Tee Franklin shakes up industry norms & BINGO LOVE is rushed back to print For A Third Time
BINGO LOVE — the original graphic novel created and written by Tee Franklin, with art by Jenn St-Onge, colors by Joy San, and cover art by Genevieve FT—is being rushed back to print yet again by Image Comics to keep up with the momentum of the breakout hit.
Since its release on Valentine’s Day, the LGBTQ romance has flown off shelves—garnering critical acclaim and viral attention across social media.
“Wow! A third printing! I am completely humbled, and my heart is so full at the amount of support Bingo Love has received since its announcement,” said Franklin. “Bingo Love has given everyone—from children, adults, to seniors…HOPE. The hope that they can have their happily ever after and that it’s not just for straight people. From the entire Bingo Love team, we thank you all for your continued support!”
Franklin is a Black, Queer, disabled woman, known in the comics industry as a vocal person of color and advocate for the LGBTQ and disabled community. She is credited for starting the popular hashtag: #BlackComicsMonth, which aims to make comic book fans more aware of talented Black comic creators and their diverse comic book characters and superheroes that already exist in the industry.
Franklin first made waves when her BINGO LOVE title won the 2017 Queer Press Grant and raised almost $60k via Kickstarter. It gained traction in mainstream media for its progressive, LGBTQ-positive narrative.
BINGO LOVE is a story about two Queer, Black women and the love between them that spans decades. It explores the complications of coming out at an older age and how that decision affects their families lives.
Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray are two young, Black girls who meet at church bingo in 1963 and eventually fall in love…but in this time period, their love was not accepted. Hazel and Mari are broken up by their families’ “shame” and go on to marry and have families of their own. Almost 50 years later—in the fever pitch of church bingo—Mari and Hazel are reunited and rediscover the love they have for each other, even though they both are still married.
BINGO LOVE will remain available for purchase across all digital platforms, including the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com), the official Image Comics iOS app, Comixology’s website (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.
BINGO LOVE, 3rd printing (Diamond Code DEC170648, ISBN: 978-1-5343-0750-6) and will be available on Wednesday, April 25th.
