LGBTQ | Hugh J. O'Donnell

Hugh Likes Non-Fiction: Queer As Folklore

July 2, 2025

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Non-Fiction, Review audiobook, Book Review, Folklore, HLNF, Hugh Likes Non-Fiction, LGBTQ, review, Sacha Coward, Will Watt Leave a comment

Queer As Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters
Written by Sacha Coward 
Narrated by Will Watt 
Published by Tantor Media 
Listened to via Audible

The Skinny: A reimagining of legends and mythological creatures with a Queer lens.

Queer As Folklore examines the icons of myth and legend, and their hidden, and sometimes not so hidden connections to Queer iconography, history, and culture. Coward describes folklore as a living document, the stories that a culture tells. He presents both ancient and modern interpretations of archetypes, from the ancient to the modern. Everything from unicorns to UFOs get touched on. Dealing largely with historical records, a lot of the history presented in this book is obscure, and depressing. So much of Queer history, particularly in Europe and America in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries was written in grave stones and police records, and Coward is a good anthropologist who doesn’t stray too far from his sources, even when he admits the temptation.

Each chapter focuses on a different mythological, supernatural, or pop-culture figure, presenting their mythological and historical context alongside their Queer signifiers, interpretations, and reinterpretations, along with associated Queer history and figures. Coward discusses, for example, Mermaids in their various classical and modern incarnations, and particularly focuses on The Little Mermaid author Hans Christian Andersen’s letters and tangled romantic history. He traces arguments through history, from the classical to the romantic to the modern.

The audiobook narration, delivered impeccably by Will Watt, is also charming and lively, keeping the listener engaged and not becoming a waterfall of facts and dates. I would listen to Watt read the phone book, but finding him here was a surprise and a delight, and he delivers the material well.

While a high-level overview of a number of different myths, legends, and historical figures, Queer as Folklore is a great place to start looking and reexamining these stories, and an excellent jumping off point for interested burgeoning scholars of mythology, culture, or Queer history. There is sure to be something fascinating that you haven’t heard before. I highly recommend it.

Hugh Likes Comics: What Did You Eat Yesterday?

April 28, 2025

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review, Uncategorized anime, books, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, LGBTQ, Manga, review, reviews, Slice-of-life Leave a comment

What Did You Eat Yesterday?
 Written and Drawn by Fumi Yoshinaga 
Published by Vertical, Inc.

The Skinny: A Gay slice-of-life cooking manga that has more romaine than romance.

Shiro and Kenji are a Gay couple in their 40s living together in Tokyo. Closeted lawyer Shiro fends off the questions about his girlfriend, while boisterous barber Kenji is much more relaxed and free-spirited. But every day Shiro cooks an amazing meal for his partner at the end of the day. 
Equal parts slice-of-life and cooking manga, What Did You Eat Yesterday? has very little plot to speak of, just the day to day lives of the protagonists and their emotions. Shiro is a fussy and vain, but he demonstrates the depths of his emotions in his cooking for Kenji, who can be jealous. I wish the book were a bit more, well, it has all the spice level of a cup of milk, to be frank. But for as little physical affection as the characters show, the book is a look into the daily lives of people who usually don’t get a spotlight in either manga or western comics. 
Yoshinaga’s art style is easy to read and balances a fashion plate-like style for the characters with gorgeous, detailed renderings for the food. It also includes clear recipes that, while being originally intended for the Japanese market, are easy to follow and recreate in the kitchen of a Western reader. The comic follows Shiro from the grocery store to plating and serving the dish for Kenji, often involving the math and planning stages, interwoven into the story. Do I wish that Shiro’s parents were more open and accepting of their son, yes. But did you see that amazing drawing of fried tofu?
 What Did You Eat Yesterday? also received its own live-action television series, consisting of two seasons and a movie. It also has its own accompanying fan-fiction series, which includes all of the adult content the comic doesn’t cover. I am glad that the translation includes the frank discussion of everyday life of these characters and their relationships, something that we haven’t always gotten, particularly for queer characters in larger franchises. Stares in ‘They’re Cousins’ This is a serious manga for adults, but if you are looking for spice, you’re going to find more on the plate than in the sheets. 
What Did You Eat Yesterday? is available in print and digital editions from the usual online retailers, or in print from your local bookstore or comics shop. You may be able to find it or ask for it at your local library!

