Kill a Man

by Steve Orlando, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Alec Morgan (Artist)

A brand new original graphic novel from writers Steve Orlando and Phillip Kennedy Johnson featuring art by Alec Morgan and lettering by Jim Campbell.

In the early days of Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxer icon DJ Bellyi slurs a queer opponent in the ring, and is beaten to death while his young son James watches in horror from the stands.

Sixteen years later, young James Bellyi has become an MMA star in his own right, with top-tier endorsements and an imminent title shot. But when James is outed as gay by an opponent in a press conference, he loses everything: his title shot, his fans, his team, even his family. To fight his way back, he turns to the only one left in the world willing to train him: Xavier Mayne, the man who killed his father.

Says Johnson: “We’re living in an important and dynamic time in American History, when we have the power and responsibility to decide what kind of nation the United States is going to be going forward. Telling a story with such an unlikely crossover ― male queer culture and MMA culture ― is Steve’s, Alec’s and my way of making that decision for ourselves.”

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, Sports, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2020

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically Creed if Michael B. Jordan was gay. James Bellyi is an up and coming MMA fighter whose homophobic father died in the ring, killed by a gay fighter. James is outed by the MMA champ and immediately is a pariah to everyone in the league. With no one left to train or coach him, he has to ask the last man in the world he'd want to train him, the man who killed his father.
The story felt a bit one-sided at times. I can't believe he wouldn't have received a ton of support from people at large. Being gay is a lot more accepted than it once was. Yes, I know the sports world is a different animal, especially something as testosterone heavy as mixed martial arts. I think setting this even 10 years ago would have made the book feel more realistic.

Now the reason I only gave this three stars is the art. Morgan's art is serviceable on its own, but his attempts at colors are awful. He basically just went this page is purple, this one is red. There's very few shades of purple like you'd see in most monochromatic art. It's just all the same shade for the most part. It's all very flat and uninteresting, often obfuscating the art.

Received a review copy from Aftershock and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel, about a young MMA fighter who was forcibly outed before a championship fight being forced to turn for coaching to and older gay fighter who also happened to kill the young fighter's bigoted father in the ring, could have been great. But the story was just a tad too conventional and Rocky-esque, the plot too crammed in to too short a book, the characters too cardboard and one note, and the art to murky and mistaking splashes of a single color for drama and atmosphere. I will say the fight scenes were drawn well, and it was a fine read, but not something that was especially well done or memorable.

**Thanks to the author, artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you have to fight your way to success, even more so if you’re a queer person, surrounded by bigots.

James Bellyi is a young MMA wrestler who’s outed by his opponent in the middle of a fight and now, the company he works for, doesn’t want him to get the title, even if he deserves it.

On top of that, James’ dad died a few years ago by the hand of a gay MMA wrestler too. You see, DJ Bellyi was a homophobe who practically was asking to get beaten down. Wayne was the one who knocked him down for good and the guy never got up again. But this death changed both young James and Wayne. Now, so many years after that accident, Wayne becomes James’ coach and he helps him get back on the horse.

Now, this kinda sounds like the movie Creed, I know, the only difference is that we got a queer MC. Thus, we have the right amount of drama and action scenes that make this a fast read. Though I wasn’t really in love with the art style, the story has its strong points.

I would definitely recommend to read this graphic novel whether if you’re a fan of MMA or you’re interested in different yet entertaining queer stories.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Fenriz Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Netgalley gave my a copy in exchange of a honest review*

Kill a Man is a graphic novel that tackles a, sadly, still present stigma about gay men in manly sports like boxing, racing, football, etc. In this case the main protagonist is a MMA fighter whose outing during a press conference signifies an early end of his promising career to become the middleweight champion. With everyone turning their back on him, he has no option but to ask for help to the only person that could help him fight for his right to the title: the man who knocked out his father dead.

This was such a gripping read, the characters are interesting and their development well done. The minimalistic/line economy artstyle combined with the agressive color palette works very well with the gritty, bittersweet tone of the story. The composition of the fights were my favorite part because they really reflect the dynamism of MMA fights.

My only complain is that the end is left open and doesn't examines further if the industry becomes more "accepting" after all. Maybe there's a chance for a 2nd novel? Who knows.

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling story of a gay fighter trying to recover from the backlash and near ostracism from a macho, homophobic mixed martial arts industry and its' fans.

This will remind readers of the Rocky and Creed movies. The difference is the main character is not just fighting to regain respect and a title shot but also fighting for the truth and acceptance from family and friends.

