How Edmund Whe’s ‘A Boy’s Own Story’ Went From Gay Classic to Graphic Novel

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• ‘A BOY’S OWN STORY’ IS A GAY CLASSIC. NOW IT’S A GRAPHIC NOVELPICTURE THISEDMUND WHE AND HIS HBAND MICHAEL CARROLL, BRIAN ALSANDRO, AND IGOR KARASH REVEAL HOW WHE’S G-OUT CLASSIC, FIRST PUBLISHED 40 YEARS AGO, WAS REBORN WH ILLTRATNS.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JAN. 08, 2023 11:19AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 07, 2023 11:30PM EST PHOTO POSE BY THE DAILY BEAST/COURTY PENGU RANDOM HOEOF URSE, EDMUND WHE WAS WRG WHEN THE DAILY BEAST ARRIVED AT HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT. THE NOVEL--PROGRS IS LLED LOSG IT: A GHOST STORY, SPIRED BY A NEPHEW WHOM WHE HAD ONCE RED FOR, AND WHO, AT 50, MTED SUICI. WHE HAD BEEN WRG POEMS TOO, HE SAID, WHILE PROFFERG THE BOUND PROOF OF ANOTHER NOVEL, THE HUMBLE LOVER, DUE TO BE PUBLISHED MAY, ABOUT A BEGUILG MALE BALLET DANCER UGHT UP A MULTU OF RICH-PERSON TRIGU.“I DON’T HAVE ANYTHG ELSE TO DO,” WHE SAID, SG, OF HIS RELENTLS PRODUCTN OF WORDS. WHE, THE MUCH-LRELED MONARCH OF MORN QUEER LERATURE, IS A WRG ENGE OF FICTN, NON-FICTN, BGRAPHI (CLUDG OF JEAN GE), AND MEMOIRS (CLUDG OF HIS TIME LIVG FRANCE OUR PARIS: SKETCH FROM MEMORY AND INSI A PEARL: MY YEARS PARIS). UNSURPRISGLY, HIS AND HBAND MICHAEL CARROLL’S CHELSEA APARTMENT, BOOKS ARE PILED HIGH. WH MOTTLED DAYLIGHT STGGLG TO ASSERT SELF THROUGH THE WDOWS, LAMPS ILLUMATE THEIR SP. THE BOOKS—OLD, NEW, HARDBACK, PAPERBACK—ARE THE CHN AND VERG OF EVERY SURFACE. WHE SAYS HE DON’T SUFFER OM WRER’S BLOCK OR ET OVER NARRATIVE STCTUR, BUT RATHER AIMS FOR WHAT “FORSTER LLED THE HORIZON—THE POT YOU WANT TO GET TO A BOOK, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT SURE HOW YOU’LL GET THERE.”NOW THE UPLE HAVE A NEW ADDN TO THEIR BTLG LIBRARY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL VERSN OF A BOY’S OWN STORY, WHE’S 1982 TOBGRAPHIL G-OUT NOVEL LONG NSIRED A CLASSIC BY GENERATNS OF REARS, LGBTQ AND OTHERWISE. NOW, HAS BEE AN ILLTRATED BOOK (TOP SHELF PRODUCTNS, $29.99), WRTEN BY CARROLL AND WRER, ARTIST, AND FILMMAKER BRIAN ALSANDRO, WH DREAMY, EDWARD HOPPER-ISH ILLTRATNS BY IGOR KARASH. THE BOOK HAS BEEN GTATN FOR AROUND FIVE YEARS, SAID ALSANDRO, AND THE GROUP WORKED ON NCERTEDLY DURG THE PANMIC. THAT PERD OF TIME MEANT HE AND WHE HAD KEPT “WEIRD HOURS AND WEIRD BEHAVRS,” SAID CARROLL. “OH, YOU SHOULD HEAR ABOUT SOME OF OUR WEIRD BEHAVRS,” ADPANNED WHE. SOON TO TURN 83, HE SAID HE HAD BEEN “TOTALLY HANDS-OFF” WHEN ME TO THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. “I TST MICHAEL 100 PERCENT.” “THE ORIGAL NOVEL IS ALREADY VERY AMB, I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE BTED TERMS OF S DARG.”— MICHAEL CARROLL FOR CARROLL, 58, THE BIGGT CHALLENGE WAS IMAGG DIALOGUE A NOVEL THAT HAD ORIGALLY BEEN FULL OF DIRECT SPEECH, AND HOPE THAT THE NEW FORMAT ULD ALLOW AN ALREADY INIC BOOK TO “ECHO BEYOND S ORIGAL DIMENSN,” AND REACH A NEW, YOUNGER DIENCE WH STRIKG DRAWGS AND PACY PLOTTG. “WE DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE THE REAR FOR ONE MUTE. THE ORIGAL NOVEL IS ALREADY VERY AMB, I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE BTED TERMS OF S DARG. BUT HAS TO BE SAID, THERE’S A LOT OF G-OUT NOVELS THE WORLD NOW.”THE PANELS OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL EVOKE THE YOUNG NARRATOR EDDIE’S FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENC WH A FELLOW