Hugh Likes Fiction: The Mimicking of Known Successes

July 31, 2024

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Review HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, science-fiction Leave a comment

The Mimicking of Known Successes 
Written by: Malka Older 
Audiobook Read by: Lindsey Dorcus
 Published by: Blackstone Audio

The Skinny: An atmospheric Sapphic mystery set in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.

In the far future, humanity has conquered Jupiter, living in cities on platforms orbiting the upper atmosphere connected by rings that serve as train lines. After a man disappears from a small and remote platform, Talented by idiosyncratic Investigator Mossa is brought in to solve the crime. But the case leads her to the University platform of Valdegelde, home of her ex-lover, the scholar Pleiti. The pair will have to work together, and work through their differences, to solve the case which threatens Pleiti’s work researching the lost ecosystems of Earth, and the eventual resettlement project.
Older’s delightful science fiction novella is more of a vibe than a mystery, with taking the reader from fog-shrouded platform cities to experimental habitats for cloned wildlife in the comfort of well-appointed rail cars circling Jupiter. But the two leads are so delightful that you’ll be swept up in their Holmes and Watson dynamic as the chase for clues while braving just enough peril to be in danger of missing teatime. The mystery itself is a bit on the slight side, but this story is as cozy as curling up beside a warm hearth and watching the swirling gas giant out your window. Older devotes most of the book to world building, along with kindling the embers of the remaining sparks between the two leads. But I find that I didn’t mind the thinness of the story. This story is all about atmosphere, and the short length means that it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
I listened to the audiobook, and narrator Lindsey Dorcus’s performance is spot on: Neat as a pin and evocative of the Neo-Victorian charm of the setting. Her fussy, idealistic Pleiti and gruff, analytical Mossa are both excellent, It can be hard to sell a romance with one actor, but she does a great job with both characters, and her performance is enthralling.
The novella’s short length does make the central mystery feel a bit simpler and safer than I would have normally gone for, but this was a wonderfully cozy listen. You can find The Mimicking of Known Successes in print and ebook from wherever you buy books, and the audiobook from Audible and other retailers. I highly recommend it.

Hugh Likes Comics: DC Pride 2024

June 10, 2024

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review DC, DC Comics, DC Pride, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, LGBTQ, Pride Leave a comment

DC Pride 2024
Created by Various Writers and Artists 
Published by DC Comics

The Skinny: DC once again delivers a beautiful, fun, and affirming collection of Queer stories by Queer creators.

It is June once again, and that means it is Pride month! DC Comics has released their annual oversized DC Pride anthology issue. Featuring a number of stories and pinups by Queer artists and writers and featuring Queer DC characters, this issue is always a delight, and this year’s collection is no exception. Most of the stories in this book can be picked up without relying on current continuity, and a few even serve as intriguing jumping on points for current ongoing series. This is a perfect book for Queer readers wondering if they want to get onboard with comics.
The stories are particularly strong this year, and the art, as usual, is superlative. Al Ewing and Stephen Byrne’s moving opening story about the last two members of an alien race teaming up to stop a lingering threat from a thwarted invasion attempt is particularly great. Despite not knowing the characters going in, it quickly established its vibe and stakes without getting bogged down, and it felt like the kind of little story that happens all the time in the DC universe.
Ngozi Ukazu, the writer and artist of the upcoming Barda graphic novel also has a compelling Aquaman story, featuring the New Gods’ equivalent of Pride, which was compellingly executed and gorgeously drawn, and really makes me want to check out the upcoming book.
Jarret Williams’ and DJ Kirkland’s ‘Bros Down in A-Town’ is less super-heroic but features a ton of cameos from DC characters enjoying an alien food festival. DC Comics has such a rich history of brilliant, strange concepts to draw on, and I tend to gravitate towards those ideas rather than the editorial drive towards scowling on rain-soaked rooftops. Plus, one of my favorite comics artists drew my current favorite DC character, Argus the space corgi, so this one is a winner for me, too.
The stories in DC Pride 2024 are all winners this year, including a heartfelt memoir from longtime DC creator Phil Jimenez to close out the book. The stories all vary in tone, but are generally uplifting and beautiful. There is a little bit of something special in each one, and I highly recommend checking it out and passing it along to your LGBTQ+ comics-reading friends. You can find it digitally through Comixology from Amazon or in print at your Local Comics Shop.

