Coming Out Perfect #1: A Graphic Novel

by Richard Mercado

From Ignatz-nominated cartoonist Richard Mercado comes a refreshingly honest and moving YA graphic novel perfect for fans of queer coming-of-age stories like Heartstopper.

When Kevin's parents ignore his attempts to come out of the closet, he devises a plan to become more like Raymond, the popular gay kid at his high school. After all, if Kevin can do everything perfectly, too, then people will have to pay attention to him. But life under Raymond's wing isn't a dress code, new things Kevin can and can't do, and even abandoning his old "uncool" friends. Perfection comes at a cost, and Kevin must decide whether it's worth the sacrifice.

Genres: Graphic Novels, LGBT, Young Adult, Queer, Comics, Friendship, Coming Of Age

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

Richard Mercado is an illustrator and comic artist based in Manila, Philippines. He graduated BFA Information Design in Ateneo de Manila University in 2017 and won the Loyola Schools Award for the Arts for Illustration

Reviews

[beenis]

read this one because I followed the artist on twitter and I liked his gay filipino comics haha. as a queer pinoy myself, I liked this! I’m not gonna lie though, I expected a little more from the story. it’s pretty basic but the characters are cute.

[Liv]

this was absolutely SO adorable! i am the publicist for COMING OUT PERFECT, and i can't wait to scream about how awesome this book is to everyone

[ghee-haw]

So many of the masc characters were drawn identically and it was hard to know who was who. Also, I think I would rather read a graphic memoir by this author based on how much I liked the end bits where the Filipino culture was broken down and he mentioned his own story. I didn’t dislike this book, I just saw many things that could have been done better

[Eva B.]

Cute story about a gay teen trying to stand out and stand for something! The biggest draw for me was the setting since it takes place in the Philippines, which isn't super common for graphic novels.

[Christina ✨]

Coming out perfect is a YA graphic novel that follows Kevin, a gay and not so popular teenager, who wishes that people notice him, including his Filipino parents. He attempts to come out to his parents, but his parents did not react nor acknowledge it. As a result, he feels unseen and comes up with a plan to become more like Raymond, who is the popular gay kid in high school. Then, maybe he can be someone that his parents are proud of. Raymond takes Kevin under his wing, including giving him a makeover and making him change his personality, beliefs, and friends. Kevin has to decide whether popularity is worth giving up everything that makes him unique and kind.

This graphic novel was such a great coming-of-age story that many queer teens could relate to. There were so many relatable themes incorporated throughout the book including exploration of identity, expectations from Asian parents, etc. I really enjoyed the art as well and thought it was beautiful. I hope there is a second book in the series because I am curious to see the relationship development between Raymond and Kevin play out. Overall, this was such a nice and fun read and would highly recommend this graphic novel to everyone! Thank you to Storygram Tours and ireadya for this gifted copy ✨


Christinas.Chapter
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[tillie hellman]

not my fav story ever tbh but i liked the filipino aspects of it, otherwise it would have been a pretty generic gay book. the art style was cute, the color scheme very fun. lots of fun perspective work done

[Kristin DeGarmo]

I almost returned this book to the library without finishing it. When Kevin ditched his friends to run with Raymond I knew it was a dumb idea. I know as a teenager you want to be accepted but as an adult reading this I just felt like even a teenager wouldn’t leave his own friends on read to hang out with the popular kid (that turned out to be fake). Also I doubt that Raymond would even want to talk to Kevin after outing him as fake. I did appreciate the story of Kevin being ignored when he came out as gay to his parents. I know not everyone’s family ends up being hostile or accepting and it’s good for other’s stories to been seen. While I didn’t really like Kevin as a character, I do appreciate that the story exists.

[Sara]

I enjoyed this! It felt very authentic to the teenage experience. The art was really expressive and fit the characters so well. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Colby]

I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this graphic novel because wow… this story hit hard in the most realistic way.

I don’t read many graphic novels (I think this may only be my second one!), but this one completely pulled me in. Kevin’s journey felt painfully honest as he struggles with wanting to be seen, accepted, and “good enough” in a world that constantly makes queer kids feel like they need to change themselves to deserve attention and love.