Some memorable scenes and discussions throughout, with interesting art and unusual color choices.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid story, but my biggest complaint about it was how predictable this one was. Almost with every turn of this one, I knew what was already happening. Where this book shines is exposing the corruption and bias behind those running major sport organizations, especially those like the UFC, which is notorious for fostering a toxic fan base. I felt like the author seriously did his research in this story up until the final fight, where they got a ground strike rule wrong, but for the sake of the story, I’ll let it go.

[rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is the most hype I've been about a comic since I got back into comics this year. I read the synopsis on a blog, saw the incredible cover art and that TITLE, and immediately preordered.

I'll freely admit, I don't know shit about MMA. I'm a pro wrestling fan, so I'm used to a lot more drama surrounding a fight. That's why this comic worked perfectly for me. The drama is about as personally intense as you can get -- a gay fighter being forced to turn to the older gay man who killed his homophobic father in the ring. The examination of the intersection of violence, toxic masculinity, and combat sports really shines in this comic and helps it through some of the more contrived parts of the plot.

The fight scenes are frankly incredible. This was definitely written and drawn by people who DO know shit about MMA, and I particularly really enjoyed the emphasis on the different styles employed by the main character and his rival. The art is really solid outside of the fight scenes too -- the character designs all pop perfectly and the coloring is so perfect and moody and reflective of the characters and emotions in the scene.

Ultimately this is a story about a young gay person struggling with homophobia and finding acceptance and family in unexpected places. I'm not sure "coming of age" really applies but it's similar -- the comic ends at the precise moment where it seems like Bellyi has finally become whole.

[Elaine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Kill A Man
Steve Orlando, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Alec Morgan
★★★☆☆
128 Pages
Content Warning: violence, MMA, homophobia, death of a character



This was an interesting graphic novel, with an up-to-date, relevant plot that explores the trials of homophobia within sports, and also takes a look at coming-out, both in terms of a young man being outed and the struggles faced through that process.

However, I do have to point out that one of the reasons I wanted to read this was because it was billed as a YA graphic novel. I was so excited, thinking there would be a sports-and-queer positive storyline in a graphic novel aimed at young men. Instead, I found the book was filled with swearing, homophobia, bloody violence and an MC that had zero romance in his life until the final few pages and was instead consumed by nameless/meaningless hook-ups. The one supposedly positive queer relationship within the story fell flat in terms of actually inspiring sympathy, compassion or a sense of romance. It felt lacklustre and lacked affection. I was never inspired to like or feel a connection to Mayne.
I would never bill this story as suitable for the YA market. Perhaps a NA, 17+ market, but definitely not for anyone younger, which is what YA means.

I did like that the story explored the concept of coming out, as a sportsman, dealing with homophobia in sports, and rigged matches. However, the ultimate message that came across was that gay men can't/shouldn't exist in the world of sports, because they will never be given a fair chance by the sporting community or other sportsmen. Unless those sportsmen were gay, no one would ever accept them for who they were. There was a really HUGE opportunity to portray otherwise, but it didn't, and that really felt like a loss, especially if they do intend to market this to the YA audience.

I genuinely felt that the overall message was negative – it focused so intensely on the fact that a gay man killed a straight man. The story was so set on emphasising this that it came across very negatively towards gay men. It also focused a lot on the concept of gay man not having romantic or intimate relationships, rather just focusing on James' flings and hook-ups. It had ample opportunity to portray two sides of a story, but focused too much on one storyline and that meant it didn't have the chance to properly explore the relationships it should have.

The reality of James' experience with his family, and dealing with his coming out, was realistic and well handled.

Overall, the story was good and had a lot of potential, I was just disappointed to see that some opportunities had been given an opening that was never followed through on. I was also less inspired to forgive those failings, since the story did come across as a bit of a blend between the Rocky IV and Creed movies. As a massive fan of the Rocky franchise, this was far too close to the plot of both movies, and lacked the originality I was hoping for.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Bellyi is a closeted gay mixed martial arts fighter in contention for the middleweight belt. Amid the pre-fight smack talk, Bellyi is outed by his opponent, the man who current holds the title. The dropping of this bomb throws Bellyi’s career into disarray, his gym quietly drops him, the fight promoter overturns Bellyi’s previous fight, saying that he cheated under the referee’s nose, the organization – name “EFC” for legal reasons, I presume – fearing that much of its fanbase is not ready for a gay champion.

When the EFC finds itself in a bind because losing an injured headliner threatens to bleed the interest out of its upcoming event, they are forced to give Bellyi another shot to work back to a title-fight. With no one in his corner – literally -- Bellyi manages a victory, but he knows he’ll need a coach to succeed in the title fight against the man who publicly outed him.

