Just some conversations I’ve been having with myself over the Masters…

*Pakeha is a te reo Māori word for white/european people

TRANSCRIPT:

Panel 1:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) Who are you to write this book pakeha boy?

Sam: (A person wearing a purple, collared shirt and a slightly darker purple vest, who is sitting at a desk, facing the viewer, but looking down. Eyebrows are raised, mouth is closed, with slightly downturned edges, and there are bags under Sam’s eyes. Arms are raised slightly at the shoulders, and bent up at the elbows. One hand is drawing a comic, and the other is holding the paper still.)

 

Panel 2:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) What kind of self-righteous fella do you think you are?!

Sam: (A person who is sitting at a desk, facing the viewer, but looking to the side. There are two parallel lines next to Sam’s head, indicating movement. Eyebrows are raised and mouth is small and closed. Hands are by Sam’s sides, the comics still on the desk.)

 

Panel 3:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) You think you can write a book that covers EXPERIENCES of being QUEER in New Zealand?

Sam: (A person who is sitting at a desk, facing the viewer, but looking to the side. Sam is hunched forward slightly. Eyebrows are raised and mouth is small and closed, with slightly downturned edges. Hands are by Sam’s sides, the comics still on the desk.)

 

Panel 4:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) Pah. Fool. Arrogant. Asshole.

Sam: (A person who is sitting at a desk, facing the viewer, but looking down. Sam is more hunched forward than in the previous panel. Eyebrows are raised and mouth is small and closed. Hands are by Sam’s sides, the comics still on the desk.)

 

Panel 5:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) You’ll NEVER cover all our stories.

Sam: (A person who is sitting at a desk, facing the viewer, but looking down. Sam is even more hunched forward than in the previous panel. Eyebrows are raised slightly and mouth is small and closed. Sam and the desk are further away from the viewer, and are within a black cloud.)

 

Panel 6:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) There’re too many. We’re all too different.

(Now it is the Earth that is in the black cloud, with the side which has New Zealand on it facing the viewer.)

 

Panel 7: 

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) You’re better off sticking to WATCHING media- complaining about how movies and TV do a crap job representing us. You hate the ones where the queer ones get killed, or kill others. You hate the ones where they get laughed at.

(There is an unplugged, older style TV, its cord snaking below the caption, and a white line across the screen. In the middle of the white line is a small circle, surrounded by eight dashes of white. There is a word below the circle, which reads:) Bzzzzzp!

 

Panel 8:

(There is a caption to one side, which reads:) And you hide away in a blanket of academic language to pretend that what you’re feeling isn’t the red, hot fire of rage.

Sam: (A person who is facing the viewer, but looking down at a big, blanket-like piece of paper. Eyebrows are raised, and mouth is closed, with slightly downturned edges. Sam is wearing big, square, black-framed glasses. One arm is raised at the elbow, hand holding the big piece of paper, which is obscuring Sam’s other arm. The big piece of paper is covered in words, which read:) You hate the ones where they’re too hegemonically gendered, and perpetuate patriarchal norms and conform to the oppressive ideals of capitalism. You hate the tokenistic, stereotyping that “others” difference by making it appear flawed or unstable. You hate the fetishistic objectification that happens when queer people are depicted as sex objects

 

Panel 9:

(There is a caption in the centre of the panel, which reads:) You just hate.

 

Panel 10:

Sam: (A person who is looking directly at the viewer, with big round eyes, and a small closed mouth, which has downturned edges. There is a thought bubble emanating from Sam, with words within in that read:) So you think: “Let’s make stuff I wanna read!”

(There is a caption below Sam’s thought bubble, which reads:) Funny how it’s much harder now you’re on the flipside, aye?

 

Panel 11:

(The whole panel is filled with a caption, which reads:) If you write about christianity then you’re ignoring other religions. If you write about older gay men, then what about lesbians? Do you have enough bisexual representation? Are your fluid notions of sexuality biphobic? Why are most of your characters white? Why have you drawn yourself without glasses even though you wear them all the time? Why are YOU drawing their stories, anyway? Why have you employed yourself as the teller of stories? Why can’t others tell their own? What the hell do you even think you’re doing?!

 

Panel 12:

Sam: (A person who is facing the viewer, but from a fair bit further away than usual. Eyebrows are raised and pushed together and mouth is closed, small, and with downturned edges. Sam’s head is bent forward slightly, and shoulders are slumped.)

(There is a caption filling the rest of the panel, which reads:) When there’s a DEARTH of media about us, EVERYTHING becomes COMPROMISED.

 

Panel 13:

(There are two Sams in this panel.)

Foreground Sam: (A person who is looking directly at the viewer, with lowered, pushed together eyebrows and an open mouth, which has downturned edges. Sam’s head is pushed forward a little, and shoulders are raised slightly at the shoulders.) Look, I gotta TRY, right?!

Background Sam: (A person who is looking directly at the viewer, with raised eyebrows and an open mouth, which has slightly downturned edges.) Right?