Bad guys, monsters, heroes and lots of very pro-queer sentiments come together in this collection of Save Yourself! Bones Leopard, along with
illustrators, Kelly and Nichole Matthews, made a story that was both serious and hilarious all at the same time. Sometimes there felt to be some cliches (Bear would fit in with some Drag Queens I’ve seen with ze beard, fun tutu, large hair, and
flamboyant manner), but I think the author is just trying to cover the rainbow of all types of queer people. Which is, eEvery character is queer in some form (many seem to be they/them, but Bear is ze). And even if a character is somewhat presenting as female/male, they are still they (with a few exceptions). This is probably the point. We see the characters fight monsters, but the real monsters are not the ones you think. And in today’s society, we call the GLBTQ+ community the “monsters,” and the “heroes” are “normal looking,” but of course, that is not the case.
But you can just take it as the surface story as well. With the main character, Gigi (who is queer, and also a bit on the short, pudge side (yes! body representing!), still dealing with the death of her brother (who along with his husband, Shawn, practically raised her), and Shawn, finding themselves in the middle of a battle not just for themselves (spoiler, Shawn is an awesome “DID” (Dude in Distress), but for the very planet. Earth has found new heroes, but things are not always what they seem. And love is never easy as Gigi finds herself falling for one hot, pink-haired wonder (who just happens to be a real life “monster”). The story is if Lilo and Stitch meet Star Trek meet Sailor Moon and they all were queer.
The illustrations are totally and completely “comic format.” Bright colors, characters from a Saturday morning cartoon, and the silky pages of a full colored comic. There are four individual units in this collection. Having it all at once was a plus for me, as the story moves quickly, and I would not have wanted to wait for the next issues. In addition to the main cover of at least volumes one and two, there are alternative covers and additional information at the end.
