Love Letters to Jane’s World

The cover of Love Letters to Jane's World

One of the first pages in Love Letters to Jane’s World, a twentieth anniversary collection of Paige Braddock’s long-running comic recently published by Lion Forge Press, is a star network topology diagram that literalizes the strip’s title with Jane at the center and her supporting cast radiating out from her. It provides the reader with a handy guide for the next couple hundred pages on how the characters are related to each other and establishes the tone in one fell swoop.

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.)

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.

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.

SuperCakes

The cover to SuperCakes

I’ve written before about the metaphorical breadth that superhero comics offer, despite few mainstream comics taking advantage of it, but Kat Leyh’s SuperCakes manages to find refreshing takes on several possibilities a few pages at a time. One story can start as a meditation on work/life balance to become a quiet exploration of a relationship milestone, while another can start as a more introverted story before turning to raucous superhero exploits. It maintains a light tone throughout, even when hinting at disturbing backstory, and is all the better for it.

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.

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.

7 Miles a Second

The cover of the 2013 Fantagraphics version

The medium of comics has many masterpieces, books that exemplify what comics is capable of as an artform and transcend their respective genres to make universal statements about life and the human condition. These are debatable criteria for defining art, as all such criteria are, but what is not debatable is that 7 Miles a Second is a comics masterpiece. An autobiographical story of artist and activist David Wojnarowicz with art by James Romberger and colors by Marguerite Van Cook, the title comes from the escape velocity for Earth’s gravitational pull, but also describes the propulsion through time and space that the reader experiences in a narrative that takes less than seventy pages but encompasses so much.

Aaron and Ahmed

The cover of Aaron and Ahmed

A time when George W. Bush can appear presidential in hindsight and the medium of comics is forced to deal with appalling images masquerading as conversation starters may be a good time to revisit an old Vertigo graphic novel, one that directly tackled such weighty concepts as Islamophobia, 9/11, and America’s complicity in terrorism. I’m writing about Aaron and Ahmed by Jay Cantor and James Romberger, which I picked up at FlameCon last year. Published in 2011, it’s an intense read, far more than certain comics that attempt to be challenging when covering such important, relevant topics.

Single Issue Showcase: Justice League of America: The Ray Rebirth #1

The cover by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo

I’ve always had an affinity for the Golden Age superhero teams like the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. From Mister Terrific to Liberty Belle, there’s an analog sensibility that gives them a certain charm, even when Hourman is rebooted as a robot from the future. When the Ray got his own book in the 90s, I subscribed to it. And when Steve Orlando announced that the Ray would be part of his new Justice League lineup, and would be a young gay man, I made sure to buy his debut! Thankfully, this issue is an excellent setup for a new version of a classic character.

Transposes

The cover of Transposes

Upon opening the cover of Dylan “NDR” Edwards’s Transposes, one is met with a dictionary definition of the verb that gives the book its title. This would appear to set an academic tone, or one of dry exposition, but jumping to conclusions is the worst thing one can do about this book and its subject. Instead, this definition establishes the tone of variety: of meaning, of form, and of expression. The six different possible interpretations of the word transpose correspond nicely to the six stories presented in this slim volume. Any lingering sense of trepidation one might have from anticipating dusty explanations is completely upended by the playful and frank introduction by the author.

The Pride Volume 1: I Need a Hero

Wraparound cover art by Ricardo Bessa

Anyone could be forgiven for suffering from “superhero fatigue” these days. This genre has long dominated the comics medium, not to mention film and television, seemingly to the exclusion of any other kind of story. It is therefore too easy to dismiss any comic with a cover featuring a man with a cape. Fortunately, there are ways to tell a fresh superhero tale. One of the best approaches is to deconstruct the themes of such a setup and how it relates to the demographic it represents. This is exactly what The Pride does, not just with superheroes, but with the gay community.

Single Issue Showcase: Kim & Kim #1 – “This Glamorous, High Flying, Rock Star Life”

The cover of Kim & Kim #1

The word semi-autobiographical would be probably the last one used to describe a comic about intergalactic queer female bounty hunters, but there is clearly a great deal of personal experience infused in the first issue of Black Mask Studios’ Kim & Kim written by Magdalene “Mags” Visaggio and drawn by Eva Cabrera, with letters by Zakk Saam and colors by Claudia Aguirre. That these elements are in a sci-fi story with clear debts to two very famous animes is a testament to the power of representation in media and genre storytelling.

