This was a great collection of graphic stories written by a genuine diversity (gender and otherwise) of writers/artists. I liked picking this up and reading a couple of stories at a time, while reading other books.

It was interesting to see so many overlapping elements in people's stories, while each one was unique. Like a little microcosm of humanity. And there was so much that was relatable about the questions we might ask about gender and how it can be hard to know what what is socially imposed and what is innate.

The artwork is great and truly varied. I absolutely recommend this book for its beautiful, compelling and moving images and stories.

This anthology feels like a necessary read for all young adults - and adults.
A beautiful collection of artists’ stories recounting how they found peace in themselves and who they are. I loved it.

This was a fun anthology about coming out as nonbinary/trans. I enjoyed the art in all of the stories. Pros about anthologies: finding new (to you) creators to follow and support. Cons: wanting more depth from some of the stories. I did appreciate how everyone’s story is different and I think this is so so important.

This autobiographical collection was a gentle, thoughtful exploration into the nuance of gender-diverse identities told through the personal experiences of twenty-nine creators. It was expansive, covering many different experiences across gender, race, and ethnicity. And it was vulnerable. The creators of these comics didn't shy away from the pain their journeys carried, or the darkness they were in before they began--and often even after. This raw and real depiction of breaking out of the boxes you were born into is so necessary and important for people to see (and made me confront some doubts about my own gender as well, upon seeing myself in these pages more than I'd expected).

My only qualm was that these comics were so short! I wish they could have been just a few pages longer each. Each comic gave such a tiny, specific glimpse into these creators' journeys, and I wanted to see more. But I loved how this collection gave us the about the author section right before their contribution--it allowed me to follow my favorites on social media right away, and find their other works before I forgot who they were by the end of the collection (as is usually the case for collections). So 4/5 stars, and my best wishes to all these creators to keep up the good work. Now off to read some webcomics from these creators!

Thanks to netgalley for letting me preview this graphic novel.

A collection of stories drawn by different authors, an anthology, there is finally a positive trans representation.
These stories welcome you and embrace you warmly, as if just wanted to let you know that you are no longer alone.
Each story is unique and beautiful.
It represents their voice loud and clear, proclaiming their existence in the face of a culture that has too long ignored them

The Out Side is a collection of short comics made by 29 trans and nonbinary artists. They each present their personal experiences of coming out, both to the public and to themselves. While many stories share similarities – both the difficulties of gaining family's understanding and the discovery of family within their friends and peers – each perspective is unique. The artists are from all over the world, exploring how their social and cultural circumstances influenced their relationship with gender.

With a variety of art styles, it's more than likely that you'll find and artist whose works you'll want to follow in the future. My personal favourites were by Jam Aden, Matteo Montero-Murillo, Snailords, Cyrus, and Nasr Bin Safwan.

While the artists featured on "The Out Side" share some of the struggles they've experienced a long the way, the message at the end is positive and simple – it's not the end, and there's a lot more still left to look forward to. It makes for a great feel-good collection that you can jump into when you want something short and sweet.

Nice little comic anthology. It provides a multitude of perspectives and existences of the trans experiences. The styles are all very different, and I simply didn't vibe with the style of writing or the art, which makes me knock it down to a 4*.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! I adore books like this, where you get little snapshots into different artist’s experiences and their styles. It reminded me of When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria, which was collated by Alex Assan and Eve Greenwood. Shoutouts to my favourite pieces in here:

- What’s the Point Then? by Jam Aden
- Undefined by Zhen Tso
- Going Home by Matteo Montero-Murillo
- Cat Today and Human Tomorrow by Julie Fiveash
- Slow and Steady by Lake Fama
- Familiar by Cyrus

Special mentions also to Lucas (aka The Nifty Fox), Nasr Bin Safwan, Mel Valentine Vargas, and Kyla Aiko.

Loved the artwork and it was very informational but easy to understand for a younger audience. Definitely a five star read.

4.5 stars. If I'm basing those off of the stories themselves then 5 stars as you truly cannot rate someone else's experiences. But the art style? I'm judging that. I pretty much loved everything. Some stories were too wordy and those words were too small, others were kinda not wordy enough but those are the ones where the pictures did the talking and I loved it.

