two pages, same story

Ace of Hearts release week post #4

Jan 09, 2026

Good morning, and…

HAPPY ACE OF HEARTS RELEASE WEEK!

In honor of the release of my debut graphic memoir, which details how my asexuality has shaped my love life, I am making a series of posts this week that give insight into this work that can’t be seen anywhere else.

This book really wouldn’t exist were it not for a single comic strip I drew in 2021. In fact, this was the first full comic strip I drew after I decided to dive headfirst into comics. It was called “Asexual Things I Did Before Realizing I Was Asexual No. 1,” and it is a reflection on one of the first things from my past that finally made sense after I figured out I was ace. That strip eventually gave way to dozens of others following the same theme, which I put into two zines that got me noticed by a publisher, leading to this book deal.

But in this first comic, I reflect on what it was like to be a teenager in youth group getting the sex talk over and over and over. I remember finding it so strange that the adults around me were so invested in making sure we knew how spiritually perilous it was to have sex before marriage. I found it even stranger how dramatic they were in their testimonies, talking about avoiding sex as if it was the hardest thing they’d ever done. I thought they surely must be exaggerating, because I did not experience those temptations at all. Though I never canvassed them for their feelings, I thought my peers must surely feel the same way. And it was truly not until I realized I was asexual at age 24 that it dawned on me that I’d been totally mistaken.

My full memoir of my asexuality could not be complete without a retelling of this experience, but it’s not like I could just copy and paste the old comic strip! In the book, I recount the exact same feeling, but in a way that matches the tone and flows properly.

Below, you’ll find the old comic strip followed by the relevant scene from the book.

Please enjoy, and make sure to come back tomorrow for the final Ace of Hearts release week post!