Hugh Likes Fiction: A Market of Dreams and Destiny

February 15, 2024

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Review Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, review, Trip Galey, Victorian London 1 Comment

A Market of Dreams and Destiny 
Written by Trip Galey 
Audiobook read by Will Watt 
Published by W. F. Howes, LTD.

The Skinny: Let’s Make a Deal: Victorian Fey Edition

Deri is an apprentice in the Untermarcht, the goblin market hidden beneath London where anything is for sale for the right price, and no one takes anything so prosaic as coin. Well, not so much an apprentice as an indentured servant to one of the most powerful and cruel fairy merchants. But he’s picked up a few tricks, and he has a plan to buy his freedom. But his plans are all derailed when meets Owain, a young man also laboring under an indenture in a dangerous workhouse in London above. In order to get the guy and escape their bondholders with both their skins intact, Deri is going to have to make the deal of a lifetime. Fortunately, a runaway princess has appeared in the Untermarcht with a destiny to sell… A Market of Dreams and Destiny is a charming fantasy novel set in a very different Victorian London. In a world where King Henry VIII struck a deal with the old gods of the British Isles, the city is filled with mercantile magic with a deadly edge. Galey’s characters spring to life against a strange world where the uncanny is hidden in the fine print, and the loopholes can very literally bind you. The magic system of contracts and deals was delightful and surprising, and it meshed well with the delightful and engaging cast of quick-thinking merchants, greedy factory owners, and put-upon royal bodyguards. The magic elevates the characters from what could’ve been twee Dickensian cliches to fleshed out and engaging players in a gripping drama. But the real charm in this fantasy is the sweet and charming gay romance between Deri and Owain. Not without its complications, this was the best romance I’ve read in some time. I was glad that Trip didn’t shy away from just the right hint of spice and salacious implication. It felt much more well-rounded and believable for it. I listened to this book in audio. The audiobook, read by Will Watt, is a delight. Watt breathes life into the cast and setting, from the tiniest bell to the terrifying merchant lords of the market. A Market of Dreams and Destiny is one of last year’s best fantasies, but has fallen slightly under the radar. This hidden gem is well worth your time. It is available in Audio, print, and ebook from the usual sources.

Hugh Likes Fiction: Even Though I Knew the End

March 6, 2023

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Fiction, Review Auidobook, C L Polk, Fantasy, HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, LGBTQ, Novella Leave a comment

Even Through I Knew The End
Written by C. L. Polk
Audiobook Read by January LaVoy

The Skinny: A quick mix of Fantasy and Noir that hits hard and fast.

Helen Brandt is a Private Investigator living in 1940’s Chicago. She’s also a lesbian, and a warlock. She takes on magical work for her mysterious clients, gets paid well for her work, and doesn’t ask questions. But when she’s recruited to investigate a notorious serial killer whose murder scenes have a magical connection, she turns the job down. There’s too much risk involved, and people she cares about could get hurt, including her estranged brother and her girlfriend. But she changes her mind when her client offers her something she can’t refuse: Her soul.Even Though I Knew The End is a delightful little jewel of a fantasy noir novella. Polk’s recreation of 1941 Chicago, layered with a tantalizing hint of a rich magical world, is stunning and vibrant. The city breathes, and you can practically smell the stale cigarette smoke and stale coffee on the narrator’s breath. The combination of enticing fantasy world and impending doom with palpable and exciting. Polk’s well-researched noir prose is spot on, giving just enough to bring the story to life without turning purple.The audiobook, read by January LaVoy, is outstanding. Her narration brings the characters to life, and her performance of Brandt brings out the perfect amount of hard-luck noir sympathy for a protagonist who has undoubtedly done awful things for awful people (Marlowe in particular) but we want to root for her anyway, even though, well, we know how things are fated to turn out. Her performance of the rest of the cast is also excellent, giving otherworldly touches to the characters where appropriate and garnering sympathy when necessary.Even Though I Knew the End is a brilliant Fantasy Noir novella. You can find it in Print and eBook from the usual marketplaces, and as an audiobook from Audible.

