Coming Out Storyline in "Real Life" Lands (Let's Discuss)

It's been three weeks since Greg Dean started his (what he is now calling) "Epiphany" storyline, where Greg has an existential conversation with his "true" self: Maelyn Dean.  It's been two weeks since I wrote my initial (mostly positive) take on the first week of the storyline.  I knew that there would be more to say.  Dean had been open on Twitter that he wrote this in five hours while on a plane and the story just poured out of him.  I also knew it would be a risky analysis to write because the storyline was a deeply personal one.  Being objective can be be difficult for the writer (as well as hard for the reader).  I pressed on with it two weeks ago though and I'll do so again.  Especially now that I have the "whole thing" (we'll discuss that in a bit) in front of me, and I can definitively see where Dean was heading with this.  My final judgement: it was rough in a few areas.  Maybe it could have been done in two weeks rather than three.  However...he brought the plane to the ground in a near flawless fashion.

So, before we get to what did work, I need to explain a few things that didn't work.  Now, I know that discovering you have gender dysphoria is (obviously) going to be a very complicated topic.  You have to explain it to someone who doesn't understand it in a way they can digest it.  However, you ALSO have to be true to how it felt for you, and that might not always gel with making the story 'digestible' for your everyday reader.  And, to be sure, there are some people who were simply NEVER going to like where it was going no matter what Dean did (Editors' Note: I screen captured a couple of particularly nasty comments, but have decided to keep them to myself for personal reasons)!  So I want to acknowledge that we are dealing with a very personal story that is being delivered to a wide audience where there is no certainty that they are going to understand what it is they are reading. 

So when you take all this into account, I understand why it played out the way it did.  But dang did the middle drag at times.  From my perspective, things may have been a little "overexplained" to a certain extent.  There was one time when Mae went into great detail about how great it was that Greg was finally listening to her.  Then she explains in detail that very same thing a SECOND time!  For that matter, there was this little subplot involving a 'Super Ego,' which, I'm going to be honest...didn't work too much for me.  For those who weren't reading the storyline, the Super Ego is a persona in Greg whose sole job is to protect them from 'the world.'  The Super Ego understands what will get your butt whopped at school, and does what it can to keep Mae suppressed so that 'Greg' can be accepted in the world.  The thing is...I understand what Dean was trying to do with it, but it seemed like overkill when it came to explaining why Greg would be hesitant to give himself up to who he truly is. 

The whole characters was underdeveloped in a way he really shouldn't have been, and while he was primarily responsible for bringing the storyline to a lull, there's also a sense that if given more time it might have been worth something explaining further along down the road.  I know, Catch-22 and all that, but I have to be honest about it.  Also, there were a few times when a joke was inserted at the end that didn't land as successfully as it could have, and I do wonder a bit if this should have been pure drama and left the attempts of comedy on the side.

Not going to lie...I don't think this character entirely worked for me.

Now then, with THAT out of the way, I'm happy to report that the storyline - as a whole - very much worked!  Much of the dialog felt real.  While it may have been overkill to an extent, most of the fears that a person would have been thinking about this sort of thing for the first time were addressed.  Finally, I have to admit that the ending was about as perfect as you could have hoped for.  You can read the comic at the top of the article for yourself, but essentially Greg comes to the realization that he isn't living as the person he truly is.  He knows Mae is correct in telling him that she is their true self, and he willingly gives himself into her as he says goodbye.  It was interesting to read the trans community respond to this strip, as many said they cried while others took major issue with it.  One person in particular seemed extremely offended because when they transitioned they tried to explain to their father that they were still the same person they had always been, as their father thought that their son they raised had "died" somehow when he transitioned.

This comic - in this persons eyes - was saying the exact opposite of how they felt.  They didn't feel like they had died; they felt they were they same person they always were except they now had boobs and longer hair.  And you know...I can't say that they were wrong to react this way.  It just goes to show that people who are in this situation do walk away from it feeling different things.  Some feel they are a new person while some feel they are the same person they've always been.  Taking the comic at face value, it DOES appear there is an element to Greg "dying"...however, it's not a death per se because Greg is dying by embracing who he always was on the inside!  Whether you interpret it one way or another, I believe most will agree that the ending brings everything together nicely.  It says what it needs to say and ends on a note of finality that is firm, where even the copyright notice now says 'Mae Dean.'  Of course, we know in our heart of hearts this is not the end.  In fact, this has the potential to be a long journey for the reader.

Come Monday morning Mae is waking up in bed.  However she's not in Mae's body; she's still in Greg's.  For all intents and purposes, 'Greg' still exists in physical form, and Mae needs to now confront her friends, family, and decide whether or not she's going to change her outward appearance to reflect the person she feels she is inside.  If she does, it will be a slow process.  Her friends and family will have to come to terms with Greg turning into Mae both mentally AND physically!  If handled in the same way though, I feel it will be a journey well worth taking!  If there is an irony, it's that at one point Mae tells Greg she wants to go onto Reddit to share her experiences, something Greg doesn't want to do because Reddit hasn't exactly been kind to his comic.  Mae tells Greg that he need not worry about that, seeing as how the comic hasn't been relevant for nine years.  Ironically, thanks to this storyline, Mae probably made it very relevant again.  Here's hoping it continues to be!

Your Comic Book Guy - Kevin