TEEN, AND HIS TROUBLED AND PLEX RELATNSHIP WH HIS PARENTS, WH THE NARRATIVE SPNG FORWARD AND BACK TIME OM THE 1950S TO 1990, WHICH THE ORIGAL NOVEL DIDN’T DO. AS WHE TOLD THIS REPORTER 2014, HE GREW UP CCNATI, OH. HIS FATHER—PRENTED THE GRAPHIC NOVEL WH A LUXURIANT PORNSTACHE HE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD—WAS AN ENTREPRENR OF VARIED FORTUN. HIS PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS 7; WHE LIVED WH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER MARGARET (TO WHOM HE REMAS VERY CLOSE) CHIGO, AND RETURNED TO CCNATI AND HIS FATHER FOR THE SUMMERS. “I NEVER LIKED MY FATHER,” WHE SAID. “HE REALLY WAS A DULLARD AND MISANTHROPE. MY MOTHER AND HE WERE MARRIED FOR 22 YEARS AND WAS AN ILL MATCH. SHE ENURAGED ME TO BE A WRER… SHE DIDN’T RE LATER WHEN I WROTE ABOUT HER. ‘WELL, I ME OFF BETTER THAN YOU DID,’ SHE’D SAY TO MY SISTER.” EDMUND WHE POS FOR A PORTRA ON W22ND STREET ON FEBARY 28, 2000 NEW YORK CY, NEW YORK.DAVID COR/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG WHE MAJORED CHE AT THE UNIVERSY OF MICHIGAN AND MOVED TO NEW YORK THE EARLY 1960S, WORKG FOR TIME-LIFE BOOKS. IN THE 1970S, HE AND A LLECTN OF GAY WRERS, CLUDG ANDREW HOLLERAN AND FELICE PINO, FORMED A CLUB LLED THE VLET QUILL. IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL WE SEE THE FLAXEN-HAIRED EDDIE AT THE STONEWALL RTS (Y, WHE WAS THERE), AND HIS SEX AND SIRE-PERMEATED LIV PARIS AND NEW YORK. MANY YEARS AGO WHE -WROTE THE JOY OF GAY SEX, WHICH HE WAS, AND REMAS, EMENTLY WELL-QUALIFIED TO WRE ABOUT—AND HAS DONE, CLUDG HIS TIME AS AN S&M SLAVE TO A MUCH-YOUNGER MASTER. AIDS AND S VASTATN MARKS WHERE THE GRAPHIC NOVEL ENDS 1990. WHE WAS 50 AT THE TIME; A “SLOW PROGRSOR,” HE HAS LIVED WH HIV HIMSELF FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS, AND HAS WRTEN ABOUT S IMPACT, BOTH PERSONALLY AND CULTURALLY, MANY BOOKS.WHE ONCE TOLD ME HE HAD BEEN CRICIZED BY THE THOR AND ACTIVIST LARRY KRAMER FOR NOT WRG ABOUT AIDS THE 1980S. “LARRY ATTACKED ME AS VICLY AS ANYONE HAS. WHEN THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY ME OUT, HE WROTE THAT MY ASSHOLE WAS AS BY AS A TOILET. I WAS VERY ANGRY, BUT I’M A NICE FIVG GUY, SO I FAVE HIM. I WAS NICE TO HIM AT PARTI.” COURTY OF PENGU RANDOM HOE ALSANDRO, A IEND OF WHE’S, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST OF WRG THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, “IT WAS A VERY TALL ORR. THE ORIGAL BOOK IS 40 YEARS OLD. I KNOW 'S ED’S MOST FAMO BOOK. HE HAS A LEGN OF FANS WHO REALLY APPRECIATE , AND LOOK TO AS A KD OF SPIRATN AND MOL. IT WAS A LTLE B TIMIDATG AT FIRST BUT ALSO AN EXCG OPPORTUNY. I DO MY BT WHEN CHALLENGED, AND WORKG WH MICHAEL CARROLL ON MA A LOT EASIER.”“ONE OF WHE’S NUMERABLE GIFTS IS THAT HE N WRE ANKLY AND GRAPHILLY ABOUT SEX AND STILL FD NUANCE, SANCTY, AND ELEVATN,” ALSANDRO WROTE HIS REVIEW OF WHE’S LAST NOVEL, A PREV LIFE, JANUARY 2022—AND THIS BATN OF QUALI IS ALSO WOVEN TO A BOY’S OWN STORY GRAPHIC NOVEL FORM. WHAT WE N LEARN MOST OM THE FRENCH, WHE ONCE TOLD THIS REPORTER, IS ABOUT EXPERIENCG SOMETHG SIMPLY FOR PLEASURE, TAKG PLEASURE OM LIFE, “ENJOYG PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE’S SAKE, CLUDG SEX.”THE IA OF THE TIME SWCH, SHOWG THE TRAJECTORY OF STONEWALL, LGBTQ LIBERATN, AND THE AIDS PANMIC, WAS TO GIVE REARS “SOMETHG ADDNAL AND UNEXPECTED TO CHEW ON,” SAID ALSANDRO. “IT’S TO SHOW A PANOPLY OF GAY MEN’S EXPERIENC THROUGH THAT TIME PERD—OPPRSN, LIBERATN, AND VASTATN. ED WROTE A BGRAPHY OF PROT, AND WE WANTED THIS TO HAVE A PROTIAN QUALY TOO, OF ED WALKG THROUGH HIS PAST AND TERACTG WH HIS BOYHOOD SELF AND MEMORI THE SAME SPACE.” “THOSE ON THE RIGHT WANR AROUND NEEDG OBJECTS FOR THEIR FURY. GAYS ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR THAT, I GUS.”