The Chromatic Fantasy, the first graphic novel from H.A., combines high-fantasy art styles, swashbuckling adventures, and contemporary dialogue. This story of queer love goes beyond trans pain and joy to represent trans healing. In a convent dedicated to controlling the God of Unearthly Fire, Jules lets the god--otherwise known as the devil--into his thoughts. Jules, longing to live in pleasure as a man rather than engage in a regimented life as a nun, submits to the devil's sexual desires and gains his freedom from the convent. But Jules is disappointed by the reality of his new life--until he meets Casper, another trans man living a life of crime. After their adversarial meeting turns to mutual admiration and flirtatious banter, Jules discovers that the devil's claim to deliver an infinitely more satisfying sexual experience than any human could is false--Casper gives him pleasure and satisfaction unlike anything the devil ever did. Several near-death experiences later, Jules and Casper heal from the messages of their youth together and figure out what family means to them.
Highly saturated artwork fills the pages of this graphic novel, with key moments highlighted by a startling switch to softer, paler colors. The addition of depth and shading to Jules's and Casper's bodies during their physical encounters, in contrast to the unshaded style in the rest of the book, heightens the sexual intensity. Passion and tenderness permeate this eminently satisfying story of adventure and inner peace. --Dainy Bernstein, postdoc in children's literature, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign