Bored Panda got in touch with the artist to learn more about Amee and her comics nowadays.
We asked her whether anything has changed since the last post. Amee shared: "The style of the chameleons has begun to develop their own characters and more of a quirky feel. That's been pretty fun to develop over time. It happened quite naturally as I just drew them over and over again, and they took on a life of their own. I've also begun to do more research into topics that I think people would like to learn about - so now I have spent a little more time reading about new parts of the community and working out how to make them easy and fun to read about!"
Artists put a lot of their thoughts and hard work into anything they create. But the exchange happens both ways. If the artist puts a lot of effort into their work, in return, they get knowledge, better understanding, and skills.
Amee shared how these comics influenced her. "Sometimes the comics can be quite cathartic - and I use them to deal with things I'm frustrated with or feeling at the time. But more than anything else, learning about other people's identities to create some of my more educational content has taught me SO many things I didn't know about the community. So I feel like I've been learning as much as the audience!"
We were wondering what Amee wants the most for the readers to take from her comics. She shared: "while there are so many different queer experiences, and journeys, we're not as alone as we feel. While we're all so different, we actually still have a lot in common with each other! And also that these comics are just a snapshot of some elements of LGBTQ+ life, it's so much broader than some of the topics I cover, and also continually changing!"
Having so many fun comics already made, we were wondering if there was one comic in particular that stands out for Amee herself. She shared: "probably Hell of a Party. It's a comment I get a lot online from trolls ('Gay people are going to hell'), and it gave me the thought... well... to make light of it a little... if we're all going down there, it means it'd probably be pretty fun to be all there together!"
If you enjoy Amee's comics, there is some good news ahead! Amee is going to release a book called: "Queer Chameleon and Friends" that will launch upcoming February. The book is published by Penguin Random House Australia and is now available for pre-order.
"It's been a wild year! In the last couple of months, I was actually approached by Penguin to create a book full of new comics!! It's such a wild idea, but the fact that it means there'll be a real, tangible thing that could hopefully reach more people and make them feel seen and visible brings me so much joy! It's out next year, and I am so excited and nervous for people to see the new work."
And lastly, Amee added: "I always love to hear suggestions from people on the types of content they'd like to see - if there are labels they'd like to learn about or other topics. I'm a very open book, so please just email me or send me a DM!"