Hugh Likes Comics: Young Men in Love

January 4, 2023

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review Anthology, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Indie Comics, Joe Glass, LGBTQ, Romance Leave a comment

Young Men in Love: A Queer Romance Anthology
Edited by Joe Glass and Matt Miner
Published by A Blue Wave World

The Skinny: A sweet collection of short gay romance comics
A pair of pirates just looking for a bit of privacy, a pre-teen looking for his own identity, and a new couple still figuring out their boundaries are just some of the stories in this sweet, romantic anthology. Created by Queer writers and artists across the comics industry, this anthology of six-page pieces runs the gamut from the fantastic to the mundane and from the melancholic to the exuberantly joyful. There is a story here for everyone.
Young Men in Love is a book of stories that go on separate journies but arrive at the same place. Gay love and Queer relationships are more varried than you often see in media, particularly comics, and this book breaks the mold by telling personal, diverse stories that each have a life of their own. This book is as long on charm as the stories are short. There are low-stakes stories about first love, self discovery, and loneliness, and more fantastical stories about discovering your partner is a superhero or a couple falling into a virtual world while replacing a lamp. YMiL isn’t just about love but about acceptance and more importatnly, self-acceptance.
Joe Glass tells a story which feels deeply personal. It follows a fat person as he deals with his body issues as a gay comics fan, coming up against not only the societal expectation that he should be ‘thin’ but also potential lovers that fetishize his weight. Dead End creator Hamish Steele tells a poignant story about loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts during the holidays. While not all the stories are so personal,, they all feel important. There is something deeply uncommercial about this collection.
These aren’t love stories about the stereotypical gay characters you would see on a sitcom or in a romance novel written for the female gaze. YMiL is a book of our stories, for us, and that feels vital to me. If you want to see more diverse stories or find new, brilliant creators, writers and artists not on the radar of big-2 comics, you need this anthology.
Young Men in Love is available in print and digital editions from your local comics shop or the usual monopolistic book outlets. It is a deeply personal, highly original, and honest collection of stories that need to get out into the world. I give it my highest recommendation.

Hugh Likes Comics: Rockstar & Softboy

March 2, 2022

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Comics, Review HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Image, LGBTQ, Sina Grace Leave a comment

Rockstar and Softboy
Written & Drawn by Sina Grace
Lettering by Rus Wooton
Published by Image Comics

The Skinny: Sina Grace’s latest oversized one-shot is a paen to queer friendship mixed wit and wackiness.

I was not sure what I was getting into with Rockstar and Softboy, but I’m glad I picked it up. On the surface, it is an autobiographical slice-of-life comic. When Softboy is having trouble dealing with the stress of his day job, Rockstar convinces him to throw a party. With the help of their shapeshifting, talking cat.

Inspired by his real-life friendship with fellow comics creator Josh Trujillo, This oversized, super-gay one-shot story deftly blends the fantastic and the mundane to create a lovely tribute to the power of queer friendship. Grace’s writing is lovely and constantly surprising. This is certainly a book full of surprises, and I found new delights with each turn of the page. His madcap and unabashedly queer energy infuses the book and render his characters in a charming light even when it highlights their flaws. By the time the book reached the inevitable Sailor Moon parody, I was giggling in my chair, drawing curious stares from my husband.

The art is whimsical and transformative, keeping pace with the story and helping to ground the reader in the off-the-wall antics.

At a hefty sixty-seven pages, this book is a bit too long and a bit too short for the story it is telling. I would’ve like to have spent either a little bit more time with these characters, or maybe pared the story down a bit. There are quite a few data pages and explainers mixed in, which occasionally break the story’s flow. Cramming this story into a single issue also raises the price tag, so I’m not sure if I can recommend this book if you’re unsure if you’ll like it. But if you like queer slice-of-life stories that also take big swings, this book is for you.

