From Glitter and Pompoms to Head Wraps and Jockstraps
By Steven Bereznai
During the first COVID lockdown, I really struggled because I was cut off from the organized weekly social outlet
s I had in my calen
dar, particularly the masters water polo I’ve trained with for more than 10 years. So, I pursued a long-ignored dream, which was to create a graphics novel for my gay teen super hero novels, Queeroes (originally published in 2009).
In true autistic fashion, once I got into digital art, I went into a deep hole of learning and productivity. I no longer missed water polo and ignored the dreaded burnout that many of us face even as I felt it coming on. I made it through, have slowed down, and am thankfully back in the pool. While I did finish the graphic novel, I ultimately moved on to create stand alone images to accompany a reimagined version of the original Queeroes stories, which I’m now releasing on the story-publishing website Wattpad (it’s free, and they allow images).
One of the big differences in the Wattpad
version of Queeroes is I now know I’m on the spectrum (officially diagnosed a few months ago). As I’ve learned more about my neurodivergence and ability to mask, I now see one of the characters, Troy, through a very different light.
He likes order, emotional control, logic, tracking his nutrients, and routines.
He tries to imitate his BFF Jesse who is fun, gregarious, and a social star as a way to fit in. All of this is based on me, and it’s so clear now that Troy’s on the spectrum. With this recognition, I can now write Troy’s autism, and how he’s masking, so much more intentionally as he slowly figures it out.
At the same time, I appreciate sass, fitness, and a bit of darkness, so there’s plenty of creep-show fun as a shadowy menace challenges him and his fellow Queeroes along the way.
I didn’t expect the style to take on a retro horror pulp fiction vibe, but I was going for Riverdale meets Elite and American Horror Story, so I’m feeling it 😊.
Check out the reimagined Queeroes on Wattpad! (it's free!). And hope you all enjoy the 3D art.
