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WE WROTE A BOOK!
Opting Out is available for pre-order ✨

We are also going on Tour! Tour dates and info in my story highlights, @redgoldsparks has a tile post about it, keep an eye out for that!

See you on shelves May 5th ❤️ ❤️

WE WROTE A BOOK!
Opting Out is available for pre-order ✨

We are also going on Tour! Tour dates and info in my story highlights, @redgoldsparks has a tile post about it, keep an eye out for that!

See you on shelves May 5th ❤️ ❤️

WE WROTE A BOOK!
Opting Out is available for pre-order ✨

We are also going on Tour! Tour dates and info in my story highlights, @redgoldsparks has a tile post about it, keep an eye out for that!

See you on shelves May 5th ❤️ ❤️

WE WROTE A BOOK!
Opting Out is available for pre-order ✨

We are also going on Tour! Tour dates and info in my story highlights, @redgoldsparks has a tile post about it, keep an eye out for that!

See you on shelves May 5th ❤️ ❤️

WE WROTE A BOOK!
Opting Out is available for pre-order ✨

We are also going on Tour! Tour dates and info in my story highlights, @redgoldsparks has a tile post about it, keep an eye out for that!

See you on shelves May 5th ❤️ ❤️

COVER REVEAL!
Our book is coming out in May '26! I can't wait to share it with all of you ❤️
Read about it in @comicsbeat ❤️

I just want like 3 weeks alone with my cat he's my li'l familiar.
😻

Could there possibly be a more Nonbinarian event than hosting the book launch of @redgoldsparks & @luckys.comix’s OPTING OUT at @lgbtbrooklyn 🤩🤩

Thank you to the authors & all those behind the scene for helping to bring this beautiful middle grade graphic novel to the world &, especially, to our many trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, & gender questioning Nonbinarian kiddos.

It was so special to host this event & for those of you who missed it, we have signed copies in store! Visit us at 1130 President St in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to grab your copy of Opting Out! 🥳🥳

Could there possibly be a more Nonbinarian event than hosting the book launch of @redgoldsparks & @luckys.comix’s OPTING OUT at @lgbtbrooklyn 🤩🤩

Thank you to the authors & all those behind the scene for helping to bring this beautiful middle grade graphic novel to the world &, especially, to our many trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, & gender questioning Nonbinarian kiddos.

It was so special to host this event & for those of you who missed it, we have signed copies in store! Visit us at 1130 President St in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to grab your copy of Opting Out! 🥳🥳

Could there possibly be a more Nonbinarian event than hosting the book launch of @redgoldsparks & @luckys.comix’s OPTING OUT at @lgbtbrooklyn 🤩🤩

Thank you to the authors & all those behind the scene for helping to bring this beautiful middle grade graphic novel to the world &, especially, to our many trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, & gender questioning Nonbinarian kiddos.

It was so special to host this event & for those of you who missed it, we have signed copies in store! Visit us at 1130 President St in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to grab your copy of Opting Out! 🥳🥳

A second starred review for OPTING OUT, by Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar, forthcoming from @graphixbooks on May 5 2026! @kirkus_reviews wrote:

In this collaboration between Kobabe, celebrated for eir memoir, Gender Queer (2019), and debut creator Srikumar, middle schooler Saachi struggles with change.

Saachi loves fantasy novels, creative writing, and spending time with best friend Lyla. But the rising seventh grader doesn’t understand why Lyla and their other Waldorf school classmates are so excited about crushes and dating. Making matters worse, Saachi’s first period arrives, and with it, feelings of dysphoria. A puberty book from the library that covers trans and nonbinary identities helps Saachi realize that “I think I prefer things that fall in the middle.” Uncomfortable and miserable, Saachi withdraws socially, becomes hyperfocused on being published, and instigates conflict with classmate Isaac, all of which leads to a huge fight with Lyla, who, like Isaac, presents white. Indian American Saachi’s Tamil-speaking parents and younger sister are loving, offering both the support and space needed for figuring out questions of identity. Having an autobiographical poem accepted by a magazine is a confidence booster, leading to Saachi’s opening up to family and accepting that, as Appa said when the family visited their Hindu temple, change is a part of life. The co-authors expertly craft Saachi as a sometimes frustrating, often relatable, and very real tween, and the 12-chapter structure gives the yearlong story a consistent pacing. Kobabe and Srikumar’s artwork spotlights the characters’ facial expressions and body language. The artists effectively use color and other visual cues to convey Saachi’s feelings of being in between. Nuanced, necessary, and heartfelt. (Graphic fiction. Ages 9-13) #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar #optingoutcomic #bookreview #queerbookreview #queercomics

A second starred review for OPTING OUT, by Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar, forthcoming from @graphixbooks on May 5 2026! @kirkus_reviews wrote:

In this collaboration between Kobabe, celebrated for eir memoir, Gender Queer (2019), and debut creator Srikumar, middle schooler Saachi struggles with change.

Saachi loves fantasy novels, creative writing, and spending time with best friend Lyla. But the rising seventh grader doesn’t understand why Lyla and their other Waldorf school classmates are so excited about crushes and dating. Making matters worse, Saachi’s first period arrives, and with it, feelings of dysphoria. A puberty book from the library that covers trans and nonbinary identities helps Saachi realize that “I think I prefer things that fall in the middle.” Uncomfortable and miserable, Saachi withdraws socially, becomes hyperfocused on being published, and instigates conflict with classmate Isaac, all of which leads to a huge fight with Lyla, who, like Isaac, presents white. Indian American Saachi’s Tamil-speaking parents and younger sister are loving, offering both the support and space needed for figuring out questions of identity. Having an autobiographical poem accepted by a magazine is a confidence booster, leading to Saachi’s opening up to family and accepting that, as Appa said when the family visited their Hindu temple, change is a part of life. The co-authors expertly craft Saachi as a sometimes frustrating, often relatable, and very real tween, and the 12-chapter structure gives the yearlong story a consistent pacing. Kobabe and Srikumar’s artwork spotlights the characters’ facial expressions and body language. The artists effectively use color and other visual cues to convey Saachi’s feelings of being in between. Nuanced, necessary, and heartfelt. (Graphic fiction. Ages 9-13) #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar #optingoutcomic #bookreview #queerbookreview #queercomics

He's literally enormous.

He's literally enormous.

Who are the cool queers anyway?

How to survive a deluge of bad news.

Stay strong, stick together, make bonds, make friends, fill your heart with hope and purpose.

See my posts early on patron, most of my posts on there are free nowadays ❤️

OPTING OUT just got its first starred review from @publisherswkly! They wrote:

A tween reconciles puberty’s effects on her body with shifting feelings about her gender identity in an empathic graphic novel from Kobabe (Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding) and debut creator Srikumar. Navigating seventh grade proves challenging for Saachi, especially since her best friend, Lyla, seems more interested in talking about boys than the fictional worlds the pair used to bond over. Saachi’s confusion surrounding recent dreams in which she is a boy, pressure from her parents to take on a more active role in managing the household, and mental and bodily discomfort from her first period manifest in emotional outbursts, which she channels into physical altercations with a classmate. Concerned about Saachi’s changing demeanor, her mother gives Saachi a book about puberty, and sections about nonbinary and transgender kids prompt personal reflection (“How would I know if I’m not a girl?... I think I prefer things that fall in the middle”). Saachi’s internal monologue, journal entries, and poetry provide multiple avenues across which the creators reflect on themes of identity and adolescence. Character expressions and body language rendered in rich jewel tones take center stage in this tender and intimate portrait. The protagonists are depicted with various skin tones. Ages 10–12. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt.

The book is available for pre-order now and will be in stores May 5 2026!

OPTING OUT just got its first starred review from @publisherswkly! They wrote:

A tween reconciles puberty’s effects on her body with shifting feelings about her gender identity in an empathic graphic novel from Kobabe (Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding) and debut creator Srikumar. Navigating seventh grade proves challenging for Saachi, especially since her best friend, Lyla, seems more interested in talking about boys than the fictional worlds the pair used to bond over. Saachi’s confusion surrounding recent dreams in which she is a boy, pressure from her parents to take on a more active role in managing the household, and mental and bodily discomfort from her first period manifest in emotional outbursts, which she channels into physical altercations with a classmate. Concerned about Saachi’s changing demeanor, her mother gives Saachi a book about puberty, and sections about nonbinary and transgender kids prompt personal reflection (“How would I know if I’m not a girl?... I think I prefer things that fall in the middle”). Saachi’s internal monologue, journal entries, and poetry provide multiple avenues across which the creators reflect on themes of identity and adolescence. Character expressions and body language rendered in rich jewel tones take center stage in this tender and intimate portrait. The protagonists are depicted with various skin tones. Ages 10–12. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt.

The book is available for pre-order now and will be in stores May 5 2026!

@luckys.comix and I received the ARCs of our new book! OPTING OUT, on sale May 5 2026, from @graphixbooks. I'm very excited for all of you to read it :D Preorder link in my linktree! #comics #graphicnovel #graphix #graphixbooks #scholastic #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar

@luckys.comix and I received the ARCs of our new book! OPTING OUT, on sale May 5 2026, from @graphixbooks. I'm very excited for all of you to read it :D Preorder link in my linktree! #comics #graphicnovel #graphix #graphixbooks #scholastic #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar

@luckys.comix and I received the ARCs of our new book! OPTING OUT, on sale May 5 2026, from @graphixbooks. I'm very excited for all of you to read it :D Preorder link in my linktree! #comics #graphicnovel #graphix #graphixbooks #scholastic #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar

@luckys.comix and I received the ARCs of our new book! OPTING OUT, on sale May 5 2026, from @graphixbooks. I'm very excited for all of you to read it :D Preorder link in my linktree! #comics #graphicnovel #graphix #graphixbooks #scholastic #maiakobabe #luckysrikumar

Ooooo what?? A multi page comic?? No way???
Anyway here's some musings about tennis balls and all sorts of other things!
.
More stuff on my Patreon, as always ❤️

Ooooo what?? A multi page comic?? No way???
Anyway here's some musings about tennis balls and all sorts of other things!
.
More stuff on my Patreon, as always ❤️

Ooooo what?? A multi page comic?? No way???
Anyway here's some musings about tennis balls and all sorts of other things!
.
More stuff on my Patreon, as always ❤️

Ooooo what?? A multi page comic?? No way???
Anyway here's some musings about tennis balls and all sorts of other things!
.
More stuff on my Patreon, as always ❤️