Watching Kevin try to reshape himself to fit into what he thinks people will accept was heartbreaking at times, especially as it began affecting his friendships and sense of self. I think so many readers, queer or not, will recognize that feeling of trying to become a version of yourself that other people approve of.

I also really appreciated the touches of Filipino culture woven throughout the story and the care the author clearly put into these characters and relationships. The emotional moments felt genuine, messy, and very human.

This is absolutely a graphic novel I’d recommend for both middle school and high school readers. It opens the door for important conversations about identity, acceptance, friendship, and authenticity in such an accessible way.

Definitely keep this one on your radar when it releases in July.

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[Chachi Tchotchke]

There's a very specific feeling that I didn't realize I needed to be acknowledged, but goddammit, Kevin coming out and his parents just. Not acknowledging it and moving on was so relatable. It was eerie how much I saw my own life in Kevin's home life (though I grew up in the states and my parents watched so much CSI good god). But then the chase to stand out and be accepted, god Raymond was such an ass the whole time, but it was hard to completely hate him. He's just a kid and being different is one thing, but different and feeling alone ESPECIALLY in a Catholic school is so difficult to deal with.

Also, the constant comparisons between Kevin and Dana, I've got a cousin, who I love a lot, but I'm always compared to and will never be as high achieving (in the family's eyes) or as acceptable as him. I just. I felt both very seen by this novel but also so hecking called out omfg.

Also, I am loving the number of graphic novels with heavy queer filipinix rep! This one in particular was cool as heck to also learn a bit about what's still going on right now. Aaaand just a little thing: I could recognize all the food in the book. Ahhh I was so happy to see sinigang and bangus! Its the little things, but with how little I had access to growing up (outside of whatever my mom made), it makes me happy to see little things that are just...normal in Kevin's family.

[Kelsie ✨]

Thank you to Graphix and Scholastic for letting me read and review this graphic novel early. All thoughts are my own!!

Coming Out Perfect was such a great story to read, and I’m excited to see what happens in the second one!

Kevin came out to his family, and they didn’t acknowledge it. He’s feeling overshadowed by his sister because of how their parents treat them both, and his sister feels like she’s on a pedestal and has to be perfect. I really enjoyed seeing them connect at the end and talk through it. I also really enjoyed the theme of familial expectations and the pressure your family can put on you, even unknowingly.

Kevin, Gaby, and Anton are a fun little trio that I’m excited to see again in book two! Friendships at the age can be really hard to navigate, especially with the pressure of wanting to be popular or noticed, so I really appreciated how their friendship developed through this story.

I also really enjoyed Raymond’s story and development in this graphic novel. I’m very interested to see what he ends up doing in the next one!

The art style and illustrations were phenomenal, and I’m so excited to see it in its final form once it’s published!

[Alicia]

A graphic novel about coming out. Kevin is always under the shadow of his perfect older sister in their religious (Catholic) Filipino household so when he announces to his family that he's gay, everyone ignores him and he feels like he's being gaslit. His friends understand and are trying to help him through. Couple this with a party he attends and gets drunk and pukes (known as vomit boy at school) but where he confesses to a popular gay kid, Raymond, that he wants to be cool like him too.

In like fashion of a 90s movie, Raymond turns Kevin into a popular kid- starting with a haircut, wardrobe change, and a watch. Then he decides they should run for student council office. Kevin is on board at first but he realizes these changes are as fake as Raymond seems to be (who is lying about things like the house he lives in as an example). Kevin has a decision to make: beg for forgiveness from his real friends who are running again Raymond and Kevin for being a jerk or keep connected with popular kid Raymond.

It's the kind of graphic novel that confronts friendships realistically including how to apologize and that mistakes can be forgiven if you're truly sorry.

[Laura]

Coming out is a different story for everyone, but Kevin, who lives in the Phillipines, wants so much to come out the right way. When he tells his parents he is gay, they ignore him completely, and keep talking about the soap opera they are watching on TV.

Raymond is the perfect gay boy, at Kevin’s school. He dresses well. He is popular. He has a boyfriend in New York. He is to be envied. And Kevin decides that he wants to take “gay lessons” from him. Raymond agrees if he will run for student body president and vice president with him.