This is where things get interesting. Bellyi’s father, DJ Bellyi, had died due to fight-related injuries when James was still a boy. DJ Bellyi had been trying to stigmatize his opponent, Xavier Mayne, with anti-gay slurs, in part to get Mayne of his game and in part -- we learn -- because the senior Bellyi was genuinely a homophobic bigot. However, instead of knocking Mayne off his game, what DJ succeeded in doing was throwing a legendarily powerful striker into a seething rage.

While James Bellyi always despised Mayne for killing his father, when he finds himself facing a title fight without “a corner” and with all odds against him, Bellyi decides to pursue Mayne as a coach. Reluctantly, Mayne agrees. This creates overlapping stories between James and Mayne, and the core question is whether the younger generation can learn from what the previous generation went through. We learn that Mayne was traumatized by DJ Bellyi’s death. It’s also about whether and – if so – how the world has changed on a societal level in the intervening years.

I found this book to have an intriguing premise. It’s a simple story. It may seem like I gave it all away in the review, but reading the back-cover blurb gives a reader at least as much insight into the key story elements as did my description. There’s not a lot by way of extra layers. So, its more about whether the details of the story (e.g. the characters’ interactions) resonate with the reader than whether the reader will find some huge unexpected twist. The art is easy enough to follow. The artist uses different color palettes to differentiate different blocks of panels, I believe this is for the purpose of establishing emotional tone (but, perhaps, I misunderstood what was meant to be conveyed and it’s more about differentiating scenes.)

I enjoyed this book, and if you like fight stories you’ll likely enjoy it. It’s like “Rocky” but with the underdog status being less by way of being from down-and-out circumstance and more based in bigotry.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one and it took me some internal debate to settle on the star rating. Elements of the story make me so angry that I want to mark it down for those, but I'm going to give it credit for using art and writing to get very strong feels from me.

Xavier's story is the one I wanted, as I read this. His part is so compelling and I wish this story had been more about his healing and bonding with James. The villainization of Xavier based on his sexuality is what infuriates me so much about this story, but it would have been his race if he'd been straight and that angers me too. Boxing and MMA are brutal, dangerous sports that can and have resulted in serious injuries and death. Participants know the risk. Blame the aggro culture of the sport for DJ's death, not Xavier's sexuality. James's mom should have been worried about him following his father's footsteps into the cage, not offended that he was gay like the man who "killed" her husband. So much of the venom aimed at Xavier is because he was supposed to be less than because of his sexuality and he dared to hit so hard that he killed the "superior" straight, bigoted fighter. My heart hurts for Xavier's story after that, being seen as a hero to some, villain to others and he's just grappling with the fact that he killed a man. That alone is a compelling story without his sexuality factoring in. I understand why it was brought into this story the way it was and, in reality, it would have been a focal point for media because talking heads love to dissect and scrutinize everything after something like that, but it's no less infuriating in fiction or reality.

After all that, James's story is just subpar. There's so much that could have been focused on to give his story more power. I would have loved more focus on the kind of father DJ had been before his death and how James believed the man would have killed him had he known James was gay. The flashes of that, of the things from his youth that shaped James, are just too brief. He becomes a more sympathetic character by the end, helped by his relationship with Carlo, but so much of his growth is slipped into little panels like a movie montage glossing over the real story. I guess this is supposed to be a sports story, so it makes sense that the fight is the focus but it's still James's story. HIS fight. The way his character was developed was just a bit all over the place. Maybe that was the point. He was young and scattered and Xavier helped him strengthen his core in a literal and figurative sense for the fight ahead. In the end, it works. I like it. With some tweaks, I may have loved it.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the heady depths of history that is 1998, two MMA fighters kick off in the ring. One heavily goads the other for being homosexual, to such an extent he gets fatally knocked out in response. Cut to the current times, and his son is thought of as just one title fight away from his first belt. Until his opponent-to-be stings him with footage of him engaged in a gay sex act, that he spreads throughout the online world. Our young hero, still in the closet as he was, loses his team, his renown and his chance for the title all in one go, and what he gains is knowledge of resentment and animosity still churning ever since the '90s. Can he see through that, and get his hands on the one ambition his life gave him?

I guess people who come here for the MMA action will be a little sore – it doesn't make it look at all a clean sport, nor a welcoming one. The more-or-less monochrome art certainly makes it look a vicious, most masculine one, which of course is the point – this would be close to being a humdrum book if it didn't want to engage with the sportsmen-in-the-closet aspect. As it is, we get so much more character as opposed to the Token Boxer trope, and while there is fight action aplenty this is more of a character piece than even the better boxing books manage. Credit to the book, it certainly made me convinced it knew whereof it spoke, whether it was the recent history of gay sportswomen and men (of little concern to me before, I'll admit) or the fighting world and sports commentary (of way, way less concern). So it has a gutsy approach visually, a hard-hitting conviction, and a strongly-realised world we might not have expected to see or enjoy reading about. It's champion. A strong four stars.

