In The Event That...

You Netflix The Big Sleep,Homeward Bound and Queer As Folk in One Fell Swoop

by Lou Perseghin

Abby Denson and Shannon O'Leary

Sun., Dec. 17, 3-5 p.m., free, Robin's Bookstore, 108 S. 13th St., 215-735-9600

Shannon O'Leary's Pet Noir: An Anthology of Strange but True Pet Crimes presents fictional accounts of real crimes in a dark, Maltese Falcon-ish style. Just one catch: The characters are hard-drinkin' rottweilers and dour little bichons.

Abby Denson's Tough Love: High School Confidential tells the story of Brian, a gay teenager who finds inspiration in the Japanese shounen-ai manga style of illustration. It's a far cry from the seedy underworld of domesticated housepets, but stay with me here.

Denson is from Brooklyn; O'Leary hails from San Francisco. Different coasts, different styles. Manic D Press publishes both authors, and the two are good friends. They're writers, not illustrators, editing their respective books and providing visual direction to the artists. Their works also convey socially relevant messages that touch on themes of tolerance and human and animal rights.

"It's neat when people can hook up together for these types of things," says Robin's Bookstore owner Larry Robin. "It gives it a wider appeal." The signing and discussion, he adds, will focus on how and why both authors got into the mix. "We want to know how they do what they do. It's more interesting that way."