child.
“I found myself reading quite a lot of [comic books] growing up and relating to these characters, or trying to if there weren't any queer representations involved,” Jamison said. “The ‘Nightshade Anthology’ are the stories a younger Lorry needed to read. These have characters who are finding the courage to express their authentic selves in the face of these monsters.”
The “Nightshade Anthology" will conclude with book 6 later this year.
To hear more about other books in the “Nightshade Anthology,” Jamison’s journey as an artist and how they found support in the art community, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
