From the very beginning with its heartwarming dedication: “For all the queer kids: You are loved,” The Other Side presents queer readers with something vital: representations of themselves in comic book form. As co-editor Melanie Gillman says in the book’s introduction,
“Entire generations of queer children have grown up without getting to see themselves positively reflected in their books. Many people take for granted that they’ve always been able to casually stroll into any library or bookstore and find a wealth of fun, thoughtful, inventive books written just for them; books where the characters or mirrors for the readers; books that invite readers to imagine themselves cast as romantic heroes, adventurers, villains, magicians, warriors, scholars. But for many marginalized groups, queer people included, positive representation is something we have had to fight for.”

And along the way The Other Side entertains its readers with a wide variety of short romantic tales involving the paranormal and supernatural. I hope this wonderful volume marks the first in an ongoing series. Considering how much I enjoyed it now, I can only imagine what it would’ve meant to encounter these comics when I was in my teens.