Reading Bash Back for the first time? Start here.
What is Bash Back?
Bash Back is, in the words of Michael Swift, an outré, madness, a tragic, cruel fantasy, an eruption of inner rage, on how the oppressed desperately dream of being the oppressor.
It's a revenge fantasy for any LGBT person who just needs some escapism, some assurance that there is a dangerous and powerful family fighting for them. It's The Pink Menace, it's the X-Men, it's James Bond, it's Tarantino — but it's explicitly for us to enjoy.
Why Queer Mafia instead of Gay or LGBT Mafia?
While we acknowledge the word "queer" is not ideal for everyone, especially older generations whom we wish to honor as best we can, it was essential that we be inclusive. A "gay" mafia brings to mind cis white Hollywood men who get rich on marketing their stereotypes and are happy to sit back and create designer clothes for cis people to wear while winning awards for playing trans characters. We did NOT want a gay mafia. We needed an all-expansive family of outlaws who include our entire rainbow and fight especially hard for those who are most in need. We hope even those who are uncomfortable with the word "queer" will see that it is in this instance being reclaimed, and never applied to someone against their will.
Who is the main character of Bash Back? To begin, we are looking through the eyes of a civilian who comes into contact with The Family. Just as Michael in The Godfather must decide whether or not to join in his family's legacy, our main character, Bas, must decide whether to join the revolutionaries of his own, queer family. He is trans and comes from a southern USA background, just like me. Our characters reflect the demographics we come from (our other writer is half Mexican and our artist is from Russia, so these backgrounds come into play as well). It's also essential that we represent the queer community, those most in need of help (trans women of color, sex workers, and low income or homeless LGBT people) and the demographics of NYC in accurate numbers.
Our artist Fyodor Pavlov goes outside his comfort zone for this comic — which is a gritty, contemporary setting. For an artist who usually paints historically inspired romantic works, this is an interesting challenge. We asked him about his outlook:
Tell us about the visual world in which Bash Back is set.
Right now, we are in New York, to the best of my artistic ability. It's not photographically exact, but we've already introduced a few landmarks: East Village townhouses, where St. Stephen resides, and, of course, the Plaza. It is New York as seen through my artistic style and interpretation. A lot of it is idealized, like Stephen's house — his house is the dream, right?
How do you come up with a look for each of the characters? What is important to you in how they are drawn?
Sometimes, actors or a particularly striking reference photo can be a jumping off point for me in visualizing a character, Other times, I already have such a strong notion of who they are, that what they look like comes naturally, it's a complete image in my head. And, of course, both of the writers have input, if they feel strongly about how a particular character looks.
Diversity — racial, body type, sexual, gender presentation, age — was important to us from the start, so all three of us try to stay conscious of that during writing and character creation, and keep each other in check through the creative process.
For me personally, a character also has to hold my attention and stay interesting, even if I don't like them very much (coughClarkcough). Their look has to convey their personality, because so much of comics is visual shorthand. And I want them to look different and interesting on the page, whether by themselves or in interaction.
Who is your favorite character to draw?
Oof. That changes. John Doran is a special pet of mine. And Lady is incredibly fun to draw. We call her Bicep Mom. Daniel's and Stephen's expressions are always fun. But there are also some characters coming up in the next issue that I'm really looking forward to.
Give us a sneak peak for what is in store for the next issue.
Here are some of the character sketches for the next issue, which should be starting very soon...
This comic is super important to us, and a labor of love. We'll have physical copies and extra art at Flame Con - but for now, please enjoy it for free online!
Reading Bash Back for the first time? Start here.
