In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community. Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Budding romances, queer werewolves, and magical friendships make up creator Grace Ellis’ new series Moonstruck. Along with artists Shae Beagle and Kate Leth, they’ve created a remarkable world similar to ours (coffee shops, homecoming rally’s, and arguments about being ticketed) except everyone’s a magical creature and live alongside humans.
Julie, a Latina werewolf, plays the lead in this ongoing series. Unlike her centaur friend Chet or her soon-to-be-girlfriend Selena, she wants to be as unremarkable as possible. This leads to adventures, magical hijinks, and a bit of self discovery for the werewolf who is anything but normal.
Without further ado, let’s talk about the 5 reasons we love Moonstruck and why you should pick it up TODAY!
1. The Romance
Moonstruck has queer women holding hands, making heart eyes at each other, and *gasp* having relationship problems that they need to work on and actually do. Even better, they’re not tiny little women. (Not that there’s anything wrong with tiny and petite women. But we don’t get to see curvy women as much in the media we consume.) Julie and Selena are curvy AF and cute AF, proving that just because you’re larger doesn’t mean you have to be in big and baggy clothes because “that’s the only thing available.” Nope.
The romance doesn’t stop there. BFF Chet, who’s a centaur, can’t seem to get over or ask out the bull in plaid that frequents the coffee shop. All Chet can do is make up excuse after excuse that that they’re out of stirrers while barely surviving awkward situation after another.
2. The Friendships
At the heart of Moonstruck is the relationship between Julie and Chet. They’re funny, sweet, and a perfect match for each other. Julie grounds Chet and Chet pushes Julie to get out there and not let her limitations scare her from Selena or just being herself aka a werewolf. Also, the puns. Chet has them really & waiting and acts as the comedic relief of the story.
Friendships are limited to Julie and Chet. Selena, Julie’s beau, ends up becoming friends with Chet and they’re like two peas in a pod. (Trust me, it’s epic.) Chet isn’t the only friend that Julie has either. Unlike other stories that can’t handle having more than one friend for the lead to fall back on, Julie finds solace and comfort in her psychic friend Cass. And even then Cass doesn’t just disappear and is defined by her friendship with Julie.
3. Lead is Latina Werewolf
As a queer Latina myself, hearing Julie say, “¡Qué mierda!” made my day! Even better yet, Moonstruck didn’t stop to explain what that meant. For those in the back confused, let me explain. Sometimes creators and artists want to be inclusive by adding other languages to their work. Which of course is nice, tbh. But they miss the mark and give themselves away when they sit back and include things like, “Oh yeah, that means (spanish word translated) in English.”
Latinas don’t do that! Especially when we’re freaking out about a guy breaking through a window on the floor above them. They just say, “¡Qué mierda!” and keep it moving along! So the fact that Moonstruck did this makes me respect them more and want to read more of their content.
4. Use of They/Them Pronouns
When I read the word “them” in reference to Chet…I SCREAMED! Like full on squealed and fell back on my bed in excitement. Comics with they/them pronouns are still a rare find and to see them being used in Moonstruck has made me love the series even more. It’s representation and shows that the creators have an understanding of how diverse and ever growing our world is.
It’s also educational. Maybe someone has never come across the use of they/them in the comics they’ve read. Maybe this is there moment to expand their understanding and make the world a more loving and accepting place. Just maybe. And personally, that maybe is worth it.
5. The Supernatural Community
Moonstruck created a world and safe haven for a wide array of supernatural creatures. From fire breathing roosters just waiting for their coffees to hipster snakes who look bored out of their minds, Moonstruck made sure to use every opportunity they could to create a world that you have to do a double take on least you miss something else.
This attention to detail makes it so you have to take your time, double back, or read Moonstruck again to really take in and understand the world they’ve created.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community.
