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The Other Side: An Anthology of Queer Paranormal Romance
Featuring 19 stories by 23 different creators, The Other Side is a celebration of queer romance and the paranormal! Inside, you'll find positive romance stories featuring a wide variety of queer and trans protagonists-as well as poltergeists, shadow monsters, guitar-playing hypnotists, lost angels, genderfluid vampires, trickster ghosts, and many more!
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 12, 2019
The Other Side is a comic anthology of 19 queer paranormal romance stories. All in black and white, there's a rich diversity of art and story styles. Many of the characters are POC* and non-binary in some way, with many different queer relationships represented. (*With art, it can sometimes be difficult to tell exactly how a character might identify racially/ethnically. Unless it was specifically indicated in the text, I won't be attempting to assign race/ethnicity other than generic "POC" in my review.)
Naturally, I enjoyed some of the comics much more than others; such is the nature of the beast when in comes to anthologies. The biggest problem with some of the stories is that the comics were too short for proper plot or relationship development. However, some of the shortest pieces were totally wonderful-- it all comes down to proper pacing and knowing how to plan a short comic story, which unfortunately some of the artists seemed to lack. There also is an overabundance of ghost stories in the collection; I'd have liked to see a wider range of the "paranormal", which encompasses so much potential. (Plus, ghost stories by nature mean that someone is dead, which in this case is often a queer person.)
My favorites of the collection were:
♡Black Dog by Fyodor Pavlov
MLM. Native American (Abenaki).
In some stories, the Black Dog is an omen of death. For the hunter, the Black Dog becomes a companion.
Really loved the art style. This is an example of a short comic that makes good use of its limited space and doesn't feel too rushed or constrained.
♡En-bae & Boo by Sfé R. Monster
Non-binary, Asexual. POC.
A cryptozoologist and a ghost who met online have their first IRL date at the Canadian Abnormal News Network Convention.
Super cute, I really like Monster's artwork. The cryptozoologist character had "enby" and "ace" pride badges on their backpack, which was a really cute way to verify their identity on the page. There wasn't much of a plot, but having the relationship be pre-established helped the romance not feel rushed. Love the puns in the title.
♡Ouija Call Center by Mari Costa
WLW. POC (Black).
The ouija operator (who connects the calls between the living and the dead) ends up falling for one of the callers.
Such a creative idea, and the artwork was cute. I loved that the caller just wanted to tear their dead ex-boyfriend a new one, but ended up having a sweet conversation with the operator instead.
♡Shadow's Bae by Bitmap Prager & Melanie Gillman
Non-binary. POC.
Shadow isn't their society's idea of a good monster-- not scary at all. Shadow bonds with Tumeric, a human who also exists outside of the prescribed norms of their society. Together, they help each other face down their bullies and find happiness.
A little bit Monster's, Inc., this was an adorable tale about finding the places and people where you are free to be yourself, and standing up for the freedom of those you love.
♡Third Circle Pizza by Laurel Varian & Ezra Rose
Non-binary. POC.
Moss and Saul only ever see each other at Third Circle Pizza, where Saul always seems to be working. In fact, Saul's been working there for decades without seeming to have aged. Moss soon figures out that Saul is a slave, bound to work at the restaurant forever... or until someone finds a way to free him.
Great artwork, and a fun, imaginative story. Could have used some more backstory about Saul and his captors, but otherwise has good plot development.
♡Till Death by Gisele Jobateh
Non-binary. POC.
A pack of ghosts help their living loved ones fight against the gentrification of their neighborhood.
Very sweet tale, and I loved the moral at the end: "Just because you're not long for this world doesn't mean you should stop caring about those still in it."
♡Tierra Verde by Margaret Kirchner
WLW. POC, Latinx.
Winona is hired to deal with the lonely spirit who has been compelling townsfolk to drown in the river.
Lovely art, great creepy atmosphere. I liked that I couldn't tell where the plot was heading, it felt very original.
Honorable Mentions:
♡Dive by Natasha Donovan
WLW. Native American.
An old woman tells the story of the time fire was stolen from the village, and how she journeyed with an otherworldly being to steal the fire back.
I liked the art style, although the people's proportions were odd, and the flow of the speech bubbles was sometimes hard to follow. The story was a little bit sparse, but I really liked the ending.
♡EMMA-FZR 400RRSP by Mary Verhoeven
WLW.
When Frankie buys a bike to fix up, she doesn't expect the previous owner to be haunting it. Though hostile at first, Emma and Frankie soon bond over their shared love for the bike.
♡Pulpit Point by Amelia Onorato
MLM. POC.
The ghost of a drowned sailor haunts the new lighthouse keeper
♡Bare Bones by Britt Sabo
MLM. Possibly transgender?
A fixer-upper house seems to be rebelling against the owners attempts to fix it up, until a close brush with death helps them both re-examine their enmity.
♡Yes No Maybe by Kate Leth & Katie O'Neill
WLW. POC.
A tenant uses a Ouija board to contact the benevolent spirit who's been cleaning her apartment.
The Rest:
♡Halo by F. Lee & Rainy
MLM.
A reverend encounters the spirit of a man who committed suicide because of unrequited love.
♡Beneath My Breath Above My Gaze by Kou Chen
MLM? POC?
A man hikes a mountain throughout his life, partially due to a nature spirit that protected him from a hornet when he was a child.
♡Rabbit Stew by CB Webb
WLW.
An elderly women prepares a meal (with some invisible help) to celebrate her anniversary with her departed lover.
♡Fifty Years by Sarah Winifred Searle & Hannah Krieger
MLM. POC.
A vampire abducts a thief to interrogate him for gift ideas for his anniversary with his ghost lover.
♡Appliance by Kori Michele Handwerker
MLM. POC.
Indy tries to find out why Tony is haunting his new-used microwave.
♡Airspace by Aatmaja Pandya
WLW. POC.
Lark uses her telepathic abilities to teach Shirin to play guitar. Unfortunately, more than just guitar skills are revealed when the two share a headspace.
♡Threnody by Bishakh K. Som
WLW. Indian.
An old woman who feels lonely and out-of-touch with the modern world tries to find solace by devoting herself to worshipping the divine Mother. A younger worshipper seems determined to interrupt her peace, however.
Naturally, I enjoyed some of the comics much more than others; such is the nature of the beast when in comes to anthologies. The biggest problem with some of the stories is that the comics were too short for proper plot or relationship development. However, some of the shortest pieces were totally wonderful-- it all comes down to proper pacing and knowing how to plan a short comic story, which unfortunately some of the artists seemed to lack. There also is an overabundance of ghost stories in the collection; I'd have liked to see a wider range of the "paranormal", which encompasses so much potential. (Plus, ghost stories by nature mean that someone is dead, which in this case is often a queer person.)
My favorites of the collection were:
♡Black Dog by Fyodor Pavlov
MLM. Native American (Abenaki).
In some stories, the Black Dog is an omen of death. For the hunter, the Black Dog becomes a companion.
Really loved the art style. This is an example of a short comic that makes good use of its limited space and doesn't feel too rushed or constrained.
♡En-bae & Boo by Sfé R. Monster
Non-binary, Asexual. POC.
A cryptozoologist and a ghost who met online have their first IRL date at the Canadian Abnormal News Network Convention.
Super cute, I really like Monster's artwork. The cryptozoologist character had "enby" and "ace" pride badges on their backpack, which was a really cute way to verify their identity on the page. There wasn't much of a plot, but having the relationship be pre-established helped the romance not feel rushed. Love the puns in the title.
♡Ouija Call Center by Mari Costa
WLW. POC (Black).
The ouija operator (who connects the calls between the living and the dead) ends up falling for one of the callers.
Such a creative idea, and the artwork was cute. I loved that the caller just wanted to tear their dead ex-boyfriend a new one, but ended up having a sweet conversation with the operator instead.
