The art style in the background is amazing but The art style for the people is trash that’s the only problem that I have but overall it’s good

Queer In Asia is an autobiographical work following the "adventures" of our protagonist during the last year or so of college. It's an exploration of relationships and friends as all of them try new things and work to figure themselves out. It's as much about his friends as him. Like his filmmaker friend who makes a documentary and leaves the country with a lover. This documentary is mentioned throughout the book and is almost character too. The artwork, which is quite good, is done in part manga style with a large dash of filters on some panels to suggest modes, alternative mental states and uses black space for story pauses. I couldn't decide if I liked this or thought it was derivative and could benefit from a narrative arc. The stories aren't linear and are more about interesting experiences, it feels like it borrows a lot from gonzo writing with everything on the page nudity, drug use, sex, fights, and spending the night on made up missions. I hoped to learn more about the experience of this person from another part of the world and it felt like just a collection of average hedonism. The closest I found to addressing a universal truth was dealing with goodbye, moving on, and change. Could it just be that too much was lost in translation?

**Thank you Black Panel Press for the gifted copy in exchange for a review.** *My review slightly contains spoilers* Personally, I don't know what to say. It reminds me of an European or Asian animation student project you watch on Youtube. It's quite random (just like the creator wanted it) yet both consistent at the same time. There is no actual flow to the story, yet it ties together near the end of the book. It seems as if the main character is running from his past and is okay with that. As he states at the end of the book "I'm not going anywhere". FOR ART: Very indie and colorful. I like the incorporation of real footage and drawing. The characters are drawn very linearly yet with care. I have a sense that despite what the creator says about the people that was in his life, that he still cared about them based on how carefully he drew them. It shows that he still has a special place for him in his life. Overall, Seven has such amazing detail and background work that I got lost in it. - For love, I give it a 3.75/5 - For Story I give it a 4/5 (being very scattered at moments) - Artistry gets a 5/5 at times

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review. Queer in Asia follows Tian Fushi as he drifts through his life in Haimen, China. Throughout the graphic novel, Tian leads the reader in a stream-of-consciousness style through his memories of past lovers, friends lost, and his own unending self assessment. There is a grounding plot -- Tian has seemingly made the life-changing decision to drop out of school, and he leaves to do just that near the start of the book -- but this narrative was difficult for me to keep track of amongst the swirl of anecdotes and digressions that Seven has woven together. This approach to storytelling reminds me of the film Inception, wherein we explore layers of memories upon memories. With that said, Queer in Asia doesn't seem to be a book that relies on plot to convey meaning or emotion to the reader. To follow Tian as he aimlessly flits from group to group, heartache to heartache, sets me in Haimen with him. Couple this with Seven's dreamlike, cinematic art style -- photo-blurry at times, grotesque at others, always colorful, always playful -- and you have a unique lens through which to better see what life is like for young, queer misanthropes like Tian in China today. If you enjoy the literary stylings of the American Beat writers like Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg, you'll want to meet Tian Fushi.