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WORK TITLE: Trans History
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COUNTRY: United States
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PERSONAL
Transgender American.
EDUCATION:University of North Carolina at Asheville, B.A. (Gender Studies) 2011; California College of the Arts, M.F.A. (Comics), 2019.
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CAREER
Artist, illustrator, graphic novel writer and artist.
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Combs is an artist, illustrator, and graphic novel writer who works with a variety of mediums with visual influences including anime, fine art, lettering, illustration, portraiture, tattoo, and sign painting. Combs and their partner Andrew Eakett created the 2025 nonfiction graphic novel Trans History: A Graphic Novel. With insights from scientists, historians, scholars, and other experts, the book discusses the meaning of transgender, and present gender nonconforming people in other societies around the world and throughout history. They cover Roman emperor Elagabalus, the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso, and follow up to modern times with Lucy Hicks Anderson, Christine Jorgensen, Lilac Maldonado, and the Stonewall uprising’s Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The authors note how European ideas about gender binary spread throughout the world through colonization, and the conservative backlash to nonbinary issues in Europe and the U.S. The authors also highlight the diversity of trans experiences, and offer empowerment to trans people of different ages, races, and nationalities.
In an interview with Suzanne Lucey at American Booksellers Association, Combs said the message they hope readers take away from reading the book “is just being secure in the knowledge that there’s always been people like trans people in every culture, in every time period since history started being recorded, and presumably further back than that.” Combs added: “We drew it as cartoons, and we tried to keep a humorous attitude and tone [even though] There are some parts that might be a bit more serious or dry.”
Sarah Rice in Booklist called the book stuffed to the brim with stories and information a “primer for new readers and old, with dynamic art cleverly based on archival photos, artifacts, and images.” A Kirkus Reviews critic thought the book would have “benefited from being paraphrased into more accessible language,” but overall the “broadly diverse array of individual subjects and communities are real strengths.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 2025, Sarah Rice, review of Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, p. 70, August 2025, Terry Hong, review of Trans History, p. 119.
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2025, review of Trans History.
ONLINE
Alex L. Combs website, https://alexlcombs.com/ (November 1, 2025).
American Booksellers Association, (May 14, 2025), Suzanne Lucey, “Indies Introduce Q&A with Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett.”
live in the San Francisco Bay area where I teach and make art. I earned a BA in art with a focus in printmaking and a BA in Gender Studies from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2011, and in 2019 I earned an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts. Right now I’m working on my first full-length graphic novel about transgender history.
I first started exhibiting my self-published comics and art at conventions in 2009. My first comics were fanzines and I love to connect with fan communities since a lot of my art is related to being a geeky queer human. I enjoy working with a variety of mediums and my visual influences include anime, fine art, lettering, illustration, portraiture, tattoo, and sign painting.
Please direct author inquiries to: Zabé Ellor at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
May
14
2025
Indies Introduce
Indies Introduce Q&A with Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett
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Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett are the co-creators of Trans History: A Graphic Novel, a Winter/Spring 2025 Indies Introduce YA nonfiction graphic novel selection, and May/June 2025 Kids’ Next List pick.
Suzanne Lucey of Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina, served on the panel that selected the duo’s book for Indies Introduce.
Combs and Eakett sat down with Lucey to discuss their debut title. This is a transcript of their discussion. You can listen to the interview on the ABA podcast, BookED.
Suzanne Lucey: Hey everybody. I'm Suzanne Lucy from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina. And I am delighted to be in the company of Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett. You're a creative team and a couple who have been together for more than 20 years. You have spent much of your time studying and making art about topics relating to feminist and gender studies. Trans History represents the culmination of a decade-long journey into this topic since they both came out as trans. It's on sale Tuesday, May 13.
I am so excited to see you all again. We had dinner together in Denver in February, and you're both delightful. I felt like we were old friends. How are you feeling on the verge [of publication]? Is it like Christmas for you?
Alex L. Combs: Hey, it's so nice to be here. And yes, we're really excited.
Andrew Eakett: It's very exciting. It's been a long time coming. I guess I'm almost in shock — Is it really happening? — a little nervous too, I suppose, because of the subject matter and the current political climate.
AC: Yeah. Honestly, so far, it's only been support and enthusiasm from everyone we've talked to.
SL: Well, I love your book, and I can't wait for Tuesday to happen for you. Hopefully you'll be on The New York Times bestseller, because this is important stuff. Everybody should read it. What message or messages do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?
AC: The main message that I hope people take away is just being secure in the knowledge that there's always been people like trans people in every culture, in every time period since history started being recorded, and presumably further back than that.