At the end of the day, this book isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and at $8.99, I can’t recommend that you give it a try if you’re unsure if you’ll like it. But the world could use more unironic stories that believe in the power of friendship and being your true self. And also the power of power bottoms. You can purchase it online or at Your Local Comics Shop!

Podcast Repost: Nutty Bites 195: LGBTQ2SIA+ Representation in Movies & TV

July 6, 2021

hughjodonnell Podcast hugh, LGBTQ, Nutty, Nutty Bites, Podcast, Pride, Will Leave a comment

Happy Pride! Nutty talks with Hugh, Lynnette, and Will about LGBTQ2SIA+ representation in Movies and TV. How has this changed over the years, from sub text to saying it overtly, our media has changed a lot. What are some great things to grab on streaming this pride?

You can now support Nutty Bites by donating to the Patreon campaign, through paypal or venmo (

) or through any other method. Patrons get the private RSS feed where you get shows before the main feed and you get special episodes like Nutty Bites after Dark and special bonus content; a thank you read on the podcast; and your promo or the promo of your choice played on the show (like in this episode).

Credits:
Recorded at NIMLAS Studios
Post Editing: Nuchtchas

Hosts: Nuchtchas, Tek, Jen, Jason, Vox, and Melissa
Nutty Bites is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Contact/Feedback:
(347) NUTTY42 or (347) 688-8942
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Hugh Likes Video Games: Dragon Quest XI S

November 14, 2019

hughjodonnell Hugh Likes Video Games, Review, Uncategorized Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest XI, HLV, Hugh Likes Video Games, LGBTQ, Nintendo Switch, Square Enix Leave a comment

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition
Published and Developed by Square Enix
Played on Nintendo Switch

The Skinny: Dragon Quest returns with a massive JRPG in the classic style.

While technically the PS4 version of this game came out in the U.S. last year, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is probably one of my top games of 2019. I gave the original a pass because I just don’t have that much time to sit down in front of my television. But the portable version has been a delight.
The game follows the familiar tropes of the OGJRPG of a young man being chosen by a great force to leave his remote village and confront evil, recruiting a troupe of companions along the way. But like the other modern iterations of the series, it does a great job interrogating the tropes and cliches of the genre.
Particularly interesting is Sylvando, who is a powerful fighter, and an openly gay character in a genre of game that gets a lot of traction on AO3 but is somewhat lacking in official representation. And while the game does play him for laughs (he is a jester, after all) it also goes out of its way to portray him as strong, brave and chivalrous as well. It’s rare to see something so well done in a space where representation usually boils down to male-gaze lesbians and that time Cloud Strife wore a dress in FFVII.
Combat is fun, a little on the easy side, and about what you’ve come to expect from Dragon Quest over the past 30 years. The 3D mode has an option to let you move the characters around in battle, but it is more for aesthetics than a gameplay feature. Mini-games also make a return, from the ubiquitous Dragon Quest casino to a horse-racing mini-game and a portable forge for making weapons and armor from recipes.
Another nice feature is that while the default is to play in 3D mode, the game also includes the 3DS 2D version, which was previously unavailable in the US, as well as a massive sidequest that was unique to that version. You can even switch back and forth between the two if you want, although progress is gated to certain story chapters that aren’t so clearly delivered.
While the game looks and plays great, there are a few compromises in the animation and display. Some character animations feel jerky and off. Objects, particularly complex ones like trees, pop in as you get close to them. My Switch audibly chugged when it had to render too much in handheld mode. And like most Dragon Quest games, it is entertaining but long. I have already put in over 40 hours and from what I understand I’ve barely scratched the game’s surface. Also like modern localizations of the series, it’s full of puns. So many puns. If you aren’t onboard for a hundred hours of dad jokes, this is not the game for you.
Dragon Quest XI S is a delightful return to form for Square Enix, crammed full of exciting quests, memorable characters and a surprising story. Just be sure to set aside some time to play it, because this game is long.

Hugh J. O'Donnell