About Troy
“Troy” follows the everyday trials and tribulations of Troy, an average, young, gay guy and his impossibly good-looking friends in their quest for sex, love, and the perfect six pack.
The themes, however, are universal enough for anyone who's ever felt friendship, love, infatuation, lust, jealousy, or gone through a bitter and painful break-up at the hands of a psychotic ex can understand.
The tone is, at times, rather sarcastic!
“If Dynasty were gay and had sex with Queer As Folk then wandered into bed with Sex and the City and had Will & Grace as a nightcap, it might wake up in the morning looking something like Troy.”
Greg Archer, The Bottomline
One of the longest running, regularly published gay comics, Troy ran from June 1998 until April 2012 in alternative publications throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, South America, the UK, and the websites 365Gay.com, BITCH in South Africa, and Eshalem.com in Turkey, the first LGBTQ publication in a Muslim country.
Click HERE for the entire run of Troy Comics.
In 2011, Troy got animated in the short film, “Troy: Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing!” a silly, sweet, animated satire of cheesy, gaysploitation entertainment. The animated short screened at festivals throughout the world including Frameline, The New Orleans Film Festival, TLV Fest, and InDPanda International Short Film Festival in Hong Kong.
Inspirations
Setting
Set almost exclusively in a slightly fictionalized version of West Hollywood, CA, the gayest little city in North America, our boys are a very exclusionary bunch.
They are all some sort of “professional gay;” waiters, bartenders, go-go boys, drag queens, actors, models, and the occasional reality and/or pop star. As a result, they all live and work in West Hollywood, or WeHo as the locals call it.
Real-life locations and the occasional, barely-papered-over celebutante serve as the backdrop for the over-the-top lives our characters lead as they rampage through the gyms, coffee houses, clubs, hills, pools, parties, and less than glamorous, low-rent apartments of West Hollywood.
Troy
Troy, obviously the main character of our stories, is the quintessential “Mr. Nice Guy.” An aspiring actor, Troy is actually quite shy, somewhat self-conscious, and prone to neurotic outbursts.
Hailing from the suburbs of Cincinnati, OH, Troy is generally a fish out of water on the mean streets of WeHo. Over time, he grows to become more confident and self-assured through the love, support, and occasional bitch-slap upside the head from one of his friends.
As an aspiring actor, he pays the bills by waiting tables at the Galaxy Studios City Walk super hero-themed restaurant, “Planet Hero,” where he “stars” as Astroman, the retro space ranger Troy idolized as a child. This in no way makes Troy feel the need to question any of his life choices.
Rigo
Rigo, Troy’s roommate, is a stud. He can, and frequently does, have anyone he wants. Working at WeHo’s most popular night spot, Le Club, Rigo won WeHo’s Hottest Bartender Award three years running. Being a bartender allows him easy access to all the hottest pretty boys WeHo has to offer.
Despite their obvious differences, Rigo and Troy are truly best of friends. Coming from a very wealthy, famous, and religious family, (his mother is a telenovela star and his father a famous Latin musician), Rigo was cut off after coming out. He considers Troy his “real family” and often refers to him as “mija” without Troy having any idea what the word actually means.
Nick
Nick is Troy’s dim, sexually confused crush and co-star in the gay, musical comedy Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing! A recent New York transplant, Nick is deeply in the closet and insists he’s straight even though he’s currently having sex with Troy.
“If he’s so straight, what’s he doing in a naked, gay, musical anyway?”
“If he’s so straight, why’s he a bottom?”
Nick initially butts heads with Troy as he uses his dumb, blond, bo-hunk act as a shield to protect a very tender heart. Troy’s humor, openness, and optimism inspires Nick to let down his guard and come out as “questioning.”
Jorge
Jorge is this year’s reigning WeHo’s hottest go-go boy, and Rigo’s on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, on-again boyfriend. They met at Le Club while Rigo was bartending, and Jorge was shaking it on a go-go box, and it was love/lust at first sight. Rigo was actually too shy to approach Jorge, so Troy wrote Rigo’s number on a dollar and stuck it in Jorge’s jock.
Jorge is intelligent and ambitious, a Dreamer from the Philippines. He dances while studying to become a psychologist. His training makes him know better than to keep falling for Rigo’s lies and antics, but the rest of him can’t help himself.
Derrick/Ms. Fatale
Derrick is one half of the “old married couple” that is Derrick and Ray, Troy’s downstairs neighbors. Derrick is the fabulous, famous, WeHo drag personality, Ms. Fatale. Working with both Rigo and Jorge at Le Club, she frequently gets caught in the middle of their “he said,” “he did,” drama. For the record, she finds them both exhausting!
Fatale has been captivating audiences hosting her weekly drag pageant extravaganza bonanza at Le Club, Drag Queen Bingo at Kawfee Klatch, and as Derrick, co-host of the podcast, “Huzbands” with his husband Ray.
Ray
Ray is Derrick’s husband, co-host of “Huzbands,” and editor of the local, gay publication, “LA Boi.” Ray is an “Alpha Liberal,” rallying against the foes of queer liberation since before the evil Prop 8. Ray and Derrick were first married at a mass, gay marriage marathon in West Hollywood right before the passage of Prop 8. Ray wore a vest, bow-tie, and pink cut-offs while Fatale wore a custom, bubble wrap gown and bright pink wig.
After Prop 8’s passage, Ray and Derrick worked non-stop going all the way to the United States Supreme Court to overturn the legislation making them a bit like the West Hollywood King and Queen. Or Queen and Queen depending on Ray’s mood.
