The Library Don't Have a Closet: 19 Graphic Novels for Gay & Lesbian Pride Month
By Martha Cornog, Philadelphia -- Library Journal,05/27/2009
“There is a huge gay audience in comics as well as a big contingent of creators,” wrote DC Comics writer Marc Andreyko on ComicBookResources.com. With explicitly gay characters popping up in established superhero series, libraries could showcase comics for Gay and Lesbian Pride Month (June) by displaying only these titles. But that would be shortchanging patrons. Indeed, other, more individualistic titles with LGBT content have been so highly praised that your collection may have them already—and if not, they should have them. Take your pick from the variety below.
SuperQueers
Alpha Flight team member Northstar was the first superhero to come out in 1992, later joining Marvel Comics’ better-known group, the X-Men. Coming up, the recently revamped Batwoman is scheduled to take the lead this June in Detective Comics, a long-running DC Comics series focusing on Batman and his associates. This Batwoman is socialite and closeted “lipstick lesbian” Katherine “Kate” Kane who will thus become DC’s highest-profile gay superhero. Look for collections in the future from author Greg Rucka and a
rtist J.H. Williams. But Kate is not alone.
Ellis, Warren (text) & Bryan Hitch (illus.). The Authority. Vol. 1: Relentless. Wildstorm/DC. 2000. 192p. ISBN 978-1-56389-661-3. pap. $17.99. F
This team of superheroes takes extreme measures to protect the universe: they’re tough and gritty—and they kill when they feel it’s necessary. The original group of seven includes three women and a gay couple: Apollo and Midnighter. Over a dozen compilations are available. For adult collections.
Heinberg, Allan (text) & Jim Cheung (illus.). Young Avengers. Marvel. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-7851-3033-8. $29.99. F
When the Avengers superhero team breaks up, four teen superheroes materialize suddenly, their appearance and powers mysteriously reminiscent of the original Avengers. Two of the teens are gay: Hulking and Wiccan. As the two young men jockey for their place among older superheroes, new teen team members, assorted supervillains, and their own parents, they come to acknowledge their mutual attraction and pair up at the end of this story arc. For tweens up. This title collects Volume 1: Sidekicks and Volume 2: Family Matters. Several related titles are also available.
Vaughan, Brian K. (text) & Adrian Alphona (illus.). Runaways. Vol. 1. Marvel. 2006. 448p. ISBN 978-0-7851-1876-3. $34.99. F
When their parents turn out to be supervillains, six teens discover their own powers and rebel in a big way, not only defeating their parents but also trying to atone for the parents’ crimes. Among the six, young Karolina learns that she’s a Majestanian—an alien with a luminous body—and she eventually meets the life partner her parents had chosen for her: the nongendered alien Xavin, member of the shape-shifting Skrull species. Because Karolina is a lesbian, Xavin assumes the female form for her. The series has won Eisner and Harvey awards, was selected as a YALSA top ten, and is up to seven volumes. For teens up, this hardback collects issues 1–18.
Other Titles with LGBT Leading Characters & Themes
Aoike, Yasuko. From Eroica with Love. Vol. 2. CMX. 2005. 208p. tr. from Japanese by Tony Ogasawara. ISBN 978-1-4012-0520-1. pap. $9.95. F
Effete British art thief Eroica has big-time hots for martinet NATO officer Klaus, but can love conquer all when Klaus considers Eroica “that degenerate wanker”? And oh, yes: They’re on opposite sides of the law. The series is set in Cold War Europe and overflows with slapstick international skullduggery at its looniest. Begin your collection with Volume 2—Volume 1 was a false start. Eroica is up to 13 translated volumes here and 30-plus in Japan, where it is still being released. With cross-dressing and campy gay joking, but no sex or nudity, this is suitable for teens up but probably funnier for adults. (See LJ's original review, 9/15/09.)
Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2006. 240p. ISBN 978-0-618-47794-4 . $19.95. AUTOBIOG
Bechdel's intensely literary and poignant memoir of growing up appeared on best-of-2006 lists from Time and the Village Voice, won numerous awards, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. With mature themes, plus some nud
ity and sex; for older teens and adults. (See LJ's original review, 7/06.)
Cruse, Howard. Stuck Rubber Baby. DC. 2000. 216p. ISBN 978-1-56389-255-4. pap. $14.99. F
It’s the 1960s South, and young gay Toland Polk hides his sexual preference as he joins the civil rights movement to protest discrimination and racism. But as the world changes around him and his gay friend is lynched, he can’t stay in the closet any longer. This classic coming-out story embodies America’s tipping point, when the white male supremacist patriarchy got knocked off its pedestal for good. Cruse’s Baby has won several awards, including some from France and the UK. Older teens up.