Also, I hope they will have some fun. We drew it as cartoons, and we tried to keep a humorous attitude and tone. There are some parts that might be a bit more serious or dry, but overall, we've been getting feedback that it's an easy read, so we hope people have fun reading it too.
AE: Yeah. And another takeaway is, I guess, that there's a lot to be curious about when it comes to trans history, that this we cover a few individuals, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg,
SL: I have a friend that is trans — they read it and loved it. You actually signed the book for them. It makes you feel like there are people that have your back and understand you. When you were writing the book and rereading it, were there any “a-ha” moments that you had like, “Oh my God, I didn't know this,” or where you learned something about yourself?
AC: I think for some people, it's going to be surprising to learn that trans people — or people who are part of the same phenomenon as trans people — have gone back so far in every culture. We were expecting to find that, but I think it did surprise me how much I found. We had to cut so much from the book, and that was one of the hardest parts.
AE: It was the same for me. And I felt like, while reading and learning more about trans history, it all made sense. The people seemed familiar in a way, or the struggles sounded like part of the historical cycles that keep repeating.
That'd be something that really sank in for me — the cyclical nature of trans people's place in society in the Western world. We've always been here, but there are a lot of periods where people think we haven't.
SL: Yeah, they put their blinders on. I have a 70 year old woman that's so cool. She bought the Elliot Page book, and she read that, and said, “You know, when I was growing up in the ’40s and ’50s, I always wanted to be a boy, because boys always got to do everything. They were cool. Girls had to be white gloves, and pretty, and quiet.” And she said, “Then I read that book and I understood it wasn't just about wanting to be a boy or dress differently. It's how you feel inside.” I think you get that from your book too.
AC: A lot of times people from that generation will remember the trans celebrity, Christine Jorgensen, was making the headlines in the ’50s.
SL: Yes. So, you have known one each other since you were kids. Do you have kind of a shorthand when you're working that you just understand, and then you have to put it down on paper?
AC: It's funny. We were laughing about this question. I think there must be one that we aren't consciously aware of. I know we can really read each other's emotions and expressions. For example, if I've done a sketch, I can show it to Andrew, and then I'll look at his face and know immediately if he likes it or not.
SL: It's good that you're honest with each other too.
AE: Honesty is important. Honesty, and patience, and the cliche of communicating. Sometimes communicating is reading each other's facial expressions and calling it out.
I think that we've had a lot of practice just being together, developing this ability to communicate with each other and feel safe even if we're having conflict. I think that really translates well into the creative process, at least for us.
SL: Did writing this book spark any ideas for future projects like TV shows, screenplays, or more books? You said you had to wipe out a lot from the book you originally wrote, which is heartbreaking sometimes…
AC: We've been talking about a lot of different ideas. Right now, we're talking about the idea of doing a trans history with a focus on the American Wild West. We’re pretty excited about this idea, so I think there's going to be a pitch in the works.
SL: Oh, I'm excited for that. Since Yellowstone came out, everybody's about the wild, Wild West.
AC: Yeah, and so much of that mythology is part of what's shaped our country and the gender roles in our country. It turns out there were a lot of people that were in the news — and some that we have even more detailed life stories about — that were pretty clearly similar to modern trans people.
SL: Are there any idols that you look up to, or mentors?
AC: I definitely looked up to a lot of other cartoonists that had been my peers, who were getting their books published ahead of me. I went to art school here in California, at one of the few comics masters programs. (I think there are more popping up because it's becoming more popular.) I got to meet some of the classes that went before me and Maia Kobabe, the author of Gender Queer, was one of the reasons I actually ended up going to school there. We went when e was doing eir senior thesis.
Then there's Meggie Ramm, who did Batcat. They’re nonbinary, they do this really cute little character of a cat-bat, and published a couple books for little kids. They were in a class ahead of mine.
I looked up to those cartoonists that went to my school and then went ahead of me to publish books, because it made me feel like I could do this too.
AE: Who I look up to? I feel like I'm drawing a blank on names, because I'm always trying to look around at examples of behavior that I think is emulatable.
There is someone. Lilac Maldonado, who was in our Community Voices section, in the last chapter of the book. She recently passed away, and she was just so welcoming and warm. She had lots of connections within the community and was always organizing and lifting up other disabled people. She's so far off from what I'm like — I tend to be more of a hermit, and I'm really picky about who I'm friends with, but especially now that we're going to be promoting the book, I want to be able to be connect with the readers. I'm excited to do that, and I’m holding that image of her more closely lately.
SL: I love that. The two of you are so personable. I absolutely loved having dinner with you, and I'm so excited for this next chapter of your life. Is there anything that you want to say to people about your book? Why they should buy it? An elevator pitch?
AC: Buy it because you're going to learn something and you're going to have fun doing it.
