First Date: Romeo X Julien (mature edition)

Romeo Montague has always been a little awkward. His cousin, Benny, doesn't help, often tossing him into unpredictable situations. This time he's dragged poor Romeo to a Renaissance Faire in the middle of California's Wine Country.

Julien Capulet, a respected festival organizer, has his own quirks. While dealing with his crazy parents and goofy gay uncles, he holds out hope of meeting the one who'll see past all the frills.

First Date: Romeo X Julien is a sexy comedic homage to Will Shakespeare. The course of true love may never be smooth, particularly as experienced by LBGTQ men, but it can be tender... and entertaining, especially if Benny has any say in the matter.

When working as a designer and tailor for a Drag Queen troop in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mary Dumas came across some amazing talent with their own brand of comedy and pathos. When one of her queens was asked why they dressed up one day, even though they were not part of that day's Show, the reply set in her mind the perfect Julien. "Sometimes a boy just wants to look pretty." Thus, this graphic novel was born. Dumas, no relation to the famous one, had been working for previous years as a legal secretary, contract writer, comic con fan and a mother. Now she fancies herself a comic book creator.