Sunny and Gloomy wanted to see more diversity in queer stories, so they decided to do it themselves in the series, "RAINBOW!"
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
The inspiration tracks way back to when I was 14 or so, reading webcomics on sites that don’t even exist anymore. The queer stories on the front page were always about two twinkish boys falling in love, and that was really about it. Just that, over and over in various ways. If I ever did see one about girls, it usually felt weird and sexualized to read, which wasn’t really what I was looking for either. We grew frustrated, and eventually decided we would make one of our own instead. Technically, this is the second version of "RAINBOW!," though my high school self never finished the original version.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
To be able to see yourself in a story in a way that you might not have before. And not only to see yourself in a story, but for enough of these characters and stories to exist to the point that it simply becomes ordinary.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Reading a story is a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, to feel their experiences through them. It’s so important to have a variety of characters and stories so that we aren’t just seeing our own stories, experiences and worldviews, but seeing ones that oppose, ones that are different than we may have believed, and ones we have never even heard of or considered before. It’s more important than ever in a world where it feels our capacity for empathy is ever-shrinking. We cannot be well-rounded people if we only consider ourselves and only take our own views and beliefs into account. We must be willing to see others and their perspectives and experiences, and featuring them in media is a way to open other’s eyes to those experiences.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
We decided to create "RAINBOW!" a long time ago, when we were teenagers and the only queer story we could hope to see were between two men, and if we happened across one about women, it was usually pretty sexualized. It’s been about 15 years since then, but it’s a bit of a love letter to our younger selves, finally giving them the story they were looking for. Hopefully there will be more to come, and not just from us!
What can fans expect from your book?
If the first volume was Boo realizing the gravity of her own situation, the second volume is her grappling with it. It is the conclusion to her coming of age story, where instead of bowing to her mother as she always has, she finally steps into herself.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
We are planning a supernatural comic that will debut online later this year, titled "Phantom Pains!" It has a larger cast and story than "RAINBOW!" so we are expecting it to be a challenge, but we are excited about it. It will share a diverse cast like "RAINBOW!’s" as well.
