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At Comic-Con, I was lucky enough to meet Abby Denson, a powerhouse of energy and talent, who generously agreed to sign for us at the Prism Comics booth. She had a stack of the grooviest psychedelic posters to hand out, promoting the tour for her acclaimed graphic novel, Tough Love: High School Confidential. The tour took her to New York and Philadelphia and up and down the West Coast, ending with a rousing reception in Vancouver.

On top of this, Abby just found out that Tough Love was nominated for a Stonewall Book Award!

Tough Love was inspired by shounen-ai manga (melodramatic Japanese comics by girls about gay boys), centering on the relationships Brian develops with Chris, the boy he likes, and Julie, the girl who befriends him. It tackles serious issues such as gay bashing, suicidal thoughts, and coming to terms with one's own sexual identity.

Abby has also scripted for comics such The Powerpuff Girls, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, has a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design, lives in Brooklyn, and has her own band, The Saturday Night Things.

Lucky for us, she graciously took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions:

David: Hey, Abby! Congratulations on the Stonewall Book Award and on finishing the tour. I thought it was great you got to go out on tour because it seems rare for a graphic novelist. Do you think graphic novels and comics are becoming more mainstream and accepted within the literary world, or at least within the bookstore world?

Abby: I had seen other graphic novel events before in New York City quite often so I didn't think it too unusual, but I do think graphic novels are being accepted more. The response from bookstore employees when I approached them about setting up dates was enthusiastic!

David: Most writers from what I’ve experienced are introverts. Do you find it difficult to go out, speak in front of an audience, and talk to your fans?

Abby: It's true that many cartoonists are pretty introverted. Some even expressed shock and horror when I told them about my tour plans. I'm unusual in that I'm very outgoing and love meeting people as well as being a bit of a chatterbox. That certainly helps me when it comes to touring. Also, I've been playing on stage in punk bands since I was a teenager, so that probably helps too. I love talking to fans and it means a lot to me when I hear that Tough Love has affected their lives in a positive way.

David: Who did you find was your audience out there? LGBT? Girls? Boys? Dirty old men? Was it different than what you expected?

Abby: Ha! Ha! I haven't met any dirty old men so far. Lots of teenage boys, young men, more lesbians and straight girls than I expected. I also have had great support from other comics professionals, teachers, and librarians who came out to meet me. The teachers and librarians coming out made me feel great since we're trying to reach a lot of schools and libraries since Tough Love contains resources to help gay suicidal teens. The best part was seeing old friends and making new friends too. Some of them were angels, offering me rides to and from airports and train stations and going totally out of their way to help me!

David: What were some of the questions from your audience that surprised you?

Abby: I was on Air America radio and the interviewer asked me if there was any truth to the rumor that my cat Slinky wrote the book. I suppose that's what I get for mentioning her in my bio! People are always asking me which actors I'd like in the Tough Love movie (if one gets made) and I never have a good answer since I'd want teen actors but don't know any offhand. I've got to work on that!

David: Did any of your fans touch you as they were touched by your stories?

Abby: I was very touched by the teens I met who told me the book meant a lot to them. That was the best!

David: Sounds like there were lots of high points to the tour. Any low points? Mechanical breakdowns, strange fans, mental breakdowns?

Abby: The whole tour was great! I was truly blessed and didn't have any major technical problems. Small things: My throat was pretty tired and hoarse at the beginning (right after San Diego Con) but it rallied once I hit Portland. Also, Vancouver customs was a bit rough, lots of waiting. Some of the high points include getting a delicious Tough Love cake from the great folks at Comic Unlimited, doing presentations and hanging out in LA with Tim Fish, visiting the Bongo Comics office, touring San Francisco with Manic D publisher Jennifer Joseph, being on the Gays in Comics panel and at the Prism booth at SDCC, the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the great friends (new and old) that I met in Portland, my kind hosts Zan (Superfag) and Steve in Seattle, the art show at Sophia Books and being on the cover of the WestEnder in Vancouver, not to mention all the great radios shows and podcasts I got to be on, really too much to list. On top of that while on tour I found out Tough Love was nominated for a Stonewall Award! The whole tour was one big highlight! Go to my website to read the complete tour blog with photos! www.abbycom ix.com/blog

Abby: In which ways has this tour and experience changed how you feel about your work and how will it affect your future work?

Abby: Wow. First of all, achieving the goal of planning and executing the tour itself was a major triumph. Traveling the country really widens one's perspective and I can say I really love the Pacific Northwest. It's a great place to take summer vacations when New York gets too hot. For future books I would definitely do it again and I still have a lot left of the world to cover with more Tough Love tours. It's encouraged me to continue with what I'm doing. Also, when traveling I come up with lots of ideas so it's fueled my creative fire for sure!

David: Thanks, Abby and the best of luck with the Stonewall Book Award!

David Stanley, PR Chair of Prism Comics, spent most of his formative years in Japan before settling in SoCal (though currently residing in Brooklyn, NY). After graduating from UCLA film school, David turned to theatre, writing "Delos," "The Outing Game" and "AIDS! The Musical," and is currently preparing the long-gestating novel "Summer in Mykonos.

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).