♡Shadow's Bae by Bitmap Prager & Melanie Gillman
Non-binary. POC.
Shadow isn't their society's idea of a good monster-- not scary at all. Shadow bonds with Tumeric, a human who also exists outside of the prescribed norms of their society. Together, they help each other face down their bullies and find happiness.
A little bit Monster's, Inc., this was an adorable tale about finding the places and people where you are free to be yourself, and standing up for the freedom of those you love.
♡Third Circle Pizza by Laurel Varian & Ezra Rose
Non-binary. POC.
Moss and Saul only ever see each other at Third Circle Pizza, where Saul always seems to be working. In fact, Saul's been working there for decades without seeming to have aged. Moss soon figures out that Saul is a slave, bound to work at the restaurant forever... or until someone finds a way to free him.
Great artwork, and a fun, imaginative story. Could have used some more backstory about Saul and his captors, but otherwise has good plot development.
♡Till Death by Gisele Jobateh
Non-binary. POC.
A pack of ghosts help their living loved ones fight against the gentrification of their neighborhood.
Very sweet tale, and I loved the moral at the end: "Just because you're not long for this world doesn't mean you should stop caring about those still in it."
♡Tierra Verde by Margaret Kirchner
WLW. POC, Latinx.
Winona is hired to deal with the lonely spirit who has been compelling townsfolk to drown in the river.
Lovely art, great creepy atmosphere. I liked that I couldn't tell where the plot was heading, it felt very original.
Honorable Mentions:
♡Dive by Natasha Donovan
WLW. Native American.
An old woman tells the story of the time fire was stolen from the village, and how she journeyed with an otherworldly being to steal the fire back.
I liked the art style, although the people's proportions were odd, and the flow of the speech bubbles was sometimes hard to follow. The story was a little bit sparse, but I really liked the ending.
♡EMMA-FZR 400RRSP by Mary Verhoeven
WLW.
When Frankie buys a bike to fix up, she doesn't expect the previous owner to be haunting it. Though hostile at first, Emma and Frankie soon bond over their shared love for the bike.
♡Pulpit Point by Amelia Onorato
MLM. POC.
The ghost of a drowned sailor haunts the new lighthouse keeper
♡Bare Bones by Britt Sabo
MLM. Possibly transgender?
A fixer-upper house seems to be rebelling against the owners attempts to fix it up, until a close brush with death helps them both re-examine their enmity.
♡Yes No Maybe by Kate Leth & Katie O'Neill
WLW. POC.
A tenant uses a Ouija board to contact the benevolent spirit who's been cleaning her apartment.
The Rest:
♡Halo by F. Lee & Rainy
MLM.
A reverend encounters the spirit of a man who committed suicide because of unrequited love.
♡Beneath My Breath Above My Gaze by Kou Chen
MLM? POC?
A man hikes a mountain throughout his life, partially due to a nature spirit that protected him from a hornet when he was a child.
♡Rabbit Stew by CB Webb
WLW.
An elderly women prepares a meal (with some invisible help) to celebrate her anniversary with her departed lover.
♡Fifty Years by Sarah Winifred Searle & Hannah Krieger
MLM. POC.
A vampire abducts a thief to interrogate him for gift ideas for his anniversary with his ghost lover.
♡Appliance by Kori Michele Handwerker
MLM. POC.
Indy tries to find out why Tony is haunting his new-used microwave.
♡Airspace by Aatmaja Pandya
WLW. POC.
Lark uses her telepathic abilities to teach Shirin to play guitar. Unfortunately, more than just guitar skills are revealed when the two share a headspace.
♡Threnody by Bishakh K. Som
WLW. Indian.
An old woman who feels lonely and out-of-touch with the modern world tries to find solace by devoting herself to worshipping the divine Mother. A younger worshipper seems determined to interrupt her peace, however.
Read
March 26, 2017I missed the Kickstarter so I'm reading the book just now thanks to my library (!!!).
