Bingo Love
| Bingo Love | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 14, 2018 |
| Page count | 88 pages |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | Tee Franklin |
| Artists | Jenn St-Onge |
| Letterer | Cardinal Rae |
| Colorist | Joy San |
| Editor | Erica Schultz |
| ISBN | 978-1-5343-0750-6 |
Bingo Love is a 2018 LGBTQ+ romance graphic novel written by Tee Franklin and illustrated by Jenn St-Onge and Joy San. It follows two women in their 60s who rekindle their teenage love for each other.
Plot
[edit source]Hazel and Mari, two teenage Black girls in the 1960s, meet at a church bingo hall in 1963 and fall in love. They secretly become girlfriends, but are exposed and forced apart by their families. Decades later, when they are grandmothers in heterosexual marriages, the two run into each in another bingo hall and discover they still have feelings for each other.[1][2]
Development
[edit source]Franklin was inspired to create the work after seeing a commercial for health healthcare featuring two older Black women.[3]
The book was originally funded on Kickstarter, raising close to $60,000.[4][5] It was also chosen for Prism Comics' 2017 Queer Press Grant.[6]
An expanded edition of the original book titled Jackpot Edition containing extra content from guest artists, as well as a sequel titled Bingo Love Vol. 2: Dear Diary focusing on Mari’s granddaughter going through her grandmother’s journals, was announced in 2018.[7][8] Jackpot Edition released in November 2018.[9]
Reception
[edit source]Bingo Love was given a starred review by the School Library Journal.[10] It was also reviewed by Publishers Weekly.[11]
The Advocate included in a list of the Best LGBTQ Graphic Novels of 2018, stating who the book showed both how homophobia "can disrupt lives" and how it "cannot stop the hands of fate or prevent true love from finding fruition". It also emphasized the book's depiction of "dark skin, black hair, full figures [and] visible stretch marks" for the main leads.[12] Autostraddle named it one of the Best LGBT Books of 2018, describing it as "ungodly adorable".[13]
| Year | Award/Honor | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book | Finalist | [14] |
| 2018 | NPR's Best Books | Included | [15] |
See also
[edit source]- The Ojja-Wojja - graphic novel also illustrated by Jenn St-Onge
References
[edit source]- ↑ Mey (2018-02-27). "Drawn to Comics: "Bingo Love" Is a Black Queer Romance That Lasts a Lifetime and Will Make Yours Better". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ McMillan, Graeme (2018-02-01). "How 'Bingo Love' Became One of 2018's Most-Buzzed-About Comics". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Jusino, Teresa (2017-04-14). "Tee Franklin Honors Queer, Black, Older Women in Bingo Love". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Crist-Wagner, Keri (2017-03-20). "Bingo Love: Back this Kickstarter!". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Here is 'Bingo Love,' the black, queer romantic graphic novella". PhillyVoice. 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Johnston, Rich (2017-04-10). "Gail Simone Jumps On Board The Bingo Love Bandwagon As Tee Franklin Wins The Prism Comics Queer Press Grant". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Terror, Jude (2018-06-22). "Bingo Love 2 Coming in 2020 from Tee Franklin and Beverly Johnson". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ McMillan, Graeme (2018-06-22). "Queer Romance Hit 'Bingo Love' to Return With 2 New Releases". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Arvedon, Jon (2018-07-24). "Image Comics' October 2018 Solicitations". CBR. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- ↑ SLJ. "Bingo Love by Tee Franklin | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Bingo Love by Tee Franklin". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "The Best Books We Read in 2018: Graphic Novels | Advocate.com". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Casey (2018-12-03). "50 of the Best LGBT Books of 2018". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Puc, Samantha (2019-01-25). "Here Are the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards Comic Book Nominees". The Beat. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Goldfarb, Alice. "NPR's Book Concierge". NPR.org. Retrieved 2026-08-09.