Loud & Proud: 20 LGBTQ+-Inclusive Comics for Pride Month

Check, Please!
Writer/Artist: Ngozi Ukazu
Publisher: First Second
As large publishers, and some of their fans, complain about how difficult diversity is to market, and how little money it makes, webcomic creators are proving them wrong and outpacing them in leaps and bounds. Ngozi Ukazu’s Check, Please! is wildy popular on Tumblr, attracting a loyal legion of fans who pledged almost $400,000 on her last Kickstarter, and who create enough fanart and fanfiction to rival popular television shows. Check, Please! is perhaps best described in simplest terms: it’s gay hockey boys in love. Main character Eric “Bitty” Bittle, a figure skater, baker and vlogger, finds himself a fish out of water when he goes to college and begins to play hockey. The romance is slow to develop, the characters are diverse in personality, background and motivation, and Ukazu’s art is cartoony and sweet without being overblown or cloying. What really sets Check, Please! apart is the love in it. The way the characters love each other, both romantically and platonically, the way Ukazu clearly loves hockey and the comic itself. The enthusiasm and kindness, even as characters face tough decisions, make Check, Please! a welcome respite from grim, gritty stories that introduce LGBTQ+ characters only to inflict violence on them, and readers will soon be able to check it out in print, too, courtesy of First Second. Caitlin Rosberg

DeadEndia
Writer/Artist: Hamish Steele
Publisher: NoBrow Press
Haunted houses, time travel, wizard pugs—DeadEndia has everything going for it. This supernatural romp features a diverse cast of characters, including a trans masc lead in sweet, well-intentioned Barney, trying to survive the daily grind of customer service work at a theme park with some very spooky secrets. Written and illustrated by Hamish Steele, DeadEndia is free to read on Tapas and the first physical volume arrives this August from NoBrow. Steele’s playful, cartoonish style and beautiful colors create a vivid, engrossing world that will get you instantly hooked. The character designs are particularly refreshing; Steele delivers a cast with a wide variety of identities and experiences, all thoughtfully explored in ways that feel authentic and accessible. Barney in particular is a delight; it’s great to see a trans masc character not on the hypermasculine end of the gender spectrum and not drawn as perfectly passing at all times. DeadEndia is fun, well-written, and it’s currently free online—there’s no reason not to check it out. C.K. Stewart

Kim & Kim
Writer: Magdalene Visaggio
Artist: Eva Cabrera
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Full disclosure: Kim & Kim co-creator Magdalene Visaggio is an occasional Paste contributor. Fuller disclosure: we’d include her queer- and trans-inclusive space romp even if she didn’t have a byline with us. Visaggio is among the comic industry’s most visible transgender talents, and she has prioritized diverse representation of queer and trans life in her own work. Quantum Teens Are Go, her Black Mask series with artist Eryk Donovan, has some grounding in reality; Kim & Kim is all interstellar action and star-crossed exes. The Kims’ gender identities and sexualities factor into their characterization without defining them, which is a modest yet rarely achieved goal when it comes to representation. Eva Cabrera’s slick cartooning nails the punk-rock space setting and ably brings both Kims to life. Steve Foxe

Lumberjanes & Backstagers
Writers: Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh, James Tynion IV, Others
Artists: Brooklyn Allen, Rian Sygh, Others
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
One of the biggest struggles in getting more LGBTQ+-friendly content into the world, across all mediums, is that many stories that focus on queer characters are automatically deemed inappropriate for children. Thankfully, more and more publishers are rejecting that rule, and working with creators to bring books like Lumberjanes and The Backstagers into the world. Though Lumberjanes has been around longer, and The Backstagers was an eight-issue miniseries, the books provide a good counterpoint to one another. Lumberjanes is like The Baby-Sitters Club meets Gravity Falls, focusing on a group of friends at an all-girls summer camp who get caught up in supernatural adventures. The Backstagers is the all-boys school-based corollary, starring a crew who work on tech theater, making sets and managing props for the school’s productions and stumbling across magic in their labyrinthine storage areas. Both feature a variety of queer and trans characters in books that are firmly and explicitly kid-friendly, rooted in friendship and lessons that land on the right side of after-school specials. The art is just as gentle and animated as the stories themselves, and particularly when taken together create a library of books perfect for kids who feel like they might not fit in. Between the two, readers are almost guaranteed to find someone who reflects them on the page. Caitlin Rosberg

