• Age: 11 to 13
• Grade: 6 to 8
• Reading age: 11 to 13

2022 ALBERTA BOOK AWARDS 'GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR'

1973: a chance encounter between Ed and the captivating androgynous singer of the pulse-pounding glam rock band ELECTRIC VICE, pulls Ed into a world of mascara, weathered leather, platform heels and neon. Book 2 in the award-winning series. A queer love story set in the outrageous world of 1970s glam rock, Pass Me By: Electric Vice is a journey of self-discovery, heartache, glam rock, and love. An inverted coming of age story about understanding queer identity and what happens to the stories you never tell.

Kyle Simmers is a Calgary based, Canadian artist and illustrator born and raised in a special kind of Nowhere known as central Alberta. As a freelance illustrator, Kyle has worked on everything from theatrical productions and product design to editorial illustration and large-scale mural projects. Their work explores identity and relationships in the context of gender, queerness, and subjectivity.

Kyle Simmers' profile page

Ryan Danny Owen is a Canadian visual artist, writer, and queer historian currently living and working in Calgary, Alberta. His work responds to questions of identity, love, loss, desire, and emotion. Acting as love letter and protest sign, he examines his body existing in the context of queer genealogy and challenges the concept of coming after.

Ryan Danny Owen's profile page

Simmers Kyle's profile page

• Winner, ALBERTA BOOK AWARDS 'GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR
• Runner-up, Doug Wright Award for Emerging talent

"If anybody is wondering what the next generation of comics should and does look like, look no further than Pass Me By. Pass Me By feels like something David Bowie would have created if he made comics instead of music: original. Ahead of its time. Utterly addictive." - Irene Velentzas, The Comics Journal

"Everyone needs to be paying attention to the work of Kyle Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen. These Calgary-based creators are making remarkable graphic novels that are just about as good as the medium can be. Seriously: this is astonishing stuff. Electric Vice is the second book in the "Pass Me By" series but works as a stand-alone. It offers an origin story of sorts for main character Ed, whom we met in "Pass Me By: Gone Fishin'," and is struggling with age, dementia and fading memories of a career in music. This is the story of Electric Vice, simultaneously a glam rock band and a life-changing experience for Ed. It's an important book, addressing queer issues in a story of love and identities. But its real strength is its craft: illustration, layouts, pacing, dialogue, palette and more are all top-level work. This series should win awards." - Mike Donachie, Toronto Star