— EDMUND WHE ALSANDRO, A FORMER TEACHER, HOP THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BRGS A YOUNGER GENERATN TO THE LANDMARK NOVEL. “I WAS REALLY SHOCKED HOW LTLE HISTORY MANY OF MY STUNTS KNEW—NOT ANCIENT HISTORY, BUT THE LAST 50 YEARS OF . SO FEW PEOPLE THEIR TEENS AND EARLY 20S HAVE A GRASP OF WHAT WENT DOWN A FEW S AGO. ALSO, MAY BE A LTLE TOO IALISTIC, BUT I HOPE THE NOVEL SPIR PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSETED TO E OUT, AND MAYBE TE SOME BIGOTS. THAT MIGHT BE LOFTY, BUT ’S SOMETHG TO ASPIRE TO.”“A BOOK BAN WOULD CERTALY GET NOTICED,” CARROLL SAID OF ONE PREVAILG SYMPTOM OF THE RISG TI OF ANTI-LGBTQ BIGOTRY AMERI.“THOSE ON THE RIGHT WANR AROUND NEEDG OBJECTS FOR THEIR FURY. GAYS ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR THAT, I GUS,” SAID WHE.KARASH IS STRAIGHT, AND RSIAN BY BIRTH. WHEN THE BOOK’S EDOR RYAN RUNSTADLER TOLD HIM OF THE BOOK’S MORE SEXUALLY CHARGED MOMENTS. KARASH SAID, “I WAS WORRIED HOW I WOULD PROJECT THAT SPECIFIC GAY SIRE, BUT I TRIED TO DIVE EP THE READG. I LIKE TO WORK ON ANYTHG WHICH ACPLISH A GREATER GOAL. FROM THE FIRST FEW PAG OF THE BOOK, I WAS TOTALLY ENGAGED. FOR ME, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNIVERSAL THGS THE BOOK. Y, ’S NTROVERSIAL PLAC, BUT WE ARE A DIFFERENT TIME AND PLACE NOW. GROWG UP THE SOVIET UNN, SEXUALY GENERAL WAS A TABOO. IT WASN’T LERATURE, FILM, ANYWHERE. IF YOU ASKED QUTNS, NO ONE ANSWERED.” “THERE ARE A LOT OF EASTER EGGS ”CARROLL HAD FIRST READ THE ORIGAL BOY’S OWN STORY HIS EARLY TWENTI, AFTER READG WHE’S SURVEY OF LATE 1970S QUEER AMERI, STAT OF DIRE.THE GRAPHIC NOVEL TEAM WROTE BY MTEE: “I FELT LIKE I WAS THE GUARDIAN OF THE ORIGAL BOOK, OF GETTG TOO FAR AWAY OM . IT WAS AN TERTG PROCS. EVERYONE HAD TO AGREE ON EVERYTHG AS A GROUP,” CARROLL SAID.“JT LIKE KEV MCCARTHY,” WHE SAID DRILY—AT THE TIME, SO, SO LONG AGO, WHEN MCCARTHY HAD JT LOST THE SEND OF WHAT WOULD TAKE 15 ROUNDS OF VOT TO BEE SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV. WHE THOUGHT THE PLETED GRAPHIC NOVEL WAS “VERY BETIFUL. I WAS MOMENTARILY TAKEN ABACK BY THE JUMPG AROUND TIME, BEE AS A G-OUT NOVEL, I FELT WAS SOMETHG THE CHARACTER WAS DOG A LEAR WAY, VERY SLOWLY. BUT THEN I REALIZED THE TIME JUMPS WERE A GOOD THG BEE ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I HAD WH THE ORIGAL NOVEL WAS HOW TO DITE TO THE REAR THAT EVERYTHG TURNED OUT ALL RIGHT, WHICH THE GRAPHIC NOVEL NVEYS A VERY DIRECT WAY.”ALSANDRO SAID THREE LGBTQ ARTISTS WERE TOO NERVO TO TAKE THE PROJECT ON, BEE OF S PICTNS OF TEEN SEXUALY. “THE MOST CHALLENGG THG WAS THE SEXUAL NATURE OF THE BOOK AND THE SEXUALLY EXPLIC SUATNS SCRIB,” KARASH SAID. “THE LANGUAGE OF THE BOOK IS EXTRAORDARY AND ELEGANT, AND I WANTED THE ILLTRATNS TO BE ELEGANT AND NOT TOO ANATOMIL AND PORN-LIKE.” (KARASH HAS ALSO CREATED THE VER OF ALSANDRO’S NEW NOVEL, PERFORMER NON GRATA, WHICH WILL BE RELEASED BY REBEL SATORI PRS APRIL.) COURTY OF PENGU RANDOM HOE ALSANDRO HAS A BACKGROUND CLIL PSYCHOLOGY, AND SAID THAT RUNSTADLER THOUGHT THE PROJECT HAD A FRDIAN QUALY TO , MAPPG THE JOURNEY OF A 13-YEAR-OLD CLOSETED GAY TEENAGER TO BEG A 50-YEAR-OLD OUT GAY MAN. THERE’S A QUIETLY EPIC TENT TO THE BOOK, REACHG “ACROSS S, PLAC AND UNTRI,” ALSANDRO SAID. “FORTY YEARS ON OM WHEN THE BOOK WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, WE HAVE THE LUXURY OF APPLYG AN ANALYSIS TO THAT MAYBE MAK THIS WORK A B META. