The cover of Love Letters to Jane's World |
Queer Comics Blog
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Love Letters to Jane’s World
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Geeks OUT Presents: POWER
The cover of Geeks OUT Presents: POWER by John Curtis Jennison, Jr. |
In June 2015, the nonprofit organization Geeks OUT put
out its first publication, which was partially inspired by John Jennison Jr.’s
battle with a form of pancreatic cancer. The story of how this month’s
selection came about is recounted in its opening pages, and is as inspiring and
enervating as the comics contained therein. Geeks
OUT Presents: POWER has stories and artwork from more than thirty
contributors from all over the world, all centered around the theme of power.
As Mr. Jennison writes in his Editor’s Note, “Life doesn’t stop because you
feel powerless.” (Full disclosure: I am a frequent contributor to Geeks OUT,
but I didn’t join until 2016.)
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Oath: An Anthology of New (Queer) Heroes
I’ve decided that 2018 will be the year of
anthologies! As I looked over my bookshelves, I realized all the great talent
that I have enjoyed, but only in short bursts of one, two, or twelve pages.
I’ve amassed quite a few anthologies over the years, and now is the time to
give them a chance to shine. First up, I wanted to write about Oath: An Anthology of New (Queer) Heroes!
Funded by Kickstarter in 2015 (full disclosure: I contributed) and edited by
Audrey Redpath of Hiveworks Comics, Oath has more than thirty contributors and is more than two hundred pages long. I picked it up at FlameCon last year and
read the whole thing on the trip home. I’ve read it again since then, because
the stories are all wonderful examples of economical storytelling. They have deep
characterization and powerful messages in the amount of space most single-issue
comics reserve for their first act.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Single Issue Showcase: Iceman #1 – “Iceman”
The cover of Iceman #1 by Kevin Wada |
It’s December again, and that means checking in with
the Queer Comics Blog’s favorite queer X-man: Iceman! This year saw the start
of his own series, written by Sina Grace with
covers by Kevin Wada, and this first issue drawn by Alessandro
Vitti, lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino, and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg. This is a dream team for a dream book, and it has not
disappointed. And so, at the end of the year, I wanted to go back to the
beginning.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
SuperCakes
The cover to SuperCakes |
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Letters for Lucardo
The cover for Letters for Lucardo |
The only letter we see is in the very beginning, and
quickly crumpled up. Our first impressions are formed through intimate words
and trembling hands. It isn’t until the second panel of the seventh page that
we are introduced to Lucardo, and from the perspective of the so-far anonymous
letter writer. That person is Ed Fiedler, a scribe for a family of vampires. Anne
Rice is typically credited with making vampires sexy, but writer and artist
Noora Heikkilä builds on a foundation going back to Bram Stoker’s original
epistolary format.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Single Issue Showcase: America #1 – “Pa’ Fuera, Pa’ La Calle”
Joe Quinones's cover for America #1 |
The first issue of any series can face an uphill battle to
entertain its readers, especially if it’s for a character with a complicated
history in an established universe. It must introduce the character well enough
that new readers don’t feel alienated but old readers don’t feel patronized or
bored, accomplish this same task with the book’s premise and supporting cast,
but bring enough superhero action and drama to satisfy all readers, and it must
provide enough hints for future stories to compel future issues.
Fortunately, America #1, released this
past March, accomplishes each of these tasks with a vibrancy and deftness not
typically seen in a mainstream comic. There’s a reason this book is still going
strong.
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