SL: Yes, I totally agree.
AE: Yes. Don't think that just because you're not trans, or you don't already have some sort of specific interest in trans history, that the book isn't for you. It really is about the arc of history and you're going to learn a lot, and that's going to be fun.
AC: We always wanted it to be for everyone.
SL: And I think it is. It's very relatable. I'm not trans, but I do relate to it. I think history is fascinating, and the more we learn about it, the more we shouldn't repeat it.
I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope people are receptive and they learn something. You're both wonderful, wonderful people. If I can do anything to help you, please let me know. I want to have you come to the store.
AC: Thank you. We want to come to the store. We’re from North Carolina, and we especially want to come visit stores there.
SL: Well, thank you, Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett.
I really appreciate you all being here. I wish you so much success with this book and in life and come see us at Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day. By Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett. Read by Alex L. Combs and others. 2025. 3.5hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593414569). Gr. 7-9.
Combs and Eakett, trans partners in real life, gather an impressive village to enliven their debut graphic title, providing a welcome antidote to the accelerating spread of misinformation about trans people that is fueling the unprecedented number of antitrans laws introduced and passed in the US. The duo's goals are three-fold: to dispel myths that trans people are a new phenomenon (look back to 4000 BCE!); to highlight the diversity of trans experiences; and to empower trans people. Combs opens the narration and remains a constant soothing voice throughout. They regularly share the mic with experts, scholars, and historians, including Dr. Susan Stryker (Transgender History) and archeologist Dr. Maria Fernanda Ugalde Mora. The fifth and closing chapter showcases community voices that are nearly all self-narrated, featuring superhero activist Ms. Billie Cooper, human rights defenders Sulique Waqa and Marie Angel Venarsian, writer/artist Bishakh Som, co-creator Eakett, and activist/fashionista Lilac Maldonado (who passed away just after recording her/ their segment). Sixteen additional narrators also contribute, including veteran notables Andre Santana and Kevin R. Free. The result is a polyphonic achievement that is more necessary than ever.--Terry Hong
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Hong, Terry. "Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 22, Aug. 2025, p. 119. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A857642024/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ebacd34b. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day. By Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett. Art by the authors. May 2025. 384P. Candlewick, $24.99 (9781536219234). Gr. 7-12. 306.768.
Stuffed to the brim with stories and information about potentially trans historical figures, gender nonconforming people in other societies, and how those outside the gender binary have been perceived over centuries, this takes the reader on a whirlwind tour through time. The authors begin with a thoughtful note about how they are including a range of voices and perspectives but that the narrative will generally follow developments in western Europe and the U.S. From the beginning, with its introduction of various ways of understanding gender from around the world to the profiles of figures like Hatshepsut and Lucy Hicks Anderson to the extensive list of resources at the end of the work, the creators' passion for providing as expansive a view as possible is clear. The book wraps up with an overview of the current conservative backlash plus a palate cleanser of comics centering trans artists, historians, and journalists discussing their lives and activism. A fantastic primer for new readers and old, with dynamic art cleverly based on archival photos, artifacts, and images.--Sarah Rice
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Rice, Sarah. "Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 17-18, May 2025, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A852211753/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1d21a89c. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Combs, Alex L. TRANS HISTORY Candlewick (Teen None) $24.99 5, 13 ISBN: 9781536219234
A concise overview of transgender history presented in graphic novel format.
Combs and Eakett begin with a preface that notes that they're introducing historical figures who, while they may not have identified as trans, are "relevant to trans history." Next, they cover terminology, the ancient world, Europe and colonization, sexology, trans rights in the U.S., and profiles of notable contemporary trans people. Given the broad scope, this work will serve as a solid jumping-off point for those interested in learning more. Throughout, the authors provide frameworks for interpreting information. For example, when describing ancient Rome, they caution readers that most historical accounts of Elagabalus' possibly being trans are "unverifiable and seem exaggerated," that "untangling fact from fiction may be impossible," and that most reports came from someone who "had motivation to paint the former emperor negatively." The segment closes with prompts encouraging teens to consider questions such as, "What does the story reveal about the point of view of whoever recorded it?" Cameos featuring a diverse array of scientists, historians, and other experts appear throughout, offering valuable insights, although at times their remarks would have benefited from being paraphrased into more accessible language (Dr. Howard Ching, an expert on eunuchs in Chinese imperial courts, is quoted on the "Western biomedical lexicon and its cognate understandings of the human body"). Nevertheless, the attractive illustrations and broadly diverse array of individual subjects and communities are real strengths.
A solid and useful introduction to a vast topic. (source notes, index)(Graphic nonfiction. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Combs, Alex L.: TRANS HISTORY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325568/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ef473cd9. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.