Courtesy of Oni Press, we’re happy to present this preview of Hey, Mary! by Andrew Wheeler, Rye Hickman and Hank Jones.
Hey, Mary! tells the story of Mark, a devoted Catholic who realizes he has a crush on another boy at school. The pages we have today show Mark’s struggle and also illustrate why it’s titled “Hey, Mary!” as Mark turns to his faith for answers.
“Hey, Mary is a book about a lot of things — most obviously, trying to reconcile being Catholic and being gay, but it’s also about first love and teenage anxiety and isolation and trying to find your feet as you learn more about the world,” Wheeler said. “This sequence is at the heart of those themes as Mark struggles with the enormity of the question, ‘Why is this who I am?’ Perhaps the worst part is that the very thing he’s been told will give him comfort, his faith, is actually the source of his pain. I love the expressiveness that Rye and our colorist Hank Jones have brought to these silent moments.”
The relationship with Luka is also on display. Luka clearly has feelings for Mark as well, and the two friends have grown apart as the thought of romance pushes Mark away.
“Mark’s conversation with Luka gives us the other side of Mark’s anxiety,” Wheeler said. “Mark and Luka think they’ve grown apart — the truth is that they haven’t found the language to bridge the gap between them. The panel with the two of them running into the park on either side of a painted line is perfect. Also, Rye and I had a lot of conversations about the boys’ personal styles, and Mark’s ‘Camp’ t-shirt is one of my favorite choices!”
“I feel like teenage friendships are The Most, no matter what’s going on in your life, so I’m very excited for readers to relate to our protagonist, Mark, going for a jog with his estranged friend Luka,” Hickman said. “The secret sauce here, though, is that Mark has a big ole crush on Luka and all signs point to Luka also wanting more than friendship. No spoilers, but there’s friction -Luka has rainbow shoelaces and Mark prays for help with the fear he has about being gay himself- so hopefully you’ll pick up the book and find out how that friction resolves!”
Check out the preview below. Hey, Mary! is available in comic shops and bookstores now.
Continue reading “Exclusive | Take a look inside Andrew Wheeler + Rye Hickman’s ‘Hey, Mary!’”
