From Oni Press, author Andrew Wheeler (Cat Fight, Another Castle) and visual storyteller Rye Hickman (The Harrowing, Bad Dream) comes HEY, MARY!, a touching LGBTQ+ story for young adults learning to accept every aspect of themselves.
Andrew Wheeler: Hey, Mary is the story of a queer kid struggling with his Catholicism, and the story of a Catholic kid struggling with his queerness. It’s a very personal story that I spent my whole life trying to find the language for, and I think we got there! I am incredibly proud of what Rye and I created.
A big element of the story is that our protagonist, Mark, has a lively imagination, and that allowed us to fill the story with saints and figures from history for Rye to bring to life on the page. In this scene that manifests as dinner with the devil, who was a big concern for me as a kid. Even though “the devil” isn’t very Biblical and wasn’t often talked about, he was the obvious choice of an avatar for my teenage shame and fear, and he plays the same role for Mark.
Rye Hickman:Â This is THE scene that, when I read the script, made me feel like my closeted, teenage self had somehow time-traveled to have a conversation with Andrew. Our protagonist, Mark, is afraid of what his parents will think of him, if he comes out to them. He’s afraid he won’t be accepted, and that the unconditional love he has from his parents will suddenly have conditions. It’s a rough moment for Mark- terrifying, really- and it was cathartic for me to tap into my own experiences and bring that to the emotions he has. (I did have a great time designing the Devil, he’s kind of iconic if I do say so myself!)
Andrew Wheeler: Rye’s response to this scene was really validating — which in turn was really devastating! Too many of us have had this experience of feeling totally alone surrounded by family. The devil isn’t real, but the feelings of shame that he’s bouncing off Mark are all too real for too many queer kids.
