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A downloadable comic for Windows, macOS, and Linux

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It Will Be Hard is an award-winning interactive graphic novel telling the story of Arthur and Harold - two men, with two polar opposite sexualities, working together toward one mutually fulfilling relationship.

With queer people of colour at its center, the gentle, optimistic, and optionally erotic story touches upon gray-asexuality, polyamory, and the importance of communication between partners.

  • FREE! Forever!
  • 130+ fully-coloured pages!
  • Designed to be an interactive experience for Windows, Mac, and Linux!
  • Also available as a PDF including an Abridged version that does not contain explicit sexual content!
  • Bonus PDF of 3 full-page illustrations and a sweet mini comic!
  • Behind-the-scenes PDF with sketches and in-progress pages!

It Will Be Hard is presented as a digital comic with light choose-your-own adventure mechanics the player can use to create their own reading canon. The story stays linear, but the branching moments and memories explored go deeper into the two protagonists’ pasts and characters. 

The game features an optional sexually explicit section, which requires the player’s consent before moving forward, and can be skipped in its entirety. The Abridged PDF removes this scene as well.

Accolades:

Art and story by Hien Pham
Codes by Amos Wolfe







StatusReleased
CategoryComic
Rating
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
(49 total ratings)
AuthorHien Pham
Tagsasexuality, LGBT, LGBTQIA, polyamory, Queer, Romance

Download

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Click download now to get access to the following files:

IWBH_Windows.zip 146 MB
IWBH_Mac.zip 151 MB
IWBH_Linux.zip 151 MB
ItWillBeHard.pdf 348 MB
ItWillBeHard_Abridged.pdf 305 MB
IWBH_BonusContent.pdf 20 MB
IWBH_BehindTheScene.pdf 165 MB

Development log

Comments

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Thank you so much. It was what i need when I didn't know <3

I've had this comic for a long while, and have been a fan of your work ever since I saw your last kickstarter (Boyfriends and their Giant Dog), but never got around to reading it until today. Finally had the chance and I can say I'm sorry I didn't read it sooner! It has a lot of heart, is fun to read, and opens up to communication and how important it is in any relationship.

Truly an excellent read and tugs at the heartstrings while still having humour. Thank you for publishing this and I look forward to seeing the other things you do in the future, from one Aussie queer artist to another!

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[this comment has spoilers for the comic]

I downloaded this comic in 2018, and I'm revisiting it today. I feel like every time I read through this comic I find something new and learn more about the rich characters and world you've brought to life. Despite the fictional/fantasy setting, this comic feels so realistic to me because the characters you draw remind me of people I know in my life, both in terms of body/hair type, abilities, relationship models, and personalities. 

Your work makes me feel validated and comforted as an asexual and aromantic person. I find myself having to explain to people what asexuality is over and over again and finding that people don't understand how asexual people can have relationships. Finding a work that includes a complex asexual character in a loving relationship who also negotiates their comfort levels around sex with their non-asexual partner is a breath of relief. I think showing a fun, gentle sex scene between Harold and Arthur was really helpful for me as a model of how sex and consent can be, and I wish more works approached sex the way you do in this comic.

I appreciate how you show the hard discussions and work that goes into relationships and how people work things out in the difficult times as well as the happy times. I think how you depict conflict is really important for me especially, as my gut instinct is to think that conflict=bad, when in reality conflict is an important part of any relationship, and necessary for people to grow and learn more about each other and how to care for one another. The scene at the end where Harold pushes back against Arthur's suggestion to "just forget what happened, and start again," and tells Arthur that he hasn't felt supported and that "it hasn't exactly been easy to feel great with you" I think really reminded me that just because people are in a relationship, that doesn't mean that partners can't be held accountable for their actions or harm; having a nice night together doesn't erase that need for accountability. 

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I'm not sure the exact time of the year this was published, but Tasha Robinson's article reminded me that It Will Be Hard is celebrating it's 5th Year of publication : )

EDIT: wait.. I can't do math. Make that 4 years, but excited for next year : )

(+1)

I can't even put into words how much this touched me. This comic is amazing - the story it tells is real ans true, the pacing is spot on, and the art is simply gorgeous. As someone who has been in a very similar situation before I really appreciate the way this relationship has been portrayed. Thank you.