Cavalcade of Crazy
Driving much of the drama is a revolving door of insane dates, tricks, boyfriends, judgmental relatives, throuples, evil twins, sleazy Hollywood agents, caustic gossip columinsts, handsy therapists, reality star wannabes, celebrities having meltdowns, closeted politicians and their hookers, ex-gay cultists, The Allmighty, and some old, black and white guy from another dimension.
Between Troy, Rigo, and their friends, there is a constant stream of crazy coming into their lives and disrupting what, when they're not doing it to each other, should be an otherwise idyllic existence.
Troy & Rigo
Underneath its sexy exterior, “Troy” is a story about found family, and Troy and Rigo’s friendship is at the center of it. The two met when Troy answered Rigo’s roommate wanted ad. Troy was instantly smitten with Rigo’s stunning good looks. Rigo thought Troy was 'cute for a skinny, little, white boy,' and that it would be fun for a while to have a puppy-dog with a crush follow him around, begging him for advice on how to pick up hot guys.
The fact that they are both gay and attractive sometimes complicates their relationship. In the beginning, Troy’s attraction to Rigo made him jealous of the ease Rigo has in having lots of casual sex with the hottest guys. Later on, Rigo began to wonder if maybe he didn’t underestimate Troy, and that a big heart might be more important than a perfect body.
As time passes, their relationship becomes stronger, if not more complicated, with Troy and Rigo bonding over broken hearts, dashed dreams, and biological family drama.
Troy & Nick
The sweaty, beating, unabashedly romantic comedy heart of “Troy” lies in the oddball relationship between Troy and Nick. At first glance, they seem like an improbable pair: an anxious, self-conscious gay guy and a big, hunky, slightly-dim, straight guy playing lovers in a campy, gay, naked musical comedy that unexpectedly becomes a hit.
Despite being incredibly attracted to Nick, Troy hates himself for becoming his most dispised of all gay cliches: the hopeless romantic falling for the hunky, “straight” jock—a dynamic mirrored in their roles in “Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing!” Fortunately for Troy, the whole straight, dumb, jock thing is just an act to cover up for Nick’s being horribly bullied as “skinny, little, sissy.” That and he works more as an actor if he remains in the closet. A fact that Troy’s agent whole-heartledly agrees with and wishes Troy would do the same.
As their relationship unfolds, they navigate through jealousy, coming out, jail, cheating, amnesia, a very-near-death experience, ex-gay religious cults, the Hollywood closet, and brushes with fame.
Episodes
“Troy” is a half-hour, animated sitcom, with ten episodes per season.
Episodes are serialized, but each episode focuses on one or two characters and their individual story. Some episodes will be more stand-alone than others.
Episodes are mostly over-the-top, outrageous slices of “real” West Hollywood life. Each episode will revolve around one of our main characters going through one self-induced crisis or another, with the other characters lovingly, if not grudgingly, helping them out.
Revolving around a group of young, gay men, each episode is some combination of sex, love, dating, family, career drama, with the inescapable intrusion of religion and politics.
Sticking to its comic strip roots, “Troy” is presented as a comic come to life. The characters and settings retain their comic strip style while scenes change by zooming through comic strip panels and word bubbles.
Demo
In recent years, LGBTQ+ representation on TV and in animation has significantly increased, reflecting a broader societal acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Shows like "Pose," "Heartstopper," and "Red White & Royal Blue" have been praised for their authentic portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and their stories. Similarly, animated series such as "Harley Quinn" and "Star Trek: Lower Decks" have introduced queer lead characters and storylines that resonate with diverse audiences.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" is a global phenomenon that has mainstreamed drag culture and celebrates the artistry of LGBTQ+ performers. Currently in its 16th season, the show continues to achieve its highest ratings yet, demonstrating its enduring popularity and influence.
Additionally, there is a notable demographic drawn to gay romance stories, particularly among straight women. This trend is evident in various forms of media, including novels, graphic novels, and anime, which feature gay romance narratives marketed specifically towards straight women.
The animated short "Troy: Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing!" follows nice guy Troy McDougall, a twenty-something, out-and-proud, gay actor as he gets what he believes will be his big break into The Business, a lead in the world premier of the new musical “Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing!”
Written, directed, and animated by Troy Comics creator Michael Derry, it features the voice talents of Michael Derry as Troy, Euriamis Losada (The Argentine, Another Gay Sequel) as Rigo, top Hollywood voice-over actor Ben Patrick Johnson as Nick, John Taylor as Ray, Maurice Jamal (Dirty Laundry, Chappelles’ Show) as Derrick and Derrick’s drag alter ego Ms. Fatale, actual, real-life West Hollywood Mayor John Duran, Doug Spearman (Noah’s Arc), and funny man Bruce Vilanch as the director of the play within the movie, “Naked Boys Behind Bars, Sing!” Also featuring Jason Boegh, Anthony Dela Cruz, Michael Hennessey, Toby Massenburg, and an original song by Paul Bradley.
The short screened at film festivals all over the world including Frameline, Breckenridge Festival of Film, New Orleans Film Festival, Cinema Diverse, Barcelona International LGTIB Film Festival, TLV Fest, and InDPanda International Short Film Festival.
The Troy shorts on YouTube have over 796K views!
Troy is a big, bold, sexy slice of rainbow colored, gay life. If you’re curious and want to dig a little deeper into the world of Troy and the boys, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
-Michael Derry mike@michaelderrydesigns.com
The entire run of Troy Comics online
Troy Collection on Amazon
Download the Troy: Animated Series PDF