Midnighter & Midnighter and Apollo
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artists: ACO, Fernando Blanco, Others
Publisher: DC Comics
Co-creator Warren Ellis did right by gay Batman and Superman analogues Midnighter and Apollo in the pages of Stormwatch and The Authority, but it took writer Steve Orlando and artists ACO, Fernando Blanco and others to deliver the definitive gay male superhero run. Orlando and his artistic collaborators fleshed out Midnighter beyond his murderous approach to justice, first giving him a thriving (if occasionally disastrous) dating and sex life, and then, in the pages of follow-up mini-series, Midnighter and Apollo, reuniting Midnighter with long-time partner Apollo and testing their connection to hell and back (literally). Led by the ever-inventive ACO, Midnighter’s art team embraced the innovative spirit of early-aughts Wildstorm to deliver bone-breaking action and complement Orlando’s ample moments of badass-dom. Midnighter and Midnighter & Apollo prove that gay protagonists can have the same balance of romance and blistering action that their heterosexual colleagues have been afforded for years. And if DC crusaders are your main pursuit, Marguerite Bennett’s two ongoing series, Batwoman with James Tynion IV and Steve Epting and Bombshells with a rotating squad of artists, offer additional queer action. Steve Foxe

My Brother’s Husband
Writer/Artist: Gengoroh Tagame
Publisher: Pantheon
The bulk of Gengoroh Tagame’s work carries a NSFW tag: sweaty, hairy, heaving, muscle-bound men, often in bondage or some form of consensual pain play, enjoying the physical pleasures of other, similarly burly men. Tagame sneaks a quality butt shot into My Brother’s Husband, but this recent import is more about poignancy than arousal. The titular brother is recently deceased, and his Canadian husband Mike Flanagan has come to Japan to learn about his late partner’s origins and living relatives, which forces protagonist Yaichi to reflect on how he treated his twin brother’s coming out and identity. Yaichi is a single father, having amicably separated from his wife, and his young daughter Kana is immediately entranced by the Canadian gaijin, which prompts Yaichi to keep him around longer. Tagame takes a hopeful yet realistic look at modern Japan’s attitude toward homosexuality—not as fire-and-brimstone as conservative America’s, but nowhere near openly accepting—and allows Yaichi ample room to mess up and grow in response to Mike’s presence. Tagame’s mastery of the human form allows him to simplify his approach in comparison to his erotic work, lending the book an inviting, open cartooning style, and further positioning My Brother’s Husband as an accessible look at what it means to be gay in a different culture. Steve Foxe

The Nib
Writer/Artist: Various
What happens to political cartoons in an era when people don’t read newspapers anymore? They could have died (killed by The Daily Show and other venues for mocking the powerful) or just been accessible through alternative papers, but The Nib is providing a third way. Updating every weekday with several new comics, it employs a big stable of cartoonists who share a wide range of work. Some of it consists of more traditional political cartoons, satisfying and feeding rage, but a lot of it also offers comics that report on important issues or personal nonfiction narrative. Queer comics are only one aspect of its offerings, but they’re a strong one. Kazimir Lee Iskander, a transman, provides some reporting on queer issues, such as the large percentage of the homeless who are LGBTQ+ and what it’s like to be queer in Malaysia. Joey Alison Sayers, a transwoman, uses humor to explain her perspective, with cartoony drawings that point out the absurdity of bigotry. Both and many more authors are providing a virtual fireworks show of pride, anger, connection, facts and more. Hillary Brown

O Human Star
Writer/Artist: Blue Delliquanti
Science fiction, at its very best, shows audiences hope for the future. Though it’s easy to mock the camp and antics of early Star Trek, it’s hard to understate the impact of a show that presented America’s first televised interracial kiss and depicted a post-scarcity, post-Cold War world. O Human Star is this kind of science fiction, striving for something so much better than what we have right now that it seems far-fetched, even if the technology isn’t all that distant. It’s both a mystery and a love story, romantic and platonic, featuring LGBTQ+ characters who aren’t remarkable for their orientation or sexual identity, but rather for their personalities and choices. Creator Blue Delliquanti deserves particular credit for showing trans and queer teens that are still sorting things out, but aren’t tortured by uncertainty or abandoned and unsafe. Though the comic deals with very real concerns and emotional dramatics, including issues of disability and access to assistive technology, it treats all of the characters tenderly; none of them are handled with kid gloves, and several of the adults make questionable decisions, but they’re all given space to learn and grow and remember how to care about each other. The bonus on top of this remarkable comic is Delliquanti’s enthusiastic exploration of artificial intelligence and robotics, rooted in very real, fascinating technological advancements. Caitlin Rosberg

On a Sunbeam
Writer/Artist: Tillie Walden
If you’ve ever meandered through an empty cathedral or wandered the halls of a school building after hours, then you’ve felt the solemn quiet Tillie Walden (I Love This Part, A City Inside) conjures in her Eisner-nominated webcomic, On A Sunbeam. The serial follows Mia, a newly assigned member to a motley crew of deep-space construction workers. The crew travels in their fish-shaped ship between jobs to restore derelict structures, remnants of generations long past. Running parallel to present-day Mia’s life is a flashback to her time at boarding school, where she embarked on a relationship with a mysterious girl. Walden gives us her gorgeous, surreal take