INTERVIEW: New comic ‘Youth’ follows Franklin and River, a queer couple heading to California
Photo: Image courtesy of ComiXology / Provided by official site.
With each passing year, the comic industry is featuring more and more new stories involving LGBTQ characters, and during this Pride Month, comiXology is showcasing several important titles, including Youth, from the minds of writer Curt Pires and artist Alex Diotto.
Youth follows the journeying of Franklin and River, a young queer couple who face discrimination in their bigoted Midwest hometown, according to press notes. To escape the close-mindedness, they decide to hop in a Mustang and head for California, but car trouble leads them down some unexpected paths, both literal and figurative.
Pires and Diotto are perhaps best known for their previous collaboration, Olympia, from Image Comics. For this new project, they are joined by colorist Dee Cunniffe and letterer Micah Myers. The first season of Youth has been released on the digital comics platform, and the second season has already been approved. Additionally, fans of the series should rejoice that Amazon Studios is in early talks to adapt the series.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Pires about Youth. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired the creation of Youth?
I wanted to make the comic I wanted to read. It felt like there was an absence in the industry — of storytelling that spoke to the moment and concerns of the current generation.
Do you think this is a more honest view of being a teenager than some of the other art and programming out there? How much of you is in the book?
I do think it’s more honest and raw than most programming out there. I made a point to have it be that way. As an artist I’m really fundamentally interested in finding emotional truth and making people feel less alone, so I let the characters go places other writers may be scared to. A lot of me is in the book — in all the characters, really.
How would you describe the main characters Franklin and River?
Two lost and angry young men who are looking for a path through life and have been sort of let down by the figures in their lives. They’re also sort of irresponsible in a way that we often are when we’re young.
How important is it to have prominent characters from the LGBTQ community in comic books?
It’s very important. Everyone should have stories they can identify with.
Do you feel that Youth is a social commentary on acceptance, bigotry and life in the United States? Is that what you set out to do?
I don’t know if it’s my place to make that decision, but I certainly hope so. I just wanted to treat these characters with respect and render them with dimensionality. These characters are queer — but they’re deeply complex humans beyond that. They’re not defined by their sexuality; it’s simply an element of their existence.
How would you describe your working relationship with Alex Diotto? How do you come to joint decisions?
Alex is great. I was talking with a pal, and Alex is sort of a modern Jack Kirby. His work is energetic and expressive, and he’s fast as f—. He’s a work horse. We know when to trust each other and let go, and let the other creative do the work. It’s important to know when to get out of each other’s ways.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Youth, written by Curt Pires and with art by Alex Diotto, is now available from comiXology. Click here for more information.
