Gay comic book artists
LGBTQ Writers and Illustrators of Comic Books
Writers and illustrators of comic books are multi-talented individuals who both tell a story and illustrate it.
Many comic book writers and illustrators who identify as LGBTQ use that identity in the production of their work. This can be by way of cartoon fantasy (depicting a tolerant and accepting world, for example). It can also be as a means of entertainment for the LGBTQ community. Some artists have used the medium as a form of activism on several issues. Others contribute their artwork to writers of novels or magazine articles. Several have had a significant impact on the creation of LGBTQ characters in mainstream comics, such as DC Comics or Marvel Comics. In Japan, the art of comic guide illustrating is known as manga, and gay Gengoroh Tagame is the most prominent contemporary illustrator in the country.
Several LGBTQ comic book artists and writers are household names. They are recipients of awards in the industry, including Lambda Literary Awards and specialized comic manual awards including Eisner Awards. A number of these individuals are academics at educational institutions that specialize in the arts.
5 Queer Comic Novel Artists to Stare out For
I’m a queer woman of color. I’m also a comic manual fan. Sometimes, those things feel incompatible.
It’s easy to know why it often feels like comic books are written for fifteen-year aged boys (or gross man-children) who expend too much hour in their basements. I mean, how is an exposed stomach and a bra two sizes too small practical superheroing gear? Spoiler: it’s not.
And don’t get me improper , I can thank a woman’s body as well as the next lady-loving gal, but when it seems appreciate the storyline is more focused on butts that butt-kicking, more excited about boob-windows than breaking windows, there’s a problem.
So, how did I get around this obstacle of objectification? I create comic books produced/written/illustrated by women who were like me. Queer women, women of color, women who understand the importance of intersectional feminism.
Marjorie M. Liu
Marjorie M. Liu’s graphic novel, Monstress is probably my favorite offering of the past year or so. It’s dark, violent, and beautiful. Published by Image comics, Liu brings forth a haunted, matriarchal nature, inspired by 1900s Asia. It’s weighty on mythology and fea
20 Inherent Queer Comics from the Past Five Years
MariNaomi is an Eisner Award–nominated and SPACE Award–winning cartoonist and the founder and administrator of the Cartoonists of Color, Queer Cartoonists, and Disabled Cartoonists databases. Their graphic novelLosing the Miss was among those banned in the Katy, Tex., college district in 2022. In May, Fieldmouse Press will publish their ninth novel, the graphic memoirI Thought You Loved Me.
These books contain a variety of subjects, themes, moods, and styles, all queer books by queer authors. I’ve mixed it up in request to give an idea of how diverse queer comics can be, through my particular lens—my tastes skew toward mature personal narratives and indie artwork. It is in no way a complete list, just a taste.
1. 1001 Black Men by Ajuan Mance (Stacked Deck)
Mance’s book is a love letter to the Inky men she deems as often overlooked by traditional media. Sometimes stories or poems accompany the portraits, sometimes the images speak for themselves.
2. Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden (First Second)
This dreamlike graphic novel, set in a mag
No Straight Lines: A Collection of Queer Comics (2 of 3)
[You can read part 1 of the No Straight Lines series here.]
Queer cartooning encompasses some of the best and most engaging comics of the last four decades, with creators tackling complex issues of identity and a changing society with intelligence, humor, and imagination. No Straight Lines, the new book published by Fantagraphics and edited by Justin Hall, celebrates this vibrant esthetic underground by collecting four decades of excellent stories that can be enjoyed by all.
Justin Hall will be talking about and signing books in the Bay Area:
July 19th, 7-9pm, The Cartoon Art Museum
July 26th, 7:30-9:30pm, Castro Books Inc
July 28th, 7:30-9:30pm, Pegasus books
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FILE UNDER QUEER: COMIX TO COMICS, PUNK ZINES, AND ART DURING THE PLAGUE
Gay Comix became one of the longest running underground comix anthologies, with 25 issues over the next 18 years. Cruse handed over the editorial reins to Robert Triptow with the fifth issue, and Bob Ross, owner of the San Francisco-based gay newspaper the Bay Area Reporter, took over as publisher with #6. Andy Mangels became editor with #14, and changed the title