The only problem is, Kevin’s best friends are also running for that office. What is a newly out gay boy supposed to do, but keep following Raymond around, soaking in every word, dressing like him, being like him.

This book starts out a little slow, but once you see how Kevin falls in line with Raymond, the story picks up pace. And you see Kevin losing himself, as well as his friends.

It is hard to come out, when you don’t have role models, but even harder if the role model wants you to do things a certain way to be a good gay. I totally get where Kevin is coming from, and understand why he made the choices he made.

Good story.

[Dahlia (ofpagesandprint)]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

Coming Out Perfect is a fun, emotional YA graphic novel.

I had a blast with this one. The plot was entertaining, and the pacing was propulsive. The story beautifully explored the weight of familial expectations, fitting in, and coming out, presenting a welcoming, uplifting, and hopeful read as Kevin finds belonging in his school’s queer community. I also appreciated the representation and exploration of Filipino culture. The cast was vibrant, and Kevin was a wonderful main character. I especially loved Kevin’s tender relationship with his sister. I enjoyed the character development, although it felt a bit rushed toward the middle. I loved the immersive illustrations, filled with thoughtful details and captivating imagery. Richard Mercado’s writing was funny, relatable, and compelling. I absolutely recommend this adorable graphic novel!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

[Kiera Beddes]

Kevin is a gay, high school Filipino boy who is tired of being overlooked at home and invisible at school. He gets a taste of the popular life thanks to the school’s perfect gay boy, Raymond. However when acting “perfect” becomes too difficult to bear, Kevin has to reconsider what he actually wants from life, something real, or fake?

I enjoyed this classic coming-out/coming-of-age story, layered with the author’s lived experience. Even though it was technically set in the Philippines, I think readers will still find plenty of commonalities between Kevin’s high school experience and US schools. The premise was a little superficial, along the veins of She’s All That. I don’t know how much a simple makeover would actually do for someone’s popularity, but high school students would eat it up with a spoon.

[Marybeth (Marybee.books)]

4.5 Stars
.
Thank you, Storygram Tours, IReadYA, & Richard Mercado for sending me a copy for tour! 🥰🫶
.
Coming Out Perfect follows Kevin as he tries to be the “best gay” he can be and ultimately learns it’s better to stay true to yourself. First off, I loved that this was set in the Philippines, and seeing the cultural differences from the US. I always love reading books set in different places and learning about them.☺️ I also loved the artwork as it’s stylized in a peach color palette! This one is a bit of a messy story, but I think it’s authentic to the high school experience. You make mistakes, but you can learn from them. I also like how it doesn’t end on a happy, everything-is-perfect note, but in a way that feels real to real life. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author! 💕

[Morgan]

Gay YA graphic novel about a high school kid whose parents don't really acknowledge him when he comes out as gay. He soon becomes friends with a popular gay kid at school who promises to make him "cooler" and liked by his peers. It reminded me of Mean Girls a bit in that sense.

The author wrote this graphic novel based on his own experiences coming out with his parents. It's a realistic look at acceptance, friendship, and coming out. I loved that this was set in the Philippines and incorporated that cultural layer. The illustrations were nice!

Thank you so much to Liv at Scholastic for sending me a physical ARC of Coming Out Perfect. It was a sweet way to start my month of Pride reads!

[Kali]

3.25⭐️/5⭐️

Honestly this rating is more a reflection of my personal reading preferences than anything else. I hopped into another graphic novel and have quickly learned I prefer this reading format for historical fiction stories than for romance/general fiction.

A sweet, quick read with nods to Mean Girls and great representation all around. I will say that sometimes it was hard for me to tell Kevin and Raymond apart, especially after the “makeover”, but perhaps that was intentional given that Raymond essentially just made Kevin look like him.

I don’t have a lot of graphic novel experience to compare this one to, but I think the YA dialogue and Kevin’s monologues were what really brought the rating down for me.

[Dolores]

Kevin feels insignificant and invisible. Well, who can blame him? When he came out to his parents, they ignored him. But there is this one kid in his school who is popular, perfect--and gay. Kevin's ideal. When Kevin makes a drunken confession to Raymond about how much he envies him, Raymond takes him under his wing. Raymond will make Kevin popular and perfect--just like him. But, maybe popular and perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be. An interesting coming out story.

