Atlanta, GA—Prism Comics announced today that Steve MacIsaac is the recipient of its first annual Queer Press Grant. MacIsaac, probably best known as the co-creator of Sticky from Eros Comix, will be awarded a $1000 grant to publish his new book called Shirtlifter. The grant is made possible by an anonymous donor and a matching donation from Jane's World creator Paige Braddock.

"We received several intriguing applications—very different thematically—which made our board's grant award selection process quite challenging," said Rich Thigpen, Prism Comics Membership Chair. "However, I think what put Steve MacIsaac in the lead was that his application included well-written material that made personal connections, demonstrated that he was an experienced creator, and outlined a long-term plan for publishing LGBT-themed comics on an ongoing basis."

"Aside from the book I did with Eros, I haven't done anything under my own name, really," MacIsaac said in an interview on the Superfag Radio podcast over the weekend. "So I just wanted to have a showcase for the things that I do, and commit to putting it out regularly." The book will include an ongoing main story complemented by short backup pieces culled from MacIsaac's many anthology contributions.

"Steve's work definitely seems to have, both in the illustration and in the writing, a real weight to it, a definite style, a definite mood," said Superfag Radio host Charles "Zan" Christensen. "It seems like he's really striving to trap you, the reader, in emotional situations that might be uncomfortable but ones you have to explore."

When asked about his influences, MacIsaac stresses the literary more than the comics world.

"When I'm doing short stuff, my influences are probably more literary. I'm a big fan of Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor, and other people who really know how to work a short story, to structure it and do it in such a way that it really punches you in the gut and has an emotional impact."

"The quality of all the applications and the passion they conveyed was very encouraging," Thigpen said, "so we'll actually be giving each of the applicants personalized feedback on how they can make their proposals more compelling in case they want to re-apply next year. In some cases, we really liked the actual story, but the creator's business plan wasn't realistic. As an advocacy organization, we'd like to see as much LGBT-related comics material in the market as possible, so we're going to give these creators whatever help we can provide in getting their work published and properly marketed."

Prism Comics is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the work of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) creators in the comics industry, as well as LGBT themes in comics in general. Incorporated in 2003, Prism Comics publishes the annual resource guide, Prism Comics: Your LGBT Guide to Comics.

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).