April 15, 2024
With this funny and fast-paced contemporary, Ellis (Love & Other Scams) makes the familiar story of a closeted movie star feel fresh. Action hero Patrick Lake is mired in constant reshoots for his second Captain Kismet film in Birmingham, England, when his costar’s insistence he visit a gay club leads to a viral photo of him doing poppers. Luckily, a friendly neighborhood drag queen, Grace Anatomy, pulled him from the club before the situation could escalate, but now Patrick is on damage control. Meanwhile, in trying to track down a possibly apocryphal issue of the Captain Kismet comic’s original run, he meets Will Wright, a used bookstore employee who does not initially disclose that he and Grace are one and the same. Will assumes Patrick’s requests to hang out just stem from loneliness until Patrick admits to being gay but not coming out to keep his career on track. After Will signs an NDA, the men embark on a tender secret relationship, using “straight-man drag,” Patrick’s stunt double, and Will’s boisterous found family to outwit the paparazzi. Flashbacks to 1949 and the creation of Captain Kismet by a husband-and-wife team in a lavender marriage unearth the hero’s hidden queer origins and show continuity in homophobic threats to careers. Ellis brings both wit and empathy to bear throughout and crafts characters readers will root for. This is a delight. Agent: Maria Whelan, InkWell Management.
May 1, 2024
A closeted mega-famous American actor must keep his relationship with a British drag queen secret. Patrick Lake is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood--as Captain Kismet, he's the lead in a superhero movie that's part of the Wonderverse (clearly modeled after Marvel). When Patrick and the rest of the cast and crew are sent to Birmingham, England, to do reshoots, he ends up going out with his co-star to a gay bar--which is a problem, given that Patrick is very much not out. His agent says he needs to present a facade of straightness to the American public so his career as a superhero will continue to grow, so being photographed onstage with drag queens isn't exactly helping him stay undercover. One of those drag queens is Will Wright, who--while dressed as his drag alter ego, Grace Anatomy--helps Patrick and his friends escape the enthusiastic mob of clubgoers. When Will isn't in drag, he works at a used bookstore, which is where Patrick runs into him again on his quest to find a rare Captain Kismet comic. As the two of them attempt to hunt down the comic, they become friends--and, slowly, more than friends. But Patrick can never be seen with Will, and even as they meet each other's families and begin to fall for each other, their relationship is built on a foundation of secrecy and an NDA. Patrick might know how to save the day when he's in costume as Captain Kismet, but he's not sure he has the bravery needed to follow his heart. Ellis creates a winning world full of snappy banter, drag queens fighting for justice, and found family. Both characters' lives are fully drawn out and feature an array of quirky, entertaining side characters. A subplot involving the creators of Captain Kismet drives home the point that queer creators have always been present in the comics world, and (much like Patrick and Will) they managed to find joy even when facing oppression and heartbreak. A fun and hopeful romance, perfect for superhero fans and comics readers.
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