Gillman Takes As the Crow Flies to Iron Circus Comics

As the Crow Flies

C. Spike Trotman’s Iron Circus Comics is having a year that’s a giant leap forward, expanding from self-publishing terrific books like Smut Peddler and Poorcraft to putting out really great works by other people. She handled printing the collection of the well-regarded webcomic The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver, and recently, she’s been announcing new projects weekly on Tumblr.

The latest announcement is one I’m particularly interested in. Melanie Gillman, who is known for beautiful colored pencil comics about queer characters, will be publishing the webcomic As the Crow Flies with Iron Circus in 2017.

As the Crow Flies

It’s the kind of story you only see done in comics. Although you may see non-traditional coming-of-age stories in novels, you wouldn’t get the feel of the scenery the way Gillman lovingly draws and colors it, and the environment is a key part of the tale. As the publisher has it,

Charlie Lamonte is thirteen years old, queer, black, and questioning what was once a firm belief in God. So, she’s spending a week of her summer vacation at an all-white Christian backpacking camp. Naturally.

Billed as a faith-building retreat for teenage girls, Charlie can’t help but poke holes in the pious obliviousness of this storied sanctuary with little regard for people like herself… or her fellow camper, Sydney.

Check it out, and you, too, will want your very own copy when it’s available next year.

Update: As the Crow Flies can now be preordered from your local comic shop with Diamond code AUG17 1802. It’s a 250-page color paperback for $30 due out October 11.



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