Just some unsorted thoughts, I might write a lengthier review in a few days when I am feeling more up to it (with story titles and all) - is there any interest?
*
I really liked some of the stories, but others missed the mark for me. It bothered me quite a bit that so many were ghost stories, specifically. Does it reallllly count as positive queer representation if one of the couple is already dead? It honestly made me sad sometimes even when it was supposed to be cheerful.
I would have liked to see more monster stories... and more vampires, even. Overall just more variety beyond "ghost boy/girl/personfriend". I liked how one story subverted the ghost boyfriend template though .
There was some really WTF appropriative and/or colonialist stuff on occasion. One piece specifically seemed inspired by Twilight. X[
Just some unsorted thoughts, I might write a lengthier review in a few days when I am feeling more up to it (with story titles and all) - is there any interest?
*
I really liked some of the stories, but others missed the mark for me. It bothered me quite a bit that so many were ghost stories, specifically. Does it reallllly count as positive queer representation if one of the couple is already dead? It honestly made me sad sometimes even when it was supposed to be cheerful.
I would have liked to see more monster stories... and more vampires, even. Overall just more variety beyond "ghost boy/girl/personfriend". I liked how one story subverted the ghost boyfriend template though .
There was some really WTF appropriative and/or colonialist stuff on occasion. One piece specifically seemed inspired by Twilight. X[
January 18, 2023
There were some nice stories in here but it wasn't all I'd hoped it would be. 2.5 stars.
The cover wasn't related to any of the stories and there were no colour comics as I'd hoped.
The stories I enjoyed most were:
- Black Dog (loved the art style, could have used more explaination and plot)
- Pulpit Point (loveable and laughable)
- Tierra Verde (beautiful illustrations and interesting story although I wish they explained the ending more)
- Appliance (cute!! And a nice twist. It all made a sense, great plot, well paced.)
- Yes, No, Maybe (Had great characters and plot, I loved the illustrations - they were the clearest to read. I was enjoying this thoroughly until it ended, what felt, suddenly. I wish they had kept it going for longer, felt there wasn't much resolution just a suggestion.
Other notes:
'Airspace' had me completely confused and lost. The characters were easily confused too.
I thought Threnody had an interesting message. I enjoyed the dive into Krishna spiritualism. I'm not sure if I've processed it enough to have an opinion on it yet though.
The cover wasn't related to any of the stories and there were no colour comics as I'd hoped.
The stories I enjoyed most were:
- Black Dog (loved the art style, could have used more explaination and plot)
- Pulpit Point (loveable and laughable)
- Tierra Verde (beautiful illustrations and interesting story although I wish they explained the ending more)
- Appliance (cute!! And a nice twist. It all made a sense, great plot, well paced.)
- Yes, No, Maybe (Had great characters and plot, I loved the illustrations - they were the clearest to read. I was enjoying this thoroughly until it ended, what felt, suddenly. I wish they had kept it going for longer, felt there wasn't much resolution just a suggestion.
Other notes:
'Airspace' had me completely confused and lost. The characters were easily confused too.
I thought Threnody had an interesting message. I enjoyed the dive into Krishna spiritualism. I'm not sure if I've processed it enough to have an opinion on it yet though.
November 3, 2016
A collection of nineteen short comics which each contain queer characters and elements of both romance and the paranormal. I sometimes find short stories like these overcrowded trying to include all of the themes required, but this book has managed to find a good balance. Some stand out tales include: Fyodor Pavlov's "Black Dog", about a hunter followed by a dog who might be death;
Leth and O'Neil's "Yes No Maybe" about a haunted Ouija board; and "Shadow's Bae" by Prager and Gillman about an unusually sweet monster from under the bed.
Leth and O'Neil's "Yes No Maybe" about a haunted Ouija board; and "Shadow's Bae" by Prager and Gillman about an unusually sweet monster from under the bed.
