Trick Pony

by Greg Lockard, Anna David (Illustrator), Lucas Gattoni (Illustrator)

Overview

From the GLAAD Media Award-nominated writer of the bestselling queer historical graphic novel LIEBESTRASSE comes this LGBTQA+ fantasy tale of a washed-up rodeo star heading home to visit his father in the hospital. While on the road he confronts the mistakes of his past and the monsters of his present.

A beautiful story that blends together themes of second chances, magical realism, queer romance, and fantasy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506737218
Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.66(w) x 10.19(h) x 0.26(d)

About the Author

Greg Lockard is a writer and editor of comic books and related media.

Liebestrasse is a historical fiction graphic novel that Greg co-created with artist Tim Fish for ComiXology Originals. It was nominated as an “Outstanding Comic Book” for the 2020 GLAAD Media Awards and listed by the New York Times as one of 10 Comic Books to Celebrate Pride.

As a freelance comic book editor, his client list includes ComiXology Originals, Offset Comics, and Image Comics. He is also currently working as a Development Editor and Narrative Designer for Einhorn’s Epic Productions in fictional podcasts, graphic novels, and other related media.

Prior to working independently, Greg edited for the Vertigo imprint at DC Comics. He worked on numerous titles including DIAL H, The Unwritten, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Sweet Tooth, iZombie, The Kitchen, Fables, Fairest, and American Vampire.

During the Spring 2020 semester, Greg led a writing workshop in graphic novel scripting at New York University.

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2024

A queer rodeo star trudges home in this enigmatic graphic novel from Lockard (Liebestrasse). Jimmy Thomas, star of the Electric Rodeo, is losing his panache and too often his grip on the reins. His latest tumble earns a stern warning from a doctor, which Jimmy disregards (“I will ride into my grave”). But when word from his mom arrives that his dad is in the hospital, Jimmy saddles up his horse Emmylou and trots out of a dizzying, fantastically styled city. On his journey back through a desert landscape, he ruminates on his first love, a fellow rodeo hopeful whose career prematurely ended with a bad fall. As Jimmy reminisces, his path leads him into strange encounters, one-night stands, eerie visions, and dangers, such as a cattle’s horns alight with St. Elmo’s fire and a close encounter with a terrifying shape-shifting canine. David’s art has a sketchy, soft-focused quality that adds to the aura of mystery. Boldly colored backdrops imbue the narrative with a big-sky feel, whether in the city’s moody night clubs or the red rock loneliness of Jimmy’s trek. While many questions go unanswered—both about this magical world and Jimmy’s past—there’s a consistently tender emotional core. The result is a beguiling adventure. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Heartbreaking, honest, and beautiful. I adored Trick Pony. It's everything I want in a graphic novel."—James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Department of Truth)
 
"Charming, heartfelt, and endlessly surprising. This is the cowboy fantasy I always dreamed of."—Tate Brombal (The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, Behold, Behemoth)
 
"A psychedelic trip through a rodeo cowboy's haunted past, Trick Pony is wonderfully surreal and beautifully sentimental. I loved every poignant page of it."—Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) 
 
“Trick Pony is a heartfelt, beautifully delivered ode to self-reflection and coming to terms with the trauma and mistakes of our past to better handle the present. Lockard’s thoughtful and intense story pairs perfectly with David’s lush and vibrant art to create something resonant. You’ll love this book.”—Alex Segura (Secret Identity, Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow)
 
“It’s a book with as many interpretations and as much meaning as you’re willing to give it, but beneath all that strangeness, it’s also a book about seizing love wherever you find it and riding off into the sunset.”—Matt Kamen, Gayming Mag
 
“It was incredibly easy to fall into Jimmy Thomas’ boots and feel like I too was experiencing a tense reconciliation with a troubled past.”—Luke Henderson, The Comic Book Yeti

From the Publisher