The Secret Loves of Geeks

Dark Horse's latest thematic anthology offers an inclusive and evocative range of well-crafted firsthand accounts. Self-professed geeks (such as authors Hope Larson, Gabby Rivera, and Margaret Atwood; video game designer Cara Ellison; blogger Harris O'Malley; and cartoonist Dana Simpson) tackle sex, dating, and love, in all its incarnations: romance, the bonds between friends, and more. The 37 pieces vary in form, from comic strips to prose essays, and include accounts of feeling comfortable coming out of the closet at comic conventions, exploring romance while participating in cosplay, and experiencing gender transitions with a partner. Though most of the contributors are straight, various identities are represented, such as asexual and aromantic, and several writers examine the reality of being brown and queer. Many tales involve creators who were in their 20s or older when their breakthrough first relationship occurred, and though the works often reflect the contributors' jaded point of view, teens will find them funny and affirming.