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN 40 YEARS OF HAVG EDMUND WHE OUR LIV, WHICH GAVE THE CHANCE TO APPLY A META-NTEXTUAL ANALYTIC QUALY TO THIS ADAPTATN WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GREAT FUN. THERE ARE A LOT OF EASTER EGGS .”CARROLL SAID HE LIKED THE IA OF NOW DOG THE OTHER TWO BOOKS THE TRILOGY—THE BETIFUL ROOM IS EMPTY (1988), THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY (1997)—AS GRAPHIC NOVELS, PERHAPS G DIFFERENT WRERS AND ILLTRATORS. “ALMOST ALL OF THEM WOULD BE GOOD MOVI TOO,” CARROLL SAID.“FETTG ELENA WOULD BE PRETTY TRIPPY TOO AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL,” WHE SAID OF HIS FIRST NOVEL, PUBLISHED 1973.THE NOVEL SPIRED BY HIS NEPHEW IS BASED ON THéOPHILE GTIER’S 1866 NOVEL SPIRE. WHE SAID HIS NEPHEW ULD BE CHARMG, BUT HAD VLENT MOOD SWGS, A DRKG PROBLEM, AND BEHAVED ERRATILLY, SUCH AS WHEN HE HAD SET HIS FAY HOME ON FIRE. WHE TOOK HIM AFTER HE HAD BEEN MTED TO A MENTAL HOSPAL. “I FELT LIKE, ‘WHY IS HE STG THERE DRKG FFEE ALL DAY DOG THERAPY AND NO SCHOOL?’” WHE SAID.LATER, HIS NEPHEW WROTE BOOKS ABOUT HIS TIME SPENT WH WHE, AND A BOOK ABOUT A BOY’S OWN STORY. “THEY WERE VERY GOOD,” SAID CARROLL. “BUT EVERYTHG DISAPPOTED HIM, HE THOUGHT THEY SHOULD HAVE SOLD MORE PI. HE MA A SERI OF CHOIC THAT END UP WH HIM HAVG NO MONEY AND NO FUTURE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO P THE RENTMENT AND LNS THAT ME OM THAT.” LATER HIS LIFE, HE THREATENED TO SHOOT WHE AND CARROLL. THE NOVEL IS A WAY OF REMEMBERG HIS LIFE, AND WHO HE WAS TOTALY. “I THK WRG IS A KD OF KISS-OFF. IF I WRE ABOUT SOMEONE MEANS I’M THROUGH WH THEM—SO I NEVER WROTE ABOUT MICHAEL BEE I’M STILL LOVE WH HIM.”— EDMUND WHE NEXT, CARROLL SAID HE WAS WORKG ON GETTG “A FLAT STOMACH,” WHILE WHE WILL TURN HIS ATTENTN TO A MEMOIR ABOUT HIS MOST LORFUL HOOKUPS. “I NEVER RE-READ MY OWN WRG,” WHE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “I THK WRG IS A KD OF KISS-OFF. IF I WRE ABOUT SOMEONE MEANS I’M THROUGH WH THEM—SO I NEVER WROTE ABOUT MICHAEL BEE I’M STILL LOVE WH HIM.”THE UPLE MARRIED 2013. IT STARTED OUT, WHE TOLD ME A FEW MONTHS LATER, AS A “PRACTIL NECSY,” WH WHE KEEN TO ENSURE CARROLL RECEIVED PROPER HEALTH VERAGE AND OTHER BENEFS. “BUT ALSO ’S TURNED OUT TO BE VERY NICE. WE’VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 18 YEARS, AND WE BOTH FEEL MORE MTED TO EACH OTHER. BEG MARRIED MAK OUR RELATNSHIP MORE REGNIZED, PECIALLY FOR HETEROSEXUALS, WHO MAKE A BIG FS OUT OF .”WHE AND CARROLL HAVE AN OPEN RELATNSHIP; WHE IS CURRENTLY SEEG KYLE, “A 34-YEAR-OLD NICE SOUTHERN BOY. HE’S SPERATELY, EPLY TERTED IC BOOKS, AND VERY RICH. HE DON’T WORK. HE’S VERY HOT, BUT HE GHOSTS ME FOR A MONTH AT A TIME.” CARROLL IS SEEG CARLOS, 35, AN “FATIGABLE” ARTIST.WHE SAID HIS TERNAL HEALTH—AFTER TWO STROK AND A HEART ATTACK—WAS GOOD; HIS MOBILY NOT SO MUCH. “I SHOULD GO BACK TO THERAPY AND GET BETTER,” HE NCED. CARROLL, WHOSE DITED RE OF WHE THIS REPORTER HAS SEEN UP CLOSE, SAID, “THEN HE HAD A TRAER…”“ANYWAY, I SORT OF GOT BORED OF THE WHOLE IA,” WHE SAID. “PROBABLY I SHOULD GET UN-BORED.”“I LET HIM DO WHAT HE WANTS, THERE’S NOTHG I N DO,” CARROLL SAID, SG RIGNEDLY.“I LET HIM DO WHAT HE WANTS TOO,” WHE ECHOED, ALSO SG. TIM TEEMAN