Memetic

The cover to the trade paperback of Memetic

I’ve decided to continue recommending some of the best gay graphic novels of 2015 with Memetic, written by James Tynion IV, drawn by Eryk Donovan, and colored by Adam Guzowski. Originally published by BOOM! Studios as three oversized issues beginning in late 2014, it was collected in trade paperback in October 2015. It’s a horror comic with a unique gay protagonist as one of its centers and hidden philosophical depths that could be misconstrued as ranting against technology, if the book weren’t tapping into very real anxieties and longings. It upends the expectations of the reader several times along the way to its stark conclusion.

Virgil

The cover of Virgil

I decided to start 2017 by writing about one of the best graphic novels of 2015. (Hey, I’ve never claimed to be timely.) As we face an uncertain future, it is good to remember how difficult it is to be LGBT in other countries, how art can elevate society, and of the necessity of having love in our lives. This may seem like a portentous and pretentious way to begin writing about a “queersploitation” graphic novel that many would wrongfully dismiss as a genre exercise, but this is why it should be taken seriously. I have no doubt Virgil will be discussed for years to come.

Single Issue Showcase: All-New X-Men #13

 This scene doesn't appear in the comic.

I think I’ll end every year by checking in on Iceman. It’ll be a nice way of keeping track of how the character is being treated and my ignorance of all things X-related. I may be looking forward to the Iceman ongoing series, but I doubt I’ll still be able to make much sense of what’s going on. Fortunately, this issue is light on continuity-related shenanigans that would intimidate a new reader or make a seasoned reader’s head spin. There’s some talk of “Egypt and Hank” and the blue kid (whom the intro page calls “Kid Apocalypse” but the Internet calls “Genesis”) has a couple of panels talking about what he would do for Apocalypse, but mostly it’s about young, newly out Bobby Drake’s first time at a gay bar. And it’s just as adorable as it sounds.

Duck! Second Chances

The cover of Duck! Second Chances that I prefer

Published in 2013, Duck! Second Chances by J. Tana Ford is not quite a sequel. Though the title is a clever way of alerting the reader that this is the second volume of a story, it also refers to the self-contained tale of friendship and romance contained within. Second chances abound as characters deal with breakups and hookups, new relationships, the loss of a job and the search for a new one, and the possibilities of the future. There are four friends at the center this time instead of two—Duck and Cat are joined by two minor characters from Duck!—and the action takes place entirely within Boston, allowing it to easily distinguish itself from the previous story.

Duck

The cover of Duck

Friendship is a defining attribute of the gay community. When so many of us are rejected by our families—even now, at a time of great acceptance—it is important to find people upon whom we can rely in ways that cannot be found elsewhere in society. Even for gay people for whom family can be a refuge, friendships are what can matter most; we know that few people will understand us like other gay people. Such philosophical musings are the most immediate result of reading Duck by JT (Tana) Ford, an original graphic novel that hides a surprising amount of poignancy in its slim number of pages.

Single Issue Showcase: The Strangers #5 – “Dynamic Tension!”

The cover of The Strangers #5

I take great pride in presenting books on this blog that might go unnoticed by mainstream readers; a friend of mine told me he’d never heard of any of the books I wrote about last year and I took that as a great compliment. For this month’s Single Issue Showcase, I’d like to highlight a book so obscure other friends of mine accused me of making it up entirely: The Strangers. I’ve written on Spectral, the gay member of this superhero team, elsewhere and issue #5 is the one in which he comes out of the closet.

Likewise

The cover of Likewise

One of the most profound pleasures of following an artist is seeing a talent develop in unforeseen ways. I have written previously about the high school chronicles of Ariel Schrag, and it almost pains me to come to the end with Likewise because it means there will be no more. Like all great conclusions, it is bittersweet simply because it exists. Ostensibly about Ms. Schrag’s senior year of high school, it also chronicles her growth as a person and an artist. It is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year, and is no less powerful for being seven years old.