LDCOMICS ONLINE FAIR 2025! I had the pleasure of meeting Toria McCallum at last year’s Pride Comics and Art Festival (PrideCAF), and immediately recognised their cutesy style when I was browsing the LDComics Online Fair. McCallum is a comic artist and cartoonist based in Liverpool, who focuses on stories about queer joy and nostalgic elements. Having read Toria’s previous zines Our Big Japan Adventure and Strawberry Honey, I had high hopes going into their LDComics contribution, Delayed Outing.
Delayed Outing focuses on middle-aged cat Jay, who works a standard nine-to-five office job. His life is pretty nuclear, and nothing out of the ordinary seems to happen. Yet, Jay has just come to a huge realisation about himself: he’s gay. Is it possible for a straight-laced kitty to dip his paws into queer culture, dating and identity when he’s already had so much lived experience?
The cover of the comic captures the spirit of the tale exactly; a mundane, grey office desk is pictured, with a serious cat in a tie typing away. Yet, in his pen-pot, a rainbow flag perches, the only splash of colour to appear.
The story begins with Jay going on a date with a female colleague, only to freak out when she suggests that things go further romantically; frantically, he blurts out that he’s gay, and begs her not to tell anyone in the office. Afterwards, we see Jay adjusting to this realisation himself, and coming to terms with the world of twenty-first century dating. He tries his luck on dating profiles, but baulks at the language and promiscuity he comes across, as it’s utterly alien to him.
Trying to put himself out there, Jay agrees to a date at a local club, but feels completely out of place. The situation is made worse when his date assumes that their meeting will simply consist of a casual hook up and rejects him. Things turn from bad to worse, as his colleagues appear, causing him to panic. As he runs away, Jay’s thoughts overwhelm him, and he has something akin to a panic attack, represented by swirling shadows of his more ‘laddish’ colleagues, and thoughts of ‘they’re all going to know’.
Without giving any spoilers, the rest of the comic deals with the fallout from this episode and how acceptance, even from one person, can help you begin to accept yourself. Delayed Outing was unexpectedly emotional and poignant, highlighting how those who discover their identity later in life can feel out of place and like they’re playing catch-up. But equally and most importantly, it highlights how, no matter who you are or what your sexual preference is, the people who love you will be there regardless.
Delayed Outing is available to buy from LDComics Online Fair for the duration of July.
Toria Scribbles • LDComics Online Fair, £6.00
Review by Lydia Turner
The LDComics Online Comics Fair runs across the month of July. Read all our coverage of the comics on offer here at BF.
