“When you grow up not knowing who you are…becoming someone else is that much easier. And when you grow up hating who you are…becoming someone else is a tool for survival.” A heavy statement to kick off the debut issue of Scout Comics’ new series Death Drop Drag Assassin which hit shelves this week from the creative team of David Hazan and Alex Moore.

That was unfortunately the start and end to anything remotely resembling a complex thought in a story that Hazan framed as “a story by queer people, aimed at the struggles queer people face today.” The issue tries to present serious societal problems with surface-level references to our current climate, but they’re lost under failed attempts at lighter moments via “iykyk” jokes that don’t really land due to the writers wanting to avoid a lawsuit for infringing on other intellectual property (e.g. the main character Drew trying to throw shade at their drag mother, Madam Early for being eliminated early from a “certain reality drag show competition”).

I understand that the series isn’t advocating for the LGBTQ community to take up arms and physically fight back against hate, yet I’m torn at the concept of an assassin being the answer to any/all LGBTQ-phobias, especially an assassin whose main weapon appears to be a firearm — an entirely separate societal issue plaguing our country. Creating a character who protects and saves people from those who wish to cause our community harm is something we can all get behind. Retribution and payback, while two things we may all wish we could do, are not.

As a gay man, I am well aware of the historic number of anti-LGBTQ laws that have been introduced this year and the dangerous rhetoric that has led to actual violence against queer and trans people across the United States (and beyond) this year. While the creative team’s attempt at drawing attention to these problems is admirable, Death Drop Drag Assassin #1 failed to reflect the severity or complexity of the reality our community faces.