Fish, Tim. Cavalcade of Boys: Complete Collection. Poison Pr. 2006. 551p. ISBN 978-0-9762786-6-5. pap. $30. F
An ongoing saga of gay men in Southern California, featuring more serious psychodramas with a large cast of characters of different ages and races. The semirealistic, black-and-white stories include discreet sex and occasionally strong language. Fish’s series was originally published as comic books, but an all-new version began running in 2007 in Boston’s gay newspaper, Bay Windows. For adult collections.
Kannagi, Satoru & Hotaru Odagiri. Only the Ring Finger Knows. Digital Manga. 2004. 208p. ISBN 978-1-56970-980-1. pap. $12.95. F
When high schooler Wataru accidentally learns that his ring matches that of upperclassman hottie Yuichi, all the girls want one like it even if hostility flares between the two boys. But if the they don’t get along, why does Wataru feel sad when Yuichi takes off his ring? Based on a series of prose novels; several of the novels have been translated. Teens up.
Kim, June. 12 Days. Tokyopop. 2006. 192p. ISBN 978-1-59816-691-0. pap. $9. F
Jackie Yuan mourns the death of her former lesbian lover, who left her to marry a man before the fatal accident. To work through her grief, she devises an unusual ritual, turning the mourning process into a consuming obsession in more ways than one. Winner of a Lulu Award. Ages 16 up.
Matoh, Sanami. Fake. Vol. 1. Tokyopop. 2003. 216p. ISBN 978-1-59182-326-1. pap. $9.99. F
Dark and cocky officer Dee Laytner of the NYPD has his eye on soft-spoken blond newbie Ryo “Randy” McClean. Ryo is intrigued but reluctant—he’s much shyer and has dated women. Partners on the police force, as well as joint surrogate parents to two troubled youngsters, they eventually overcome all barriers in the moving and more explicit seventh and final volume. Ages 18 up.
Rivkah (real name: Rivkah Greulich). Steady Beat. Vol. 1. Tokyopop. 2005. 205p. ISBN 978-1-59816-135-9. pap. $9.99. F
Texas teen Leah feels embarrassed when she finds a love letter to her older sister, but her feelings become more complex when she realizes that Sarai’s suitor is another woman. Since mom is a highly visible state senator, Leah must investigate the situation covertly, all while finding her own emotional and romantic path. This one’s another Lulu Award winner. A three-volume story for teens up.
Tamaki, Mariko & Jillian Tamaki. Skim. Groundwood Bks. 2008. 144p. ISBN 978-0-88899-753-1. $16.95. F
A pudgy Asian American out-group teen tries on goth, checks out Wicca, and falls in love with her free-spirited English teacher, Ms. Archer. This portrait of intense high school experiences is crafted with well-tuned dialog and drawn in beautifully expressive pen and ink. A Doug Wright awardee, YALSA top ten winner, and Eisner nominee. With sexual references and swearing; for older teens up.
Winick, 
Judd. Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned. Holt. 2009. 192p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8964-6. pap. $16.99. AUTOBIOG
Pedro Zamora was a Cuban immigrant who became an AIDS educator after getting an HIV diagnosis (he died in 1994 in his early twenties). He became a public figure because of his health battle and appearance, along with cartoonist Winick, on MTV’s The Real World San Francisco. Winick’s memoir tells the story of their friendship and has become a memorial to a man who made the most of the life he had. This title has won a number of awards, including a YALSA top ten, and is great for teens up.
Yoshinaga, Fumi. Antique Bakery. Vol. 1. Digital Manga. 2005. 200p. tr. from Japanese by Sachiko Sato. ISBN 978-1-56970-946-7. pap. $12.95. F
With incredible pastries and a handsome staff, the Antique Bakery seduces customers by the score, offering solace for culinary and emotional cravings. But amidst personnel and patron shenanigans emerges a deeper story about the interrelationships of the four staff members, their gay and straight romances, and a long-ago murder. The series won a Kodansha Award for shojo manga. With discreetly drawn gay love and sex, this four-volume series is best for ages 16 up.