[Yani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an interesting relationship with Steve Orlando stories. Midnighter, Vol. 1: Out, Virgil by Steve Orlando, Party & Prey and Rainbow Bridge.

I enjoy seeing a different gay perspective, but I don't always love the stories. Weirdly though, this reminded me much more of the Ringside, Vol. 1: Kayfabe series. Mostly from the subject matter I think.

This was one of those where I didn't especially connect with the story. Not because it was bad, just because it wasn't.... quite enough. I was never really given a reason to care about the characters.

Morgan has a very distinctive art style and a very strong use of colour... but I'd be fascinated to see this coloured with a more realistic pallet and saving the single colour work for certain important moments. Again, not that the highly coloured version if bad... it just becomes a little intense at times.

[spoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is... pure. Sweet. So much off with it -- the coloring is so weird and dark and not good I was reading it in the middle of the day with a light on to try to make it out; it's too short or rather there are too many plot threads -- just cut the random grindr boyfriend that's never developed; the emphasis in the wrong place -- the training sequence is like 3 seconds, needs more esp when that's set up as the heart of the story; underdeveloped mom plotline; the mono-color-scale coloring is also weird -- doesn't seperate clearly into time periods or places or emotions and is jumbled; random use of the word b*ssy...; the dialogue is oddly in 7 diff places tonally and weird mixed registers (like randomly saying something like "you need to do xyz [super technical jargon] resistance training" out of no where -- like why put that in there? ; THAT ALL SAID - I liked it. A lot more than other three stars I've. Would give this a 3.5 even. I think it gets right a lot of the structural stuff and some of the interactions with how organizations talk to the press vs what they do, how some of homophobia works, the gay stuff is not resolved but endearing to me - feels not like it's trying to Make a Point or prove Something About Identity and that goes so far... Idk it's like good. Weird and kinda off and endearing and sweet and I like it.

[Alex Sarll]

James Bellyi is an MMA fighter whose homophobic dad, also a fighter, was killed in the ring after taking the shit-talking too far with a gay opponent. So when James is himself outed by a new generation of bigoted competitor, the family history puts an extra layer of emotional complication in place, even as his team and sponsors drop him and the federation find bullshit reasons to deny him the title bout he's earned. Can he battle his way back to the top?

I normally enjoy Steve Orlando's brand of queer ultraviolence, but whether because he's only co-writing this one, or simply because I have no baseline interest in MMA, this one felt like it would work a lot better – not to mention doing a lot more good – as a film. Also, on screen there wouldn't be the issue that all-caps lettering meant I was reading Bellyi as Belly for at least half the story, and once you combine that with the flashbacks in which the young James is Jimmy, part of me started reading the whole thing as a wilfully inaccurate Comic Strip-style bio of Jimmy Five Bellies. Still, I can't imagine that's likely to be an issue for non-UK readers.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping read. DJ Bellyi is a homophobic MMA star who is killed in the ring by Xavier Mayne his gay opponent. Years later Xavier's past come to haunt him when James Bellyi (DJ's son) asks for Xavier's help. James has been outed by an opponent but he us determined that homophobia will not stifle his career. He asks Xavier to train him for the fight of his life.

This is a really thrilling read. I wasn't too keen on the artwork because it was too dark for me but that is a personal choice. The story was great. I liked the way the story unfolded by starting with the past battle and then bringing us to the present. Best of all is the determination and courage of the main characters as they go up against the homophobic MMA establishment.

If you like graphic novels that will grip you, then this is definitely for you.

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Jon Tully · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a big fan of Orlando for years, following almost all of his work. I knew getting into work that I should expect certain things: strong, queer characters in spaces that are normally reserved for masculine, heterosexual man, and a story heavy on action.
One of the things I wasn’t expecting was the amount of heart in the characters of Bellyi and Mayne.
Well I would’ve liked a story that had a bit more character development, this volume I actually had more character development than any of his previous works (in my opinion).
One reason the volume didn’t get five stars though is because of the art style by artist Al Morgan. While it’s grittiness is appropriate for the content of the story, the over emphasis on shading and the rougher art style made it difficult to determine what was going on in many of the panels.
So if you’re looking for a quick read that has good representation, go ahead and pick up Kill a Man.

