Review: This Gay Existence #3

Eddie, Zen and all their friends are back for the third issue of This Gay Existence, in a story set during a queer festival. The day out quickly turns into a reference-filled adventure where the guys find themselves being chased though a secret, underground passage by a demonic version of the Reverend Phelps (is that a pleonasm?), all the while discussing the linguistics merits of using “gay” for something else than its current usage, because emos want to appropriate the word. It all makes for a comic that’s even weirder than it sounds.

The bad reverend appears

This issue also partly deals with the aftermath of the Halloween issue, when Eddie lost his heart to a fickle cutie. Adam Fair manages to laugh at his character and make us all sorry for him, all in just a few panels. As I’d said about the first two issues, Fair’s strengths definitely include being able to blend almost opposite emotions and reactions in a very short sequence. That, and his willingness to go against mainstream gay opinions by turning them on their heads.

I won’t try to comment on the numerous references peppering the comic, since I’m painfully aware I only get a small number of those. I’m either not American enough or not young enough. I’m sure readers who are both will get a kick out of them, though, because I enjoyed the ones I did get.

So, I’m glad to be able to say that the third issue of This Gay Existence¹ fulfills the hopes I had for Adam Fair’s work: it’s funny, clever and never predictable.