any romantic elements were part of the comedy,” Weaver says. “Originally, it was just a series of doodled gags and deadpan snark moments, wacky situations. TJ is a white and dreadlocked, aviator-sunglasses-wearing, classic-rock-loving, enigmatic sweetheart Amal is a stylish, muscular, neurotic Indian guy studying to be a doctor. Weaver’s characters definitely break that mould. The genre is sometimes criticized for using formulaic gay male tropes, melodrama and idealized fantasy relationships, and the characters are frequently generically pretty. “I drew the first sketch of TJ back in late 2006 as a joking response to dull, repetitive character designs I’d seen in some yaoi manga.” Yaoi, also known as BL (“boys’ love”), is a genre of Japanese comics (manga) that focuses on homosexual and homoerotic male relationships. “The whole thing grew out of the characters,” Weaver says. A drunken pact results in a cross-country journey, with Amal travelling to his younger sister’s graduation and TJ’s plans remaining a mystery. After Amal comes out to his parents, breaking up his arranged marriage and getting disowned in the process, he goes on a bender, meeting the mysterious TJ.
Her web comic - The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal - is a queer spin on the road-trip story. Today, divergent and emerging artists use the internet to hone their craft, establish a fan following and shake up the status quo.Īustin-based EK Weaver is a prime example of this new breed. Comic books have always been assumed to be a boy’s hobby - the comics industry is dominated by guys telling the stories of beefy, macho, heterosexual superhuman heroes.
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