‘A BOY’S OWN STORY’ IS A GAY CLASSIC. NOW IT’S A GRAPHIC NOVELPICTURE THISEDMUND WHE AND HIS HBAND MICHAEL CARROLL, BRIAN ALSANDRO, AND IGOR KARASH REVEAL HOW WHE’S G-OUT CLASSIC, FIRST PUBLISHED 40 YEARS AGO, WAS REBORN WH ILLTRATNS.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JAN. 08, 2023 11:19AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 07, 2023 11:30PM EST PHOTO POSE BY THE DAILY BEAST/COURTY PENGU RANDOM HOEOF URSE, EDMUND WHE WAS WRG WHEN THE DAILY BEAST ARRIVED AT HIS MANHATTAN APARTMENT. THE NOVEL--PROGRS IS LLED LOSG IT: A GHOST STORY, SPIRED BY A NEPHEW WHOM WHE HAD ONCE RED FOR, AND WHO, AT 50, MTED SUICI. WHE HAD BEEN WRG POEMS TOO, HE SAID, WHILE PROFFERG THE BOUND PROOF OF ANOTHER NOVEL, THE HUMBLE LOVER, DUE TO BE PUBLISHED MAY, ABOUT A BEGUILG MALE BALLET DANCER UGHT UP A MULTU OF RICH-PERSON TRIGU.“I DON’T HAVE ANYTHG ELSE TO DO,” WHE SAID, SG, OF HIS RELENTLS PRODUCTN OF WORDS. WHE, THE MUCH-LRELED MONARCH OF MORN QUEER LERATURE, IS A WRG ENGE OF FICTN, NON-FICTN, BGRAPHI (CLUDG OF JEAN GE), AND MEMOIRS (CLUDG OF HIS TIME LIVG FRANCE OUR PARIS: SKETCH FROM MEMORY AND INSI A PEARL: MY YEARS PARIS). UNSURPRISGLY, HIS AND HBAND MICHAEL CARROLL’S CHELSEA APARTMENT, BOOKS ARE PILED HIGH. WH MOTTLED DAYLIGHT STGGLG TO ASSERT SELF THROUGH THE WDOWS, LAMPS ILLUMATE THEIR SP. THE BOOKS—OLD, NEW, HARDBACK, PAPERBACK—ARE THE CHN AND VERG OF EVERY SURFACE. WHE SAYS HE DON’T SUFFER OM WRER’S BLOCK OR ET OVER NARRATIVE STCTUR, BUT RATHER AIMS FOR WHAT “FORSTER LLED THE HORIZON—THE POT YOU WANT TO GET TO A BOOK, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT SURE HOW YOU’LL GET THERE.”NOW THE UPLE HAVE A NEW ADDN TO THEIR BTLG LIBRARY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL VERSN OF A BOY’S OWN STORY, WHE’S 1982 TOBGRAPHIL G-OUT NOVEL LONG NSIRED A CLASSIC BY GENERATNS OF REARS, LGBTQ AND OTHERWISE. NOW, HAS BEE AN ILLTRATED BOOK (TOP SHELF PRODUCTNS, $29.99), WRTEN BY CARROLL AND WRER, ARTIST, AND FILMMAKER BRIAN ALSANDRO, WH DREAMY, EDWARD HOPPER-ISH ILLTRATNS BY IGOR KARASH. THE BOOK HAS BEEN GTATN FOR AROUND FIVE YEARS, SAID ALSANDRO, AND THE GROUP WORKED ON NCERTEDLY DURG THE PANMIC. THAT PERD OF TIME MEANT HE AND WHE HAD KEPT “WEIRD HOURS AND WEIRD BEHAVRS,” SAID CARROLL. “OH, YOU SHOULD HEAR ABOUT SOME OF OUR WEIRD BEHAVRS,” ADPANNED WHE. SOON TO TURN 83, HE SAID HE HAD BEEN “TOTALLY HANDS-OFF” WHEN ME TO THE GRAPHIC NOVEL. “I TST MICHAEL 100 PERCENT.” “THE ORIGAL NOVEL IS ALREADY VERY AMB, I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE BTED TERMS OF S DARG.”— MICHAEL CARROLL FOR CARROLL, 58, THE BIGGT CHALLENGE WAS IMAGG DIALOGUE A NOVEL THAT HAD ORIGALLY BEEN FULL OF DIRECT SPEECH, AND HOPE THAT THE NEW FORMAT ULD ALLOW AN ALREADY INIC BOOK TO “ECHO BEYOND S ORIGAL DIMENSN,” AND REACH A NEW, YOUNGER DIENCE WH STRIKG DRAWGS AND PACY PLOTTG. “WE DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE THE REAR FOR ONE MUTE. THE ORIGAL NOVEL IS ALREADY VERY AMB, I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE BTED TERMS OF S DARG. BUT HAS TO BE SAID, THERE’S A LOT OF G-OUT NOVELS THE WORLD NOW.”THE PANELS OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL EVOKE THE YOUNG NARRATOR EDDIE’S FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENC WH A FELLOW TEEN, AND HIS TROUBLED AND PLEX RELATNSHIP WH HIS PARENTS, WH THE NARRATIVE SPNG FORWARD AND BACK TIME OM THE 1950S TO 1990, WHICH THE ORIGAL NOVEL DIDN’T DO. AS WHE TOLD THIS REPORTER 2014, HE