Description
San Francisco, 1980. Randy Shilts-biographer of Harvey Milk and the first openly gay journalist hired by the mainstream media-receives a disturbing call at the San Francisco Chronicle. The caller, a Los Angeles patient, is being treated for what seems to be a rare form of skin cancer. As Shilts investigates, he uncovers a troubling pattern: The illness appears to affect only homosexual men, with early cases linked to a Castro-district bathhouse. And a meeting with an infectious disease researcher confirms his worst fears-the so-called "gay cancer" is far more widespread and complex than anyone realizes. Forbidden from reporting on it directly, Shilts turns to sensationalist fake news to force action against the unfolding HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Shilts's relentless pursuit of the truth would change the course of history, exposing the crisis the world tried to ignore. With this graphic novel biography-equally engaging, insightful, and flamboyant-the creators bring to the fore a story that remains as crucial as ever and deserves our attention.
About the Author
Clement Xavier was born in 1981 in Mozambique. After pursuing comics studies in Angouleme, he cofounded NA, a publisher of comics and photo stories whose books have won multiple awards over the years. In parallel, he has authored a growing number of graphic novels for other publishers, with a focus on history and biographies, often based in the United States. He currently lives in Marseille, France. Heloise Chochois was born in eastern France in 1991. She studied the graphic arts and has spent much of her young career dedicated to the worlds of health and science. As an illustrator specializing in scientific outreach through comics, she has published La Fabrique des corps, which ranges from prosthetics to transhumanism, and Intelligences artificielles, miroirs de nos vies, which drills down into the place of AI in our lives. At the same time, she has also taken up sensitive historical and contemporary stories, both with Lynchages ordinaires, which explores the place of lynching in Brazilian society, and 11 septembre, le jour ou le monde a bascule, which explores the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Collectively, these projects led her to create Bitter Pill, which offered her the perfect outlet for her talents. She currently lives in the Paris region.
Book Information
ISBN 9781419788697
Author Xavier
Format Hardback
Page Count 160
Imprint Abrams ComicArts
Publisher Abrams