You're invited to Sina Grace's gay BFF house party comic Rockstar & Softboy

Rockstar and Softboy excerpt (Image credit: Sina Grace (Image Comics))

You might know Sina Grace as a writer given his work on Marvel's Iceman and BOOM! Studios' Go Go Power Rangers, but he broke into comics as an artist/writer - and he's returning to his roots with the one-shot Rockstar and Softboy.

Rockstar and Softboy cover (Image credit: Sina Grace (Image Comics))

Rockstar and Softboy is a modern-day buddy comedy (with a side of romance), leaning into 'house party' sub-genre of such memorable films as Animal House and Booksmart.

"As a fan of buddy movies like Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, it only just occurred to me that I can create a story of my very own where two gay besties throw a party that includes werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches, and the reviled Party Animal," Grace says in the announcement. "Rockstar and Softboy is pure, frenzied, loving, ratchet friendship in a comic book."

Animal House had Bluto, and Rockstar and Softboy's party animal seems to be… well, Rockstar, from the looks of this preview:

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Rockstar and Softboy preview

Although Rockstar and Softboy is fictional, it was originally inspired by an interaction between Grace and fellow comics writer Josh Trujillo during a DC pitch competition… and you can't help but notice that Rockstar is drawn to look similar to Grace, and Softboy does resemble Trujillo.

"It's wild and weird but it's the gay BFF story I want for me and my friends," Grace tells Newsarama, "because I'm tired of projecting myself onto Abbi and Ilana, Romy and Michele, etc."

Rockstar and Softboy goes on sale on February 23 from Image Comics.

You can pre-order Rockstar and Softboy now, and while you wait make sure you've read all of our recommended best comics of 2021.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)