PRIDE MONTH 2023! While Gabriel Ebensperger’s graphic memoir Gay Giant may be focussed on growing up queer back in the 1990s there’s obviously an entire social level that makes it more relevant than ever today. After all, as the hard fought for rights of the LGBTQ+ community continue to be rolled back, reminders of how oppressive a heteronormative world is become all the more important. Ebensperger’s debut book approaches the subject of coming out with a voice all its own, blending humour and social commentary in a narrative that is big, bold, loud and endearingly honest.
The gay giant of the title refers to Ebensperger’s noticeable height but also acts as a kind of metaphor for his identity on other obvious levels. Ebensperger chronicles an early life of growing up different from his peers in Chile; of casual homophobia from relatives, derision for playing with the “wrong” toys, and disdain for not being interested in playing soccer. He then moves on to his later experiences as a young gay man at a time when being out was more difficult, particularly in a culture less accepting.
Sometimes Gay Giant feels less like a structured narrative and more like a collection of random experiences presented in an almost scrapbook or old school zine-style format. That’s to its advantage though, making it feel almost like the reader is having a conversation with Ebensperger, and ensuring the book is all the more personal and personable for it. Peppered throughout are pop cultural references that often drift into daydream-like scenarios emphasising the memoir’s witty, irreverent and amiable approach to its subject matter. In this regard Cher, Chris Pine, the Sims, a Xenomorph, Jem and the Holograms and countless others make cameo guest appearances.
It’s this easy-going narrator voice that connects us so firmly with Ebensperger as our on-page host; one that also ensures we empathise all the more strongly with him as he explores themes of casual bigotry, toxic masculinity and those first, tentative steps into more actively exploring his sexuality. His art may not be overly complex but that straight-to-the-point delivery again makes this account feel truly authentic, with the use of vivid pinks to signify the “gay” elements of the story only adding to both the humour and the poignancy.
Street Noise Books continue to do excellent work in providing us with socially relevant work that is rewarding, entertaining and thought-provoking. Gay Giant is another fine example of their admirable publishing ethos.
Gabriel Ebensperger (W/A) Kelley D. Salas (T) • Street Noise Books, $19.99
Review by Andy Oliver
