Spotlight on Pride High’s Tommy Roddy

Filed Under Arts, Books & Mags, Gay Students, Gossip, LGBT Youth | August 27th, 2007 

Pride High, The Out Crowd by Tommy RoddyAbout a year ago I heard about a new gay comic book called “Pride High“. It sounded intriguing so I decided to file the name away to see if it went anywhere.

Unfortunately, I forgot about it until recently when I came across the Pride High MySpace page.

Since then, I’ve been trying to catch up on what “Pride High” and its creator, Tommy Roddy has been up to. A few days ago I posted that Tommy is going to be speaking at The Art Institute of California – San Francisco, but after emailing back and forth I thought it would be interesting to share some more info on what he’s been up to.

GNB: Hi Tommy, so for the benefit of those who haven’t come across you and “Pride High” could you briefly tell us what it’s about and how you got started with this comic book?

Tommy Roddy: Pride High follows the adventures of a gay-straight alliance at a school for super-powered youth. It started out as a few novellas I wrote just for friends. They urged to me create a comic book with the storyline and the rest is history.

GNB: Now I know you’re the creator but I notice that there are also other names on some of the covers for “Pride High”; Brian Ponce for one (he’s on all the covers I’ve seen) but there’s other names too. Are they story and art contributors for those specific issues?

TR: My friends Carl Hippensteel (Editor) and Andrew Van Marle (Dutch Translator) contributed to the original Pride High concept. The two of them are also the creators of Kid Mischief and Scotch Bonnet, respectively.

For the first edition copies of Issues 1 & 2, I included Carl and Andrew on the covers, but I pared it down to just myself and the artist(s) for subsequent editions. Brian Ponce was my first artist, but he finished his run with the pencils for Issue 4. I’m currently working with Pat Pungpee and Greg Narvasa for Issue 6, and Robert Rivera and Brian Gressett for Issue 7.

GNB: I understand that you’ve recently been honored by Blind Friends of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (BFLAG). How or why did that come about?

TR: With a blind lesbian teen as one of the main characters, one of the first organizations I offered free ad space to was BFLAG (BFLAG started out as “Blind Friends of Lesbians and Gays”, as a nod to PFLAG). This was several months before the actual release of Pride High. A year later, a representative from the American Council of the Blind came across Pride High. When she realized that Suravi was blind and a lesbian, the rep contacted members of BFLAG. They remembered my ad offer, but didn’t realize the comic was now on its fourth issue. With help from sighted friends, members of BFLAG caught up with the storyline and then invited me to their annual convention. The reception I got from members of the visually-impaired LGBT community was amazing. It’s one of my proudest Pride High moments ever.

GNB: Have there been any other awards for “Pride High”?

TR: Though technically not an award, I landed a spot on one of the LGBT panels at San Diego Comic Con. It was my first year there, so it sure felt like an award!

GNB: Something that I’ve been wondering about is who “Pride High” appeals to. Are your fans and readers mainly high school students or is there a broader reach?

TR: While there are plenty of teen readers, most fans are readers in their twenties and thirties.

GNB: What’s the basic future of “Pride High”? I guess, what I’m really asking is how long do you foresee yourself publishing it? Are you working on any other projects or have any plans to create a new comic book series?

TR: I’m giving myself three years to concentrate on Pride High. After that, I’ll reevaluate how I feel and go from there. Currently, I’m involved in three other projects, two of which are Pride High-related.

The first is a mini-comic starring the main antagonist from Pride High, Kid Olympus. The second is a mini-comic entitled “Sun & Moon.” It’s a teen lesbian romance with Suravi from Pride High and Silvermoon, a reader character submitted by a fan from Norway. Speaking of reader characters, Pride High is one of the few comics to actively include fan-created characters into the storyline. For instance, in Issue 3, a fan’s character was added to the main cast.

The other project I’m working on, separate from Pride High, is an indie animated online series created by PoetBeware Productions. Entitled “Applesauce: The Adventures of Unity and Identity (and Chuck!),” it features a time-traveling gay couple from the 18th century and a modern day twink, who together foil various plots to destroy the world. I’m the voice of Chuck, the twink.

GNB: Do you go to many comic conventions? Have you been to one recently or is there any that you’ll be at soon?

TR: Wonder Con 2007 was my very first comic convention. I’ve since been to the Alternative Press Expo and Comic Con. I don’t have any upcoming comic book conventions in 2007, but I will be participating at the West Hollywood Book Fair on September 30th.

GNB: And lastly, is “Pride High” a paper or digital comic book and how or where can people get the latest copy?

TR: Both. It can be ordered online for mail delivery or digital download. It’s also available on the shelf at Whatever and A Different Light, both in the Castro District of San Francisco. I plan to release Pride High 1-7 nationwide as a trade paperback in 2008.

GNB: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Tommy; I wish you and “Pride High” all the best.

Tommy Roddy: Thank you for the interview!