I really enjoyed reading this queer anthology, focused on various gender journeys from trans and non-binary artists. I’ve seen other reviewers complain that the story lines felt too similar, but as a trans person, I disagree.

This book encompasses different varieties and flavors of coming out. Some folks discovered themselves from a very young age; others didn’t connect the dots until much later in life. Every story and every experience matters, because there is no one way to “be trans.” I think this book does an excellent job of encompassing trans experiences.

Th Out Side is a collection of touching, vulnerable, and endearing comics from trans and enby creators. Each comic centers on an element of the creator’s experience with their gender - but don’t let that make you think this collection is repetitive! The styles and stories vary artist to artist, helping to convey there is no one single story of being transgender or non-binary.

The art ranges from abstract to adorable to beautiful. Each creator’s voice was strong within their piece, and all were so open about their story. I loved reading this - I read it super fast and definitely will read it again. Highly recommend!!

This collection of comics tell many stories about self discovery and finding the way to your true self. I asked to review this book because I love to support queer people and learning what those experiences are like. I love how each artist put their own little spin on their stories and how unique each one was. I even noticed some creators in here that I knew from WebToon and that was a wonderful surprise! I really enjoyed getting to learn about so many creators and I think it’s a wonderful collection and a very quick read.

The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics is a beautiful collection of comics that celebrates the stories of 18 trans or non-binary artists. I loved seeing the different styles of comics and how each artist had a unique voice and story. Some of the comics were super short and some were more involved but each one had a theme of self discovery, self acceptance, and self love. I think books like this are so important and I really liked the diversity in the artists chosen for the book.

*reviewed from uncorrected eARC via netgalley*

compilation of comics created by trans and nonbinary artists (crowdfunded on Kickstarter) about their personal experiences, providing needed perspective on the wide and varied spectrum of gender identity that you wouldn't easily find elsewhere. I loved this collection of comics which I hope will let trans and enby people feel 'seen' and less alone, but which is also helpful for allies to be supportive and understanding as well -- each comic is like getting to know a new friend.

I (cis-female) read this with my partner (non-binary), in the hopes that it would help me understand them better and encourage more discourse between us about the topic, and it did! I loved how we got stories from all walks of life, as not only is everyone's gender expression and childhood different, but also the many identities within the NB label. I particularly liked the one about the bigender person, something I haven't seen much representation of. My fiancee was a bit freaked out by the in depth look at top surgery, though it did help prepare them a bit for this in the future. Every story was different, we loved all the styles of illustrations included, and it really helped us both understand how nuanced the seemingly simple idea of 'gender" really is! The only slightly negative thing I would say is that some of the writing could be difficult to read, especially on a screen.

This was such a cute book about being trans and non binary. I loved the characters in the book and the story.

I’m honestly a little bit lost for words. This book contains so many beautiful stories and art pieces around the topic of gender and finding yourself and it’s honestly just incredible! So moving, so breathtaking and just an all around must read! I already preordered a copy because this book needs to live on my shelf, it’s not a want, it’s a need! 10/10 please read this!

**received in exchange for review. opinions my own**

- Stories from trans & NB peeps told through comics, about how/when they knew &/or when or how they decided to begin embracing themselves.
- It's like an anthology, ft comics though.
- I'm glad this kind of thing exists. I feel like I understand a bit more about trans & NB people, as well as myself.

Thank you to Netgalley, The Kao Studios, and the authors for providing this arc in return for my honest review.

I'm super happy to be posting this review during pride month even though the book isn't coming out till September. I had a lot of fun with this book. There are stories by 29 trans and nonbinary authors/artists in here and it was thrilling to see so many of them in one book.

Now since this is an anthology featuring so many people and it's only about 178 pages, on my Netgalley app, the stories are very short. That doesn't make them any less charming though. I enjoyed some more than others but overall I'd rate all of the stories about 4 to 5 stars. The art style differs as do the stories themselves which brings a lot of uniqueness to the book.

I'm really hoping we'll see a comic like this in middle schools someday. With all the book bannings and attacks on lgbtqia+ rights the need for these books to exist where children can safetly have access to them becomes more and more nessacary.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn a little bit about different people's trans and nonbinary experiences or just wants to read a cute comic anthology.