GREW UP CCNATI, OH. HIS FATHER—PRENTED THE GRAPHIC NOVEL WH A LUXURIANT PORNSTACHE HE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD—WAS AN ENTREPRENR OF VARIED FORTUN. HIS PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS 7; WHE LIVED WH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER MARGARET (TO WHOM HE REMAS VERY CLOSE) CHIGO, AND RETURNED TO CCNATI AND HIS FATHER FOR THE SUMMERS. “I NEVER LIKED MY FATHER,” WHE SAID. “HE REALLY WAS A DULLARD AND MISANTHROPE. MY MOTHER AND HE WERE MARRIED FOR 22 YEARS AND WAS AN ILL MATCH. SHE ENURAGED ME TO BE A WRER… SHE DIDN’T RE LATER WHEN I WROTE ABOUT HER. ‘WELL, I ME OFF BETTER THAN YOU DID,’ SHE’D SAY TO MY SISTER.” EDMUND WHE POS FOR A PORTRA ON W22ND STREET ON FEBARY 28, 2000 NEW YORK CY, NEW YORK.DAVID COR/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAG WHE MAJORED CHE AT THE UNIVERSY OF MICHIGAN AND MOVED TO NEW YORK THE EARLY 1960S, WORKG FOR TIME-LIFE BOOKS. IN THE 1970S, HE AND A LLECTN OF GAY WRERS, CLUDG ANDREW HOLLERAN AND FELICE PINO, FORMED A CLUB LLED THE VLET QUILL. IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL WE SEE THE FLAXEN-HAIRED EDDIE AT THE STONEWALL RTS (Y, WHE WAS THERE), AND HIS SEX AND SIRE-PERMEATED LIV PARIS AND NEW YORK. MANY YEARS AGO WHE -WROTE THE JOY OF GAY SEX, WHICH HE WAS, AND REMAS, EMENTLY WELL-QUALIFIED TO WRE ABOUT—AND HAS DONE, CLUDG HIS TIME AS AN S&M SLAVE TO A MUCH-YOUNGER MASTER. AIDS AND S VASTATN MARKS WHERE THE GRAPHIC NOVEL ENDS 1990. WHE WAS 50 AT THE TIME; A “SLOW PROGRSOR,” HE HAS LIVED WH HIV HIMSELF FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS, AND HAS WRTEN ABOUT S IMPACT, BOTH PERSONALLY AND CULTURALLY, MANY BOOKS.WHE ONCE TOLD ME HE HAD BEEN CRICIZED BY THE THOR AND ACTIVIST LARRY KRAMER FOR NOT WRG ABOUT AIDS THE 1980S. “LARRY ATTACKED ME AS VICLY AS ANYONE HAS. WHEN THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY ME OUT, HE WROTE THAT MY ASSHOLE WAS AS BY AS A TOILET. I WAS VERY ANGRY, BUT I’M A NICE FIVG GUY, SO I FAVE HIM. I WAS NICE TO HIM AT PARTI.” COURTY OF PENGU RANDOM HOE ALSANDRO, A IEND OF WHE’S, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST OF WRG THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, “IT WAS A VERY TALL ORR. THE ORIGAL BOOK IS 40 YEARS OLD. I KNOW 'S ED’S MOST FAMO BOOK. HE HAS A LEGN OF FANS WHO REALLY APPRECIATE , AND LOOK TO AS A KD OF SPIRATN AND MOL. IT WAS A LTLE B TIMIDATG AT FIRST BUT ALSO AN EXCG OPPORTUNY. I DO MY BT WHEN CHALLENGED, AND WORKG WH MICHAEL CARROLL ON MA A LOT EASIER.”“ONE OF WHE’S NUMERABLE GIFTS IS THAT HE N WRE ANKLY AND GRAPHILLY ABOUT SEX AND STILL FD NUANCE, SANCTY, AND ELEVATN,” ALSANDRO WROTE HIS REVIEW OF WHE’S LAST NOVEL, A PREV LIFE, JANUARY 2022—AND THIS BATN OF QUALI IS ALSO WOVEN TO A BOY’S OWN STORY GRAPHIC NOVEL FORM. WHAT WE N LEARN MOST OM THE FRENCH, WHE ONCE TOLD THIS REPORTER, IS ABOUT EXPERIENCG SOMETHG SIMPLY FOR PLEASURE, TAKG PLEASURE OM LIFE, “ENJOYG PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE’S SAKE, CLUDG SEX.”THE IA OF THE TIME SWCH, SHOWG THE TRAJECTORY OF STONEWALL, LGBTQ LIBERATN, AND THE AIDS PANMIC, WAS TO GIVE REARS “SOMETHG ADDNAL AND UNEXPECTED TO CHEW ON,” SAID ALSANDRO. “IT’S TO SHOW A PANOPLY OF GAY MEN’S EXPERIENC THROUGH THAT TIME PERD—OPPRSN, LIBERATN, AND VASTATN. ED WROTE A BGRAPHY OF PROT, AND WE WANTED THIS TO HAVE A PROTIAN QUALY TOO, OF ED WALKG THROUGH HIS PAST AND TERACTG WH HIS BOYHOOD SELF AND MEMORI THE SAME SPACE.” “THOSE ON THE RIGHT WANR AROUND NEEDG OBJECTS FOR THEIR FURY. GAYS ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR THAT, I GUS.”