Paul Madonna is the creator of the series
All Over Coffee (
San Francisco Chronicle 2004-2015), and the author of three books,
All Over Coffee (City Lights 2007),
Everything is its own reward (City Lights 2011), which won the 2011 NCBR Recognition Award for Best Book, and
Close Enough for the Angels, his first full-length, illustrated novel. His drawings and stories have appeared in numerous international books and journals, as well as galleries and museums, including the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Oakland Museum of California. He was the founding Comics Editor for TheRumpus.net, has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco, and frequently lectures on creative practice, even when not asked. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at
MAD Magazine (1993-94), for which he proudly received no money.
Find more at
paulmadonna.com.
4 responses
Pretty gross timing, what with the Angie Zapata “trans panic” murder trial having just begun. Then again I’d say there is never a good time for “humor” at the expense of a victimized, vulnerable population like trans folk.
Cue “you’re taking the comic too seriously!”…
I’m not sure how this comic is at “the expense” of the trans population. Could you expand on your comment?
It’s in poor taste for a comic to indulge in the old “deceptive trans woman” trope*, particularly when at this very moment the man who killed young Colorado trans woman Angie Zapata is using that same old chestnut in his legal defense, saying she “deceived” him and he had no choice but to kill her. That’s the “trans panic” defense. I think it’s clear how the comic skirts this territory, if not diving in whole-hog.
I said “at the expense of” because real-life trans women are continually endangered and killed due to the propagation of destructive memes that brand us as seductive deceivers, which this comic furthered in its own small way. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to the lady, uh, potato when the big masculine one found out her history.
* http://www.feministing.com/archives/008112.html
See also: Julia Serano’s book Whipping Girl, the blog Questioning Transphobia
It’s not the worst comic ever. But it does come at a time of heightened sensitivity and maybe I called it out this time when previously I’d have rolled my eyes but let it pass.
Hopefully that clarifies my view and gives you some food for thought.
Which one is the trans? The woman seeking attention or the tough guy?
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