December 16, 2022
3.5 rounded up
Like all anthologies, there are some really great stories in here and some real duds - I think the most successful ones end on the starting of the relationship. There are a few where people are trying to cram way too much into a few pages, and then out of nowhere its like 'oh ok ur a hot ghost should we just be in love now?'
Like all anthologies, there are some really great stories in here and some real duds - I think the most successful ones end on the starting of the relationship. There are a few where people are trying to cram way too much into a few pages, and then out of nowhere its like 'oh ok ur a hot ghost should we just be in love now?'
May 18, 2019
A truly lovely anthology of queer, paranormal, romance comics, guaranteed to make your heart flutter. Most were tender, and left me wanting more, some were tragic, and left me moved, but all were enjoyable, and left me glad to have read this collection!
October 19, 2020
This was beautiful and sweet and wonderful and my heart is full of joy.
September 9, 2016
A bit hit or miss, but the hits are solid.
The good: the stories are normalizing and humanizing without ever losing sight of what they are meant to be about. There is a wide variety of voices and styles represented, from ethereal fairy-tale to peppy comedy to cold ghost story. The emotions, by and large, feel real and honest and perfectly represented.
The bad: I think they tried to cram too many stories into this anthology; many of them feel like they would benefit from being even just a few pages longer, and a lot of them feel rushed. There is a really heavy reliance on stories about ghosts, which is fine, but with just a few stories about other types of paranormal creatures it sticks out a bit. There are a couple of stories that didn't land properly, either failing to convey plot elements clearly or not quite bringing across the emotional landscape involved.
Overall, it's fun, and if you can get yours hands on it you should give it a look.
The good: the stories are normalizing and humanizing without ever losing sight of what they are meant to be about. There is a wide variety of voices and styles represented, from ethereal fairy-tale to peppy comedy to cold ghost story. The emotions, by and large, feel real and honest and perfectly represented.
The bad: I think they tried to cram too many stories into this anthology; many of them feel like they would benefit from being even just a few pages longer, and a lot of them feel rushed. There is a really heavy reliance on stories about ghosts, which is fine, but with just a few stories about other types of paranormal creatures it sticks out a bit. There are a couple of stories that didn't land properly, either failing to convey plot elements clearly or not quite bringing across the emotional landscape involved.
Overall, it's fun, and if you can get yours hands on it you should give it a look.
May 4, 2019
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
The main thing this anthology has working against it is quantity over quality. Out of the 12 stories featured only 4 captured my attention enough to want to look up these other authors works. The rest felt rushed, too short, & underdeveloped. Despite this, I love that these are all stories written by queer authors/artists. If anything I hope these stories helped a younger queer reader feel less alone; & more anthologies like these continue to be made.
The main thing this anthology has working against it is quantity over quality. Out of the 12 stories featured only 4 captured my attention enough to want to look up these other authors works. The rest felt rushed, too short, & underdeveloped. Despite this, I love that these are all stories written by queer authors/artists. If anything I hope these stories helped a younger queer reader feel less alone; & more anthologies like these continue to be made.
January 20, 2020
I read this because I fell in love with "The Tea Dragon Society" by Katie O'Neill, and she is one of the authors in the collection. I liked 'Yes No Maybe' just fine, but I think she soars when she has color available to her (all of these stories are black and white).
My favorites were 'Rabbit Stew' and 'Third Circle Pizza'. All of the stories are super short and the collection is well worth a read.
My favorites were 'Rabbit Stew' and 'Third Circle Pizza'. All of the stories are super short and the collection is well worth a read.
December 27, 2021
This is a comic anthology of short "paranormal romance" stories. It seemed to be mostly ghost stories, but there are a few offer types of creature as well. It's neat to see the different art styles in an anthology like this and lots of the stories were okay but some didn't feel developed enough because of the short runtime and a couple of them didn't work for me at all.
Favourites: Ouija Call Center by Mari Costa, Shadow’s Bae by Bitmap Prager and Melanie Gillman, Till Death by Gisele Jobateh.
Favourites: Ouija Call Center by Mari Costa, Shadow’s Bae by Bitmap Prager and Melanie Gillman, Till Death by Gisele Jobateh.
July 12, 2022
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The Other Side is an anthology of nineteen diverse queer paranormal romance stories in black and white.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this anthology is the wide variety of voices and styles represented. I love the presence of such diverse characters in terms of gender, ethnicity, culture, and ages. Some of my favorites were The Black Dog by Fyodor Pavlov, Ouija Call Center by Mari Costa, and Third Circle Pizza by Laurel Varian and Ezra Rose. Not only did I love the art in each of them, but the story and message I gleaned from them. I found them to be interesting stories, filled with gorgeous artwork.
This is a very cute and endearing anthology. Totally recommended.
May 4, 2017
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but was sadly let down. "The paranormal" is a vast subject----but most of the comics / stories in this book are about ghosts, some of the stories main ideas/arcs being nearly identical. I thought there'd be a but more originality. The art is stellar though, and there are a few stories that do stand out from the nearly identical crowd.
October 3, 2023
All these art styles are so unique and beautiful!! The short stories are very diverse and tho I liked some better than others, I still think about this collection as a whole all the time. It even inspired me to create longer comics myself.
My Favorite Stories:
-Black dog
-Dive
-Rabbit Stew
-Tierra Verde
-Yes No Maybe
-Threnody
My Favorite Stories:
-Black dog
-Dive
-Rabbit Stew
-Tierra Verde
-Yes No Maybe
-Threnody
October 27, 2017
The art in this anthology is beautiful, and the paranormal romance involves a lot of queer ghosts etc. Many sweet smiles for me in this anthology, but pretty much every encounter ends with a kiss. On the plus side, death is not presented as tragedy in this series.
June 6, 2019
These were all short, cute, and spooky love stories that were very quick reads. Like with all anthologies, some stories are better than others, but this one was pretty solid overall. I would recommend if you're looking for a queer love pick me up!
January 25, 2021
A heartwarming book of diverse short comics about queer love that crosses the boundaries of the living world. Most have happy endings, or at least bittersweet. Some artists' panels were a bit too dark and difficult for my middle-aged eyeballs to understand.
May 13, 2017
Am excellent collection of queer supernatural romance.
September 3, 2017
This anthology is so tender...it's so healing to read positive stories about queer people in love.
October 13, 2017
Relationships and love that crosses all boundaries and is truly breathtaking to behold.
February 9, 2018
Like most anthologies, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Some great entries and lots of beautiful art, but several stories had pacing issues or felt narratively unfocused.
August 30, 2018
This is one of my favorite anthologies, I love almost all of the stories and it and feels soft and tender.
October 9, 2018
I got this book a couple years ago, and it is the best anthology I have read to this day. I've read it 3 or 4 times. Between art and writing styles, I think there is something for everyone in here.
June 22, 2019
queers own the spookums now and we're not giving them back
November 17, 2019
Discovered quite a few new authors to follow!
July 7, 2020
4.5 stars probably! there were only a few misses in this anthology, and I think that was more of those particular stories just not quite being my style vs anything inherently wrong or poorly written about them. overall, this is a very good anthology where I would rate even the "misses" at 3 stars, and all the rest 4+
my three favorite stories were Black Dog, Oija Call Center, and Pulpit Point! with an honorable mention to Tierra Verde, admittedly more for the art style than the story itself. I was very swooning over the butch woman MC lol
my three favorite stories were Black Dog, Oija Call Center, and Pulpit Point! with an honorable mention to Tierra Verde, admittedly more for the art style than the story itself. I was very swooning over the butch woman MC lol
December 9, 2020
it was ok. don't really care for this style of book. Like the content just not the graphics.
January 5, 2022
This was cute! I liked some stories more than others but loved all the different artist’s styles of art! My favorites were definitely Pulpit Point, Black Dog, and Fifty Years.
February 20, 2024
Three because it didn't really fail in any way. Some of the stories were very cute, some felt a little empty for me personally, and I'm glad it exists.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews