Comicosity

This Black History Month hit a little different. There was a new spirit, and it’s hard to put a name to or to hold, but I could see it in the bright eyes of my skinfolk, in people’s determination to not just celebrate but spur on change. I know so many people in my community who do amazing work, and comics is certainly no exception. So, when I read this one, I knew I wanted it to be the next thing I covered.

Queerness occupies a strange place in the world, pun not quite intended. From what I gather, which I hope is not my own projection, the queer and trans people I know just want to live and thrive, be nerds, have sex if we so choose or have people respect us if sexual or romantic attraction is not something we experience. We just want to be. However, systems of queerphobia have sought to prevent that throughout history, and becoming is not such an open act, out of fear or sometimes safety.

I think it can be said without the ruffling of many feathers that “comics are art.” Still, one of the biggest philosophical issues we as a society tend to run into, much like Wile E. Coyote when he crashes headfirst into a stone slab he thought was a tunnel, is the question “what is art supposed to do for us?” It’s a doozie of a question and I am not saying that this is something all comic creators can or should tackle explicitly.

While it’s hard to believe in a lot of ways, this website you’re reading right now is 11 years old. It both feels like yesterday and 40 years ago that I was firing it up and then quickly starting to assemble the first group of contributors with Matt, unleashing timelines, interviews and articles that you just couldn’t find anywhere else.

In 2021 I wrote an article that briefly talked about DC Comics’ first Pride-themed comic anthology. I listed over a dozen of DC’s earliest queer characters who received no mention or reference in DC Pride, such as Coagula, Wanda, Masquerade, and Shvaughn Erin. I regret there was at least one other character whom even I didn’t think to include, that has also been forgotten by DC for nearly two decades. This character is very difficult to talk about.

The Legion of Super-Heroes are one of the oldest teams in the history of DC Comics. What began as three time travelling teens who made an appearance in Adventure Comics #247 evolved into a group with such history and depth, by the 1980s they received their own Who’s Who series just to keep track of everyone. Up to the mid-80s, the Legion was one of DC’s most popular teams. That all changed when DC erased the characters of Superboy and Supergirl from the DCU following Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Graphic novels. Collected editions. Omnibuses. Trades. These are really all just words for “a kickass way to read comics”. So, with this column we’re going to look at all of those kickass bound pages that are hitting comic shops, bookstores and online outlets this week! (Note that in some instances, the release dates to comic shops, online retailers and book stores are different) 6 SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON VOL.

Welcome to Comicosity’s Hot Five. Hot Five is a short list of the top books we think you’ll want to be checking out.

Graphic novels. Collected editions. Omnibuses. Trades. These are really all just words for “a kickass way to read comics”. So, with this column we’re going to look at all of those kickass bound pages that are hitting comic shops, bookstores and online outlets this week! (Note that in some instances, the release dates to comic shops, online retailers and book stores are different) THE TEA DRAGON FESTIVAL Written by K. O’Neill Art by K.

When the DC Pride anthology was released last summer, I must admit I found it rather underwhelming and somewhat performative. As an autochorissexual, the overall lack of asexual representation beyond Tremor’s silent role in the JLQ story left me feeling annoyed. Beyond that, I had frustrations over the lack of presence many of DC’s earliest and oldest queer characters in the Pride anthology.