Hey, Mary!
By: Andrew Wheeler, Rye Hickman (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 128
Published: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Oni Press
Dates Read: April 17, 2025
Format: eBook / ARC

Mark is a good Catholic boy – he goes to church, says his prayers, and spends a lot of time worrying about damnation. When Mark realizes he has a crush on another boy in his school, he struggles with the mix of his feelings, his faith, and the weight of centuries of shame and judgement. He seeks advice from one of his priests, as well as a local drag performer, but he also had conversations with key figures in Catholic history and lore. Ultimately though, only Mark can answer his question of if he can be both Catholic and gay.

I felt like this was a wonderful, compassionate graphic novel about a young man learning his balance between his sexuality and his faith. I’m no longer religious, but as a Pansexual 30+ year old, I could see my younger self in Mark as he questioned his faith. This book doesn’t condemn religion, but presents the philosophy that someone can be gay and religious.

I greatly appreciated the examples of key figures in Catholic history and lore – I grew up Baptist, but I had a lot of family who were Catholic, so I know a bit about the Saints and the Catholic church. Histories, of all types really, are always more gay than what’s usually taught. “They were roommates”, “his best friend who’s buried next to him”, “her hair was short and she preferred to wear pants”.

Overall, this is an appealingly drawn graphic novel about a young man figuring out his placement in his world. I believe this book could be for everyone, especially those who may be struggling with their sexuality and their religion. Though you may need a bit of knowledge on Catholicism and their saints, even if you don’t know a ton, this book is still informal. 

*Thank you Oni Press and Edelweiss+ for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review