[Christopher Weber]

Think “She’s All That” meets “Loveboat, Taipei” in a contemporary gay race to student council candidacy, where image and followers seem like everything you need… A few friends left in the dust and just keeping the fact that your family didn’t even react when you came out to them, you know this is going to be a wild ride of lessons soon to come.

[Itzy Morales]

A realistic and refreshing graphic novel on what it means to be queer.

I thought it was cool that the author wrote this based off of his own experiences that he went through. The illustrations were great and I loved how the main themes were acceptance, friendship, loyalty, and love.

Thank you to Graphix publishing for the ARC.

[gregory_paperback]

A great coming of age story! Kevin just wants to feel seen and important to his family and his schoolmates. He wants to be accepted and the pain of that longing is drowning him. He starts making compromises with his morals in order to achieve what he wants but it ends up drowning him more. You can feel his hurt on each page.
It was a very emotional and important read.

[Earl]

It gave me Wicked: The Musical song "Popular" and My Fair Lady (or is it, Pygmalion?) vibes as a newly out teenager finds himself being reinvented by the popular gay kid in school. But is he willing to pay the price to get what he wants?

What I appreciated about this is that there was no romance forced into the plot.

It looks like the first in a series although it does stand on its own.

[Diane]

I didn't know this book would take place in Manila!! I love that!! Also love that this book talked about expectations and class differences and (light) politics like the SOGIE bill. Also loved the very realistic family reaction of being out to your family but not having it spoken about (so you still can't truly be your whole self 🤣🤣 but you're not rejected/ shamed either)

[Lexy Kelleher]

This was a cute coming out/coming of age story with a few issues. Overall, I did like it! 3.5 stars.

I don't think I've read a book that takes place in the Philippines, and the sense of place was done very well. Filipino culture and language was an important part of the story, almost like another character. I really enjoyed that aspect of the graphic novel. I also liked the exploration of how difficult it still is to be gay even in a world that is much more accepting than it used to be. The main character's family also felt realistic. I did appreciate that there wasn't a romance in this story, as I don't think every YA graphic novel needs one.

One of my biggest issues while reading was that after a character's change of hairstyle, I could not tell the two main characters apart! It was frustrating. I know they were supposed to look similar, but an obvious difference to the reader would have been helpful. The limited color palette of the graphic novel did not help this, and I don't think it served the story well in general. I also had an issue with one of the major plot points, which I won't spoil here. I'll just say that I don't think high school students are all that easily fooled.

There were a few notes about Filipino culture that I think would have been more helpful at the beginning of the novel. I ended up looking up several words while reading, having no idea these terms were expanded upon in the back of the book. Also, reading the author's notes and how much of his coming out experience inspired this story, I think a memoir may have worked slightly better. His notes definitely made me curious about his own story that inspired this graphic novel. Overall, this wasn't perfect, but there were definitely elements I appreciated here.

[Colby]

a refreshing, honest, and beautifully illustrated filipino coming-of-age story about identity, authenticity, and found family, coming out perfect is the ideal read for fans of heartstopper, flamer, and the fire never goes out!

[Ms. Yingling]

ARC provided by the publisher

Interesting graphic novel set in the Philippines for older readers who want a book something like Ogle's Fruitcake or Alexander's Other Boys. Because of some more mature language and some excessive alcohol consumption, this might work best at a high school library.

[Jess Boykin]

Loved this comic. The art is beautiful, and Kevin is such a lovable character, even when he’s acting foolish :) I’ve loved Mercado’s minicomics, and it’s great to get to spend this much time with one of his stories. Can’t wait to read more from him.

[Kelly L Hobbins]

Such a cute graphic novel not only for LGBTQ adolescents but any kid in high school or college who's struggling: to be accepted by their peers, to be seen and understood by their parents, and to discover who they really are and who they want to be.

[Jacob Borre]

Super fast read, like an hour. And it honestly suffers from being so quick. It was never terrible, but everything felt half baked from the characters, the plot, the conflict, etc. There's not a compelling emotional core, which is a shame since the story is set up to have one.