Thinking about making a webcomic based on a coming out experience
I’ve been thinking about making a webcomic very loosely based on my own experience of coming out as gay as a teenager.
It’s set in 2008–2009 and follows a 14-year-old boy who starts questioning whether he’s gay or whether what he’s feeling is just a phase. He develops a crush on an openly gay boy in the year above and eventually comes out to his close group of friends, who are completely supportive.
There’s also a subplot involving his crush and another gay boy at school. Everyone believes they’re dating, but they’re actually pretending to be together to protect the older boy’s closeted boyfriend. The protagonist eventually discovers the truth.
The story follows him gradually becoming more comfortable with himself, dealing with an unrequited crush and eventually coming out publicly at school after being teased by classmates.
I’m hoping to make it more of a coming-of-age story about figuring yourself out, rather than focusing entirely on homophobia.
I’m still working out the characters, story structure and art style, so I’d really appreciate some honest opinions:
Does this sound like something you’d read as a webcomic?
Does the 2008–09 setting work?
And does the overall story sound interesting?
Does the subplot feel natural?
It’s based on my own experience, although I’d be fictionalising some of the details.