— EDMUND WHE ALSANDRO, A FORMER TEACHER, HOP THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BRGS A YOUNGER GENERATN TO THE LANDMARK NOVEL. “I WAS REALLY SHOCKED HOW LTLE HISTORY MANY OF MY STUNTS KNEW—NOT ANCIENT HISTORY, BUT THE LAST 50 YEARS OF . SO FEW PEOPLE THEIR TEENS AND EARLY 20S HAVE A GRASP OF WHAT WENT DOWN A FEW S AGO. ALSO, MAY BE A LTLE TOO IALISTIC, BUT I HOPE THE NOVEL SPIR PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSETED TO E OUT, AND MAYBE TE SOME BIGOTS. THAT MIGHT BE LOFTY, BUT ’S SOMETHG TO ASPIRE TO.”“A BOOK BAN WOULD CERTALY GET NOTICED,” CARROLL SAID OF ONE PREVAILG SYMPTOM OF THE RISG TI OF ANTI-LGBTQ BIGOTRY AMERI.“THOSE ON THE RIGHT WANR AROUND NEEDG OBJECTS FOR THEIR FURY. GAYS ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR THAT, I GUS,” SAID WHE.KARASH IS STRAIGHT, AND RSIAN BY BIRTH. WHEN THE BOOK’S EDOR RYAN RUNSTADLER TOLD HIM OF THE BOOK’S MORE SEXUALLY CHARGED MOMENTS. KARASH SAID, “I WAS WORRIED HOW I WOULD PROJECT THAT SPECIFIC GAY SIRE, BUT I TRIED TO DIVE EP THE READG. I LIKE TO WORK ON ANYTHG WHICH ACPLISH A GREATER GOAL. FROM THE FIRST FEW PAG OF THE BOOK, I WAS TOTALLY ENGAGED. FOR ME, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNIVERSAL THGS THE BOOK. Y, ’S NTROVERSIAL PLAC, BUT WE ARE A DIFFERENT TIME AND PLACE NOW. GROWG UP THE SOVIET UNN, SEXUALY GENERAL WAS A TABOO. IT WASN’T LERATURE, FILM, ANYWHERE. IF YOU ASKED QUTNS, NO ONE ANSWERED.” “THERE ARE A LOT OF EASTER EGGS ”CARROLL HAD FIRST READ THE ORIGAL BOY’S OWN STORY HIS EARLY TWENTI, AFTER READG WHE’S SURVEY OF LATE 1970S QUEER AMERI, STAT OF DIRE.THE GRAPHIC NOVEL TEAM WROTE BY MTEE: “I FELT LIKE I WAS THE GUARDIAN OF THE ORIGAL BOOK, OF GETTG TOO FAR AWAY OM . IT WAS AN TERTG PROCS. EVERYONE HAD TO AGREE ON EVERYTHG AS A GROUP,” CARROLL SAID.“JT LIKE KEV MCCARTHY,” WHE SAID DRILY—AT THE TIME, SO, SO LONG AGO, WHEN MCCARTHY HAD JT LOST THE SEND OF WHAT WOULD TAKE 15 ROUNDS OF VOT TO BEE SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV. WHE THOUGHT THE PLETED GRAPHIC NOVEL WAS “VERY BETIFUL. I WAS MOMENTARILY TAKEN ABACK BY THE JUMPG AROUND TIME, BEE AS A G-OUT NOVEL, I FELT WAS SOMETHG THE CHARACTER WAS DOG A LEAR WAY, VERY SLOWLY. BUT THEN I REALIZED THE TIME JUMPS WERE A GOOD THG BEE ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I HAD WH THE ORIGAL NOVEL WAS HOW TO DITE TO THE REAR THAT EVERYTHG TURNED OUT ALL RIGHT, WHICH THE GRAPHIC NOVEL NVEYS A VERY DIRECT WAY.”ALSANDRO SAID THREE LGBTQ ARTISTS WERE TOO NERVO TO TAKE THE PROJECT ON, BEE OF S PICTNS OF TEEN SEXUALY. “THE MOST CHALLENGG THG WAS THE SEXUAL NATURE OF THE BOOK AND THE SEXUALLY EXPLIC SUATNS SCRIB,” KARASH SAID. “THE LANGUAGE OF THE BOOK IS EXTRAORDARY AND ELEGANT, AND I WANTED THE ILLTRATNS TO BE ELEGANT AND NOT TOO ANATOMIL AND PORN-LIKE.” (KARASH HAS ALSO CREATED THE VER OF ALSANDRO’S NEW NOVEL, PERFORMER NON GRATA, WHICH WILL BE RELEASED BY REBEL SATORI PRS APRIL.) COURTY OF PENGU RANDOM HOE ALSANDRO HAS A BACKGROUND CLIL PSYCHOLOGY, AND SAID THAT RUNSTADLER THOUGHT THE PROJECT HAD A FRDIAN QUALY TO , MAPPG THE JOURNEY OF A 13-YEAR-OLD CLOSETED GAY TEENAGER TO BEG A 50-YEAR-OLD OUT GAY MAN. THERE’S A QUIETLY EPIC TENT TO THE BOOK, REACHG “ACROSS S, PLAC AND UNTRI,” ALSANDRO SAID. “FORTY YEARS ON OM WHEN THE BOOK WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, WE HAVE THE LUXURY OF APPLYG AN ANALYSIS TO THAT MAYBE MAK THIS WORK A B META. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN 40 YEARS OF HAVG EDMUND WHE OUR LIV, WHICH GAVE THE CHANCE TO APPLY A META-NTEXTUAL ANALYTIC QUALY TO THIS ADAPTATN WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GREAT FUN. THERE ARE A LOT OF EASTER EGGS .”CARROLL SAID HE LIKED THE IA OF NOW DOG THE OTHER TWO BOOKS THE TRILOGY—THE BETIFUL ROOM IS EMPTY (1988), THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY (1997)—AS GRAPHIC NOVELS, PERHAPS G DIFFERENT WRERS AND ILLTRATORS. “ALMOST ALL OF THEM WOULD BE GOOD MOVI TOO,” CARROLL SAID.“FETTG ELENA WOULD BE PRETTY TRIPPY TOO AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL,” WHE SAID OF HIS FIRST NOVEL, PUBLISHED 1973.THE NOVEL SPIRED BY HIS NEPHEW IS BASED ON THéOPHILE GTIER’S 1866 NOVEL SPIRE. WHE SAID HIS NEPHEW ULD BE CHARMG, BUT HAD VLENT MOOD SWGS, A DRKG PROBLEM, AND BEHAVED ERRATILLY, SUCH AS WHEN HE HAD SET HIS FAY HOME ON FIRE. WHE TOOK HIM AFTER HE HAD BEEN MTED TO A MENTAL HOSPAL. “I FELT LIKE, ‘WHY IS HE STG THERE DRKG FFEE ALL DAY DOG THERAPY AND NO SCHOOL?’” WHE SAID.LATER, HIS NEPHEW WROTE BOOKS ABOUT HIS TIME SPENT WH WHE, AND A BOOK ABOUT A BOY’S OWN STORY. “THEY WERE VERY GOOD,” SAID CARROLL. “BUT EVERYTHG DISAPPOTED HIM, HE THOUGHT THEY SHOULD HAVE SOLD MORE PI. HE MA A SERI OF CHOIC THAT END UP WH HIM HAVG NO MONEY AND NO FUTURE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO P THE RENTMENT AND LNS THAT ME OM THAT.” LATER HIS LIFE, HE THREATENED TO SHOOT WHE AND CARROLL. THE NOVEL IS A WAY OF REMEMBERG HIS LIFE, AND WHO HE WAS TOTALY. “I THK WRG IS A KD OF KISS-OFF. IF I WRE ABOUT SOMEONE MEANS I’M THROUGH WH THEM—SO I NEVER WROTE ABOUT MICHAEL BEE I’M STILL LOVE WH HIM.”— EDMUND WHE NEXT, CARROLL SAID HE WAS WORKG ON GETTG “A FLAT STOMACH,” WHILE WHE WILL TURN HIS ATTENTN TO A MEMOIR ABOUT HIS MOST LORFUL HOOKUPS. “I NEVER RE-READ MY OWN WRG,” WHE TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “I THK WRG IS A KD OF KISS-OFF. IF I WRE ABOUT SOMEONE MEANS I’M THROUGH WH THEM—SO I NEVER WROTE ABOUT MICHAEL BEE I’M STILL LOVE WH HIM.”THE UPLE MARRIED 2013. IT STARTED OUT, WHE TOLD ME A FEW MONTHS LATER, AS A “PRACTIL NECSY,” WH WHE KEEN TO ENSURE CARROLL RECEIVED PROPER HEALTH VERAGE AND OTHER BENEFS. “BUT ALSO ’S TURNED OUT TO BE VERY NICE. WE’VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 18 YEARS, AND WE BOTH FEEL MORE MTED TO EACH OTHER. BEG MARRIED MAK OUR RELATNSHIP MORE REGNIZED, PECIALLY FOR HETEROSEXUALS, WHO MAKE A BIG FS OUT OF .”WHE AND CARROLL HAVE AN OPEN RELATNSHIP; WHE IS CURRENTLY SEEG KYLE, “A 34-YEAR-OLD NICE SOUTHERN BOY. HE’S SPERATELY, EPLY TERTED IC BOOKS, AND VERY RICH. HE DON’T WORK. HE’S VERY HOT, BUT HE GHOSTS ME FOR A MONTH AT A TIME.” CARROLL IS SEEG CARLOS, 35, AN “FATIGABLE” ARTIST.WHE SAID HIS TERNAL HEALTH—AFTER TWO STROK AND A HEART ATTACK—WAS GOOD; HIS MOBILY NOT SO MUCH. “I SHOULD GO BACK TO THERAPY AND GET BETTER,” HE NCED. CARROLL, WHOSE DITED RE OF WHE THIS REPORTER HAS SEEN UP CLOSE, SAID, “THEN HE HAD A TRAER…”“ANYWAY, I SORT OF GOT BORED OF THE WHOLE IA,” WHE SAID. “PROBABLY I SHOULD GET UN-BORED.”“I LET HIM DO WHAT HE WANTS, THERE’S NOTHG I N DO,” CARROLL SAID, SG RIGNEDLY.“I LET HIM DO WHAT HE WANTS TOO,” WHE ECHOED, ALSO SG. TIM TEEMAN

In his closed-door posn last month, Ziegler told lawmakers that he is gay, and phed back agast the notn om some right-wg figur that his sexual orientatn fluenc his polics or his job.