Positive

by Tom Bouden

Cartoonist Tom Bouden (Max and Sven, The Importance of Being Earnest) invites you to meet Sarah, a young woman whose life is about to be turned inside out when she discovers that's she's HIV positive.Join Sarah and her partner, Tim, as they take the journey together through shock and uncertainty, pre-dawn pill schedules, side-effects, well-meaning friends, tasteless jokes, medical missteps, and ultimately, hope."Positive is a story with the universal message of how to live life without being afraid," writes GayLeague.com's Joe Palmer in the introduction. "This is the story I wish I’d been able to read after my diagnosis years ago. It is the story I hope everyone regardless of his or her sero-status will have the opportunity to read and by which to be inspired."

Genres: Comics

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2013

About the author

For 15 years Belgian artist Tom Bouden is a sought-after artist for gay comics, although he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into this one genre. He has written plays, manuscripts for television shows and even the Walt Disney Company has come calling! Following the success of DAVID & JONATHAN, QUEERVILLE is Bouden’s second publication with Bruno Gmünder Publishing. Tom Bouden is born 1971 in Ostend (Belgium.

Reviews

[Dean Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Delightful" and "HIV positive" shouldn't really go together but this story is a worthwhile read that neatly unites the two. Following Sarah and her partner, Tim, we go from Sarah's diagnosis to medication, coming to terms and living (and still loving) with her illness. It doesn't fixate on misery but tries to tell a heartwarming story about living with a, generally terminal, illness

It is funny, poignant, shocking and sad at times.

For a 48 page graphic novella it is well balanced however it would have been nice if it were longer and explored the characters a bit more.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this graphic novel which focuses on the lives of a couple when one of them discovers that they are HIV positive. It is quite refreshing to see a story about a couple who are straight and white. Much of the focus for HIV prevention (at least in the UK) has been on gay men and africans, and whilst this is part of a well evidenced prevention strategy i do think that it gives people outside these population groups the impression that they are somehow safe and unable to become infected. I liked this story because it reminds us that everyone needs to take care of their sexual health and we all need to become aware of how HIV is prevented.

Getting back to the comic, I thought it was really well drawn as all Tom Bouden's books are. The colouring and the lettering are just right, with just the right amount of text to accompany the graphics. It was also just so realistic depicting real struggles with medication, difficulties with adherence and dealing with issues such as disclosure and having children. I also liked the way the story included the relationships the couples had with their families and friends. Most of all i liked that the story wasn't condescending or gloomy. It was a story of hope. I wish we had more graphic novels like this one. Mot only is it a lovely story to read but it also raises awareness and does this in a way that is subtle but at the same time powerful. It was excellent.

[Emilia P · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an after-school special type of comic, this was actually pretty excellent. Bouden's characters look a tin-tin-esque, are fairly simplistic, and everything basically goes ok in the end. It's really interesting to think about what this comic would have looked like 10 or 20 years ago, and what the HIV landscape will look like 10 years from now... things change, but it's still a challenge worth understanding. Well done.