Stage Dreams

A runaway and a bandit in search of new lives team up to steal war plans from the Confederacy. When Grace, a white trans woman and aspiring actress, runs away from conscription into the Georgia Infantry, she finds herself caught in the talons of the Ghost Hawk, a half-woman, half-hawk demon bandit--or so the rumors say. Despite the wild stories, the mysterious Ghost Hawk turns out to be a 'short brown lady' named Flor who dreams of living out the rest of her life on her own patch of land with some goats as soon as she gets the money from one last, big heist. With the help of Grace's acting skills and understanding of upper-class, white Georgian culture, they plot to steal secrets from a backroom meeting at a cotillion and sell them to the Union. Gillman (Steven Universe: Punching Up, 2018, etc.) captures the southwestern atmosphere with a soft, dusty color palette. Panels full of movement and vivid character expression create an immersive reading experience. The narrative unites two women with different backgrounds, depicting a relationship in which they support one another. Their romance develops naturally through moments of flirtation and fond glances. An open-ended but still satisfying resolution suggests a bright, hopeful future while leaving room to imagine more adventures for Grace and Flor. An engrossing escapade with a heart-stealing queer romance. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal Stage Dreams is a delight. A fast-paced, charming adventure story told beautifully in colored pencil--a medium nobody knows better than Mel Gillman. Treat yourself to this book; your day/week/life will be better for it. --Kate Leth, Spell on Wheels --Other Print Melanie Gillman's beautifully crafted YA graphic adventure reveals the hitherto little-known historic diversity of the Old West. --Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters --Other Print