Big Gay Comic Book #1

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Hanna-Pirita Lehkonen shares, “When I was a teenager I really wished to see more people like myself. I’m from a tiny little village in the Finnish countryside and that’s why I didn’t see other LGBTQ people at all. Being able to make comics with that representation gives me power. I know there’s other people who live in communities where they don’t see LGBTQ people but maybe they can feel better when they read my comics about people like them! And even better, comics made by people like them!” From queer memoirs to gay romances to action series’ with queer protagonists, here is a deep and varied list of some of the best queer graphic novels available right now. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Are You My Mother? focuses more on Bechdel’s relationship with her mother, both while growing up and as an adult. It’s a quieter book in some respects, but it does go into detail about Bechdel’s ongoing mental health struggles and how they are linked to her upbringing. Yvonne gets a most unexpected birthday surprise — Lucos, a refurbished Heartbreaker android, a fact neither Yvonne’s service dog, nor ex, is happy about.

Part of what I love about queer comics right now is the range of ages they’re available for — the rise of the middle-grade graphic novel and the availability of early-reader books. Not a lot of women and queer people make comics right now, and you don’t see a ton of books about queer boys. This is a book about acne on the forefront, and about how your body looks and how to deal with it, but it’s also about asexuality and fitting in. Whether or not his death was suicide hangs over the book while Bechdel attempts to piece together her fractured relationship with him, her own queerness, her success, and even her relationship with her psychiatrist. Sometimes the way stories are marketed to people, it’s like, “It’s a coming-out story!” or “It’s a trans story!” And that reduction is so frustrating for me, because so many queer stories have so many facets. So I look for all those different aspects of queer experience that aren’t just about relationships, coming out, or struggle, but are about the mundane part of our lives, of existence. I think that happens with every marginalized community that gets their stories told. It always starts really narrow. But now, the breadth of queer experience and queer identity, and how that intersects with other identities, is finally really coming to the forefront in comics. Jessica Campbell, Rave Matt Doyle shares, “It’s a good feeling knowing that I can bring another perspective into the comic book world that hasn’t always been heavily represented. When I was a kid, I identified with comics about outsiders and anti-heroes that didn’t fit in. It has always been a goal of mine to create stories that give voices to the voiceless.” Olivia also does quite a lot of really exciting small-press or self-published adult work, including a series called Darlin’, which is historical fiction, also about werewolves in the American West in the 1800s. That’s a much darker and more violent type of story, because it’s an adult storytelling. It touches on a number of complicated issues around American history and colonization, and ecological destruction, and things like that, but done with just breathtaking visual chops, character work, and narrative storytelling ability.Drugged and confused a young man finds himself stranded in a strange land facing monsters, odd locals, and the mystery of who is behind it all. There are no romance subplots here, and a few asexual characters appear regularly! Queer graphic novels are a diverse and growing genre that reflects the diversity of the queer community, they’re full of the real lived experiences of those in the community and fantasy worlds that centre queer love and lives. Having been taken on by multiple writers and artists over the years, however, its diversity has grown and spread, celebrating not only women but also queer people of all shapes and sizes. This is ONLY the beginning of what’s out there in LGBTA webcomics! Continue on over to our SECOND set of 40 queer webcomics — with more asexual and nonbinary representation — here. For those unaware, GLAAD is an American monitoring organisation, founded in 1985 as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation – although now known solely by the acronym, so as not to exclude bi, trans, and other queer people – to combat homophobia in reporting and to lobby for better representation in media. Since 1989, the GLAAD Media Awards have celebrated excellence in LGBTQ+ broadcasting and publishing, initially focussing entirely on TV but in recent years encompassing more varied creative outlets.

The story of two women — Hazel, struggling with an English degree, and Jamie, her buxom and fun best friend. Here Maggie discusses, with difficulty, her own neurodivergence, mental health, problems with being in relationships (focusing specifically on her recent relationship with Jane), and her intense desire to make a difference to the world through her work. A coming-of-age story with magic, gems, and swords, Agents of the Realm stars five women who become super-powered sword-fighters, all while trying to get to college class on time! A boy prince falls down a cursed well and goes on creepy adventures in the underworld. He teams up with two sisters to find a way home. Ace-friendly adventure! We’ve rounded up some of the best, from rivals-turned-lovers on the sports field in Fence, to exploring cultural differences between West and East in My Brother’s Husband. Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)Amira and Sadie are two very different princesses who decide to take their happily ever after into their own hands. Lumberjanesbegan as a celebration of female strength and friendship. It’s a corny, cheeky, cheerful comic book series that pops with colour and goofy humour. A campy, raucous ride for all ages.

Alexandra, who came out as a trans woman four years ago, helps guide Nat as she decides whether or not she is also a trans woman. Heartstopperis something of a spin-off from Oseman’s debut novel Solitaire, focussing on the blossoming gay romance of the brother of that book’s protagonist. When you’re a biracial and bisexual person growing up, you come to realize that the two have more things in common then you would think….

What We Do

Corinth, a young bi woman, was just trying to clean up the beach. She never expected to meet a mermaid and become friends. Jas is fed up with living on earth and makes a deal with a stranded alien to get off the planet and into the galaxy on an adventure. But she learns that space travel and adventuring is not like what’s in her favourite sci-fi stories.

A webcomic about being LGBT nerds, girl nerds, nerds of color, disabled nerds, and other kinds of nerds that don’t get as much love. This is a webcomic about being a nerd who’s constantly facing down sexism, racism, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, classism, ableism, fat-hate, and other prejudices and -isms from their nerdery of choice. Prentice is out of his element as an ex-soldier among thieves, but looking for that place to belong is worth the frustration. But a chance meeting in the forest leads Prentice to a cell in the city’s massive network of thieves! A bold satire on the ups and downs of living as a trans person, with takes on transphobia, cissexism, parents, and video games. Harry is a gay trans man, Russell is gay cis man, and With Great Abandon is a queer romance set over the course of a year in London. It’s the story of their differences, their similarities, and their relationship. A hopeful and kind story. Also food. Sarah’s dad buys her a dress and it’s hijinks and drama from there as her mom doesn’t quite get why her son wants to be a girl.ChaosLife is a semi-autobiographical comic, focusing on the queer relationship between A. Stiffler and K. Copeland, who create the comic! It also delves into politics, GSM issues, mental health, pop culture, cats, and other randomness. Fun Home and its sequel, Are You My Mother? are both biographies that muse on the shaky and threadbare relationships between parents and their children, specifically from the perspective of a queer daughter struggling with her mental health. Monstress is an Image Comics series beloved by fans and a wonderful example of how to writer a powerful queer protagonist. While Hollywood continues to drag its feet when it comes to meaningful and realistic LGBTQ representation, the world of comics, manga and graphic novels has long been a place for queer people to see reflections of themselves.