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Hey guys, this is Bleats (artist/writer) I do sometimes check comments (because hey, sometimes I'm shallow and need the dopamine, or in this case, see what bothers people lol)
I'm still writing this comic, so I can definitely re-write parts of it and trying to make sure it reads well. I'm not a trained writer, so, seriously, any feedback is good, if I can learn from it. As far as my own personal experiences, I have gone hitchhiking a few times, once across the country to go to a rainbow gathering, the other times to go to music festivals, was homeless for a time and I've had several friends who are bikers, and they made jokes about red wings etc. but they weren't in gangs. I've also never ridden on a bike, so I appreciate the center of gravity correction. The no helmet thing is dangerous, but I'm also looking at movies like Easy Rider the pointedly take crazy risks and don't always wear helmets as a symbol for the freedom/rebelion of the time. There is a wing patch system that some old clubs used, but a lot of actual biker gang culture I'm going from research, obviously. Of course if the research doesn't line up with common knowledge, it's basically 'wrong' even if it's true.
Burns group I was modeling off gangs like the Satyrs, which was a gay biker gang from the 50's and it's certainly not standard. I was very interested the Hell's Angels make-out greeting, even though, obviously, they are a very strait and homophobic group, but the symbol of the gay leather daddy, biker stereo type has origins in reality, and I was interested in exploring that a bit. If anyone has more direct experience or details to make it more authentic, I'm all ears :)
Story wise, Summer is 19 (he talks about burning his draft card, another reason he left home, I know I can tend to exaggerate the proportions a bit too much for people... people really hatred Beckett's hip size too so idk, drawing is hard v.v) and he is definitely naïve, but he's not so much escaping homophobia, but actively looking for other gay guys. Ultimately, this group isn't a good fit for him and he moves on, eventually I want him to hook up with the gay scene in and around NYC, playing folk music and getting involved in gay liberation around 1969. I used to go to Stonewall a fair bit when I lived in NYC and I got very interested in the history of Pride etc.
I do try to write characters that are grounded and believable, and maybe I'm failing miserably. I try to draw from my own life and emotions as a guide, but any constructive criticism would help. I try not to get too demoralized by negative comments, and I want to get better. If the characters are unlikeable, tell how they could be improved? If the dialog is bad, help me rewrite it. Honestly, I'm always looking for help.
The major themes I'm trying to explore with Summer are about freedom, in a sort of existential sense. That people can be a prison and sometimes you have to loose everything to be yourself, but I don't want him to come off as a total idiot.
Idk, maybe it's stupid to ask for help, I can also just fuck off haha. I know my comics with Beckett get a lot of hate, and it seems femboy comics are not big favorites around here, but I definitely don't do comics for the money, so it's just a preference of mine. Sorry for the wall of text!
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