Tough Love: High School Confidential [Paperback]

Abby Denson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

"Abby Denson's teen romance has the simplicity and heart of a secret love note on lined composition paper."—Howard Cruse

"Abby Denson is a pioneer . . . doing something that few others have even thought of doing."—Manga News

Inspired by shounen-ai manga—melodramatic Japanese comics by girls about gay boys—Tough Love is a teen romance and coming-out story about a shy boy named Brian. More realistic than Japanese manga, this story centers on the relationships Brian develops with the boy he likes, Chris, and Julie, the girl who befriends him. Serious issues like gay bashing, suicide, and coming to terms with one's own sexual identity are depicted with an honest, gentle touch. Socially relevant, fun, immediately accessible, and a bit of a soap opera, Tough Love helps gay teenagers to be more comfortable with themselves and less troubled, especially when they’re feeling alone and misunderstood.

Abby Denson has been drawing and writing comics for XY magazine since 1996. She has also scripted comics for The Powerpuff Girls, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Disney Adventures, and Nickelodeon magazine. She has a BFA in illustration from Parsons School of Design. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Derived from Japanese boys' love comics (yaoi/shonen-ai), this tells the story of Brian, a newcomer to his suburban high school, and his budding romance with Chris, a classmate. Denson substitutes reality for romance, confronting issues of adolescent homosexuality with a self-conscious sincerity. Often times, the boys are suspended between cold reality, as when the jocks in the school assault Brian, and bliss, when Chris and Brian are able to act as a couple. Denson's jagged illustration evokes a punk rock aesthetic that harkens back to the anti-establishment sentiment of adolescence. Unfortunately, true to adolescence, much of Tough Love is portrayed with an awkwardness that flattens intense moments of confrontation. For instance, in Brian's coming-out scene with his mother, she expresses disappointment but remains relatively unfazed. While Denson attempts a more realistic portrayal of teen homosexuality than is seen in Japanese comics, sometimes the real-life elements of the story feel the most fantastic. However, as the first book to combine the cute guys of yaoi manga with the American sensibility of gay pride, Tough Love becomes a shy, anxious testament to growing up gay in suburbia. (June)
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About the Author

Abby Denson lives in Brooklyn, NY. She has been drawing and writing comics for XY Magazine since 1996. She has also scripted comics for The Powerpuff Girls, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Disney Adventures, and Nickelodeon Magazine. She has a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Manic D Press, Inc. (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933149086
• ISBN-13: 978-1933149080
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lulu Award winning cartoonist Abby Denson is the creator of the graphic novels Dolltopia (which won a silver Moonbeam Children's Book Award) and Tough Love: High School Confidential. She has scripted Powerpuff Girls Comics, Simpsons Comics, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Disney Adventures, and Amazing Spider-Man Family. The City Sweet Tooth, her comic about NYC desserts has run in The L Magazine and at www.citysweettooth.com. She also has had several comics on gURL.com. She has taught Comic Book Storytelling at Eugene Lang College at The New School. She has played in many punk bands including Mz. Pakman, Let's Audio, and The Saturday Night Things. Learn more at her site: http://www.abbycomix.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For teens of all ages..., July 4, 2006

By 

J. Wehry (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tough Love: High School Confidential (Paperback)

When I first picked up "Tough Love", I was curious about the title and cover art. But after thumbing through some pages I couldn't put the book down. It was like watching a well-crafted soap opera. I had to find out what happened next.

The high-school romance (which had me laughing out loud and in tears) is expressed by deceptively simple black and white illustrations. At first glance, the drawings look like a student's handiwork made during a lecture and Ms. Denson's easy, honest style fits the book's subject perfectly - it is playful, engaging and powerful. (Where else do you get to see a Kung Fu jump kick stop a gay-bashing?)

But as you continue reading, you realize the illustrations are more like a well-crafted storyboard for a Hitchcock movie: each picture tells exactly what needs to be said. Anything more would look contrived and anything less would leave you wanting. Kudos to Denson for being able to strike that balance. It takes skill to trust your story, your drawings and your readers.

I was also impressed by the integrity of putting in a resource section for teenagers who need help. Abby Denson's "Tough Love" not only illustrates the problem, but offers some solutions. If only all comic book "heroes" were as brave.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and Entertaining!, July 6, 2006

By 

Cary "Cary" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tough Love: High School Confidential (Paperback)

I don't generally read comic books; I bought this to donate to my local gay youth center. But then I read it myself and loved it so I bought my own copy. Despite the fact that it's centered around teens, it's got universal appeal (I am in my mid-forties and had no trouble relating). Looking forward to a sequel!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU MUST GET THIS AWESOME BOOK!, June 15, 2006

By 

Russ Turk "Tough Love Fan" (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tough Love: High School Confidential (Paperback)

TOUGH LOVE is the best! best! best! Graphic Novel I have ever read in my entire life.
Such a great story,great characters, and the artwork is FABOO!!!
Ever since the comic was published in strip form in XY magazine in the 1990s, the characters of TOUGH LOVE have touched my heart, and I myself have lived vicariously through their gay high school dramas.
Abby Denson is a GODDESS!!!
TOUGH LOVE forever!!!!!!!!!