"Wonderful! The story is moving and funny and the characters just leap off the page!"
– Sherry Jones author of Josephine Baker’s Last Dance
"Page after page is attractive and eye-catching.... a crowd pleaser... it's what you'll want from a fine and well observed drama." – Slings and Arrows: Graphic Novel Guide
"A fantastic graphic novel! " – Graphic Policy
“My Fairy Godfather is a spot-on treatment of the themes of tolerance and intolerance regarding sexual orientation in conservative Kansas which centers on a repertory theater screening classic Hollywood films. It is especially notable for providing comics artist extraordinaire, Jon Sack a chance to step into the limelight with 135 pages of really excellent work." Copacetic Comics
THE STORY:
Reeling from her parent's tragic death, teenaged Billie is uprooted from her native Austin, Texas to live in Liberal, Kansas - which despite its name, is not politically, or socially, liberal. Her Uncle Hank and Auntie Em protest, but Billie's new guardian is her godfather Adam, "a gay, film geek stuck inside a jock’s body – a jock’s world." With his wisecracking partner Steven, they run the Starlite movie theater, an oasis for film buffs and "the friends of Dorothy." Together, they face new challenges in their relationships and from the conservative town as they become Billie’s parents, help her "reinvest in life" as they all travel the rocky, yellow brick road of love and heartbreak.
Liberal, the adopted home of The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy, also has its share of wicked witches with unsettled scores. And a high school of students fighting 21st century culture wars. Along the way Billie meets Clara — a goth, lesbian Dorothy impersonator who’s used to being an outsider — Simon, her irrepressible and karaoke-obsessed younger brother – and Dylan, who finds himself caught between his cowardly allegiance to a rigid clique and finding the courage to act on his attraction to progressive Billie.
My Fairy Godfather tells the bittersweet tale of how film, poetry, and music connects us to who we’ve loved, who we’ve been, and who we are becoming — and that lying beneath the façade of teenage cynicism is the profound desire to be understood and loved.
"...a joy to read. I loved the changing perspectives and the complex family dynamics. The illustrations were beautiful...
I would highly recommend this book with it's clear message of self acceptance and standing up for yourself."
– Book Nerds, Norah
"I found Billie's journey profound and impactful...
I loved seeing the relationship between Billie, her godfather, and Steven. Their ups and downs showed how dynamic any family can be (I found their banter especially humorous)." – Book Nerds, Lena
En Français!
YouTube reviews:
Also by Robert Mailer Anderson
"This hear-wrenching 9/11 drama draws back the curtains on American myths, revealing a global and complicated world. A resonant tale for troubling times." – Publishers Weekly
(*starred review)
"Energetic, abrasive and very funny... steamroller prose."
– New York Times
"A very sick man - and a very funny writer!" – Carl Hiaasen
Also by Jon Sack
"This hear-wrenching 9/11 drama draws back the curtains on American myths, revealing a global and complicated world. A resonant tale for troubling times." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"...the remarkably brave advocacy, protests, and investigations of ordinary citizens who turned their grief into resistance."
My Fairy Godfather Dedication
FOR
The Castro Theater
and
Mark Ganter, the original Fairy Godfather,
and
all The Friends of Dorothy
and
all my memories of banding together in the dark
with the inimitable Castro filmgoing community,
from the balcony to 6th row center,
drag queens to noir buffs,
munching popcorn for dinner and sipping Wild Turkey,
laughing, crying, clapping, hissing, cheering, shouting, singing along,
stomping the floorboards to "San Francisco" played on the Mighty Wurlitzer,
to the joy and sorrow of our cinematic history and shared humanity
including through the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic
and
aside from being the first male Noir Fest posterboy at The Castro
and
being stood up for a double-bill of Orson Welles flicks one needlessly lonely night,
(and BITCH, you know who you are!)
for once being soundly booed
by a raucous Castro packed-house audience...
yes yes yes
"There's no place like home."