Newspaper Strips & Web Comics Available in Collections
Bechdel, Alson. The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2008. 416p. ISBN 978-0-618-96880-0. $25. F
For over 20 years, Dykes to Watch Out For has followed an endearingly individual group of lesbians and their friends—some straight and male—in a humorous yet poignantly human soap opera with an op-ed edge and wide following. The core cast includes prickly, hyper-politically conscious Mo (Monica) as the hub; Mo’s current lover, pomo-academic Sydney; long-term partners and harassed parents Toni and Clarice; new parents Sparrow and Stuart; bed-hopping bookstore clerk Lois; and overworked teacher Ginger. The characters age in real time through reversals in love, fortune, and self-understanding. Winner of numerous awards and carried in over 50 publications, DTWOF is a real masterpiece that sparkles with wit and wry commentary. Eleven collections are available, plus this omnibus volume that includes selections from the entire run. Ages 18 up.
Braddock, Paige. Jane’s World Collection. Vol. 1. Girl Twirl Comics. 2007. 432p. ISBN 978-0-9766707-8-0. pap. $19.95. F
This thoroughly lighthearted, Eisner Award–nominated series stars Jane and her gay and straight friends in a continual muddle of misfired relationships and sitcom-style dramas, with occasional fantastic elements like alien abductions, vegan Amazons, and a girl-turned-into-chimp mishap. Eight volumes have been published, and this collection compiles the first three. Older teens up.
Kirby, Robert. Curbside Boys: The New York Years. Cleis. 2002. 126p. ISBN 978-1-57344-154-4. pap. $10.95. F
When Drew, Kevin, and Nathan share an apartment, romance sparks between the intellectual Drew and the more hedonistic Nathan in this amusingly angsty and lighthearted soap opera of 20-somethings in heat and at odds. Kirby works in graceful black-and-white cartoony art and has won a Xeric Foundation Award. The strip has been syndicated in the gay press and, with plenty of nonexplicit sex and occasionally strong language, belongs in adult collections.
Krell, Jeff. Jayson Goes to Hollywood. Ignite! Entertainment. 2008. 96p. ISBN 978-0-9656323-0-0. pap. $12.95. F
Jayson and gal-pal-roomie Arena become entangled with the porn industry and turn up a sperm donor for Arena’s lesbian sister in this goofy and entertaining sitcom suggesting an LGBT friendly, black-and-white Archie. This collection has been nominated for several 2009 Comics Buyer’s Guide Awards and marks the 25th anniversary of the Jayson strip, which runs in the gay press. With more-or-less discreet sexual situations and occasionally strong language; for adult collections.
Resource
Prism Comics: Your LGBT Guide to Comics. No. 5. Prism Comics. 2008. ed. by Jonathan Riggs. 160p. ISBN 978-0-9759164-3-8. pap. $7.95. REF (Order from www.prismcomics.com)
This annual resource offers articles, news, interviews, and gossip about the LGBT comics scene, with over 100 pages of short stories and excerpts by various creators. Prism is a nonprofit organization promoting the work of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered creators of comics as well as LGBT issues in comics generallly. For adult collections.
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| Submitted by: | Erica 6/22/2009 3:50:25 PM PT |
| Location: | Seattle |
| Occupation: | web designer |
I'd add Gotham Central Vol 2: Half a Life by Greg Rucka about Gotham City PD Rene Montoya being outed by a super villain. Her coming out story is probably the best coming out story I've ever read.
| Submitted by: | Sean Brennan (fanboi@heroesnhunks.com) 6/14/2009 12:29:53 AM PT |
| Location: | San Francisco |
| Occupation: | Designer / Blogger |
You left off Manhunter - there are 5 volumes of trade paperbacks out there and it is one of the best representations of gays in comics that I have seen. Although the main character is a straight female - she is portrayed in an uncharacteristically non-cheesecake way and has a great supporting cast that includes a number of well scripted gay characters.
| Submitted by: | Jude 6/9/2009 5:45:32 AM PT |
Great list! Glad you *didn't* include Strangers in Paradise, like everyone else does, since it really isn't very LGBTQ-friendly.
| Submitted by: | Katie 6/6/2009 12:13:15 PM PT |
This is a great list, but you're missing Strangers in Paradise!
| Submitted by: | Brock Martin 6/5/2009 9:41:46 AM PT |
| Occupation: | Librarian |
Skim is Asian-Canadian, not Asian-American. Great article, otherwise!
| Submitted by: | Eric Schwarz (eric@ericthelibrarian.com) 6/4/2009 8:32:50 PM PT |
| Location: | Somerville, NJ |
| Occupation: | Librarian and business researcher |
Nice article, but "The Library Don't ..."?
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