[Jason A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of murder, mixed martial arts and homosexuality in sports would be difficult for anyone to deliver well, but this is masterful. It’s a perfect fusion of writing, art colours - the story leaps off the page, and its unconventional lead James Bellyi becomes very accessible indeed. There’s still very little homosexuality depicted in American comics and this powerful story of redemption proves just how urgently that needs to change. It’s unusual to read a comic or graphic novel where people like me are reflected back, and I feel thoroughly rewarded. I’m in no way overlooking Al Morgan’s work as central to the enjoyment here, because it totally is. His mix of heavy inks and perfectly judged colours is as ingenious as the writing. Orlando, Johnson, Morgan and Campbell deliver comics gold, a real treasure for a difficult year.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted more from this book than just slapping Gay Issues on the standard underdog sports story. The premise, that an up and coming boxer's career is put in jeopardy when he's outed by a competitor, was cool. I also liked the dichotomy of the up and coming boxer's father having been a bigot who died in the ring after verbally assaulting his queer opponent. But it starts treading water about halfway through and just becomes familiar trope after familiar trope until we reach the end where we're hit with another familiar trope.

Fans of sports comics might love this, and if you're looking for an LGBTQIA+ sports comic, well ... there's Fence, Avant-Guards, and Check Please, most of which are better. But this one skews more adult without being, you know, Adult.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did not like the art on this, and didn't feel like it lends terribly much. And despite the fact that it's not dialogue heavy, the graphic novel itself is heavy.

Xavier Mayne and DJ Bellyi are boxers. Mayne is gay and Bellyi antagonizes him to where Mayne kills Bellyi in the ring.
Twenty years later, DJ's son James is also making his way through the ranks when one man lays on him in an interview and outs him as also being gay.

James ends up going to Xavier for help and it's just a good forgiveness story about content that I am not normally interested in.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this story was an important one to tell but I felt the story was too contrived and felt it spent too much time focused on the mustache-twirling bad guys than the emotions of the main character. I wished we saw more about his life coming up as a closeted gay man who father was a famous bigot. James' story is incredibly interesting but all of the MMA aspects of this seemed so disconnected. The art was decent but during fight scenes it wasn't always clear what was happening. I wanted to like this but I thought the focus was misaligned.

[T.B. Caine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC!

My Booktube

The story is as it says in the synopsis so there isn't much else for me to say. The coloring and panel work in this is very nice and helped contribute to the atmosphere while reading.

This is more of a 3.5 but I rounded up for the shoutout to queer people in sports at the end. What can I say, I'm sentimental.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the concept of a gay boxer who fights homophobia and is coached by the man who killed his father has an interesting premise, a lack of narrational framing combined with heavy-handed dialogue undermines Kill A Man from meeting its potential. I know Orlando is bisexual, but this reads as if it were written by a straight man who does not know how to convey homophobia except in its most explicit ways.

[Jayo Leavesby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool and bold art style, it got confusing at times but heck so is boxing to my slow civilian eyes. Interesting story, felt a tad cliche a couple times but overall felt fun and fresh. Very eighties sports movie esque though, as opposed to a more subtle character exploration of the protagonist’s sexuality.

[Jake Nap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid.

The story itself was a great story of forgiveness and tremendous perseverance. The art is fantastic and the characters are all great. I do think there is a ton of deep rooted phobia in athletics (which is a major portion of the book) but having it be as blatant as it is here seems a bit cartoonish at times.

Strong 7/10

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this right through, with appreciation for the skillful comics storytelling.
There are some explicit scenes and language, as themes of sexuality and mixed martial arts competion intertwine. This is really well done comics, for mature readers.
Thanks to Fulton County Public Library for the loan, and Aftershock Comics for publishing.

[tortie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed elements of this, the art style was interesting and dynamic, if a bit confusing to follow at times. I unfortunately did physically recoil at some of the dialogue and a few plot beats, but there’s objectively nothing wrong with this graphic novel. A bit basic and cliched but theres no harm in picking it up and giving it a try. Short and decently engaging.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a sports comic I can get behind! Watch an up and coming MMA champion tackle toxic masculinity/homophobia in combat sports after being outed. Super cool. Incredible moody art and moving story. 10/10

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t usually like sports related reads, but wow - this was powerful. It wasn’t just a redemption story, but also one of forgiveness and acceptance. Artwork took me a bit to get used to but it went well with the fast pace of the fights.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful story about prejudice against the LGBTQ community in sports (in this case MMA). The limited color palette (black, white, gray, red, and the occasional purple) puts the linework in stark relief and adds a layer of grit to the very real, very personal story.

[Mikey The Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed this graphic novel. This quick pace and action combined with a gut wrenching drama was amazing. I haven’t read many sports themed graphic novels in the past but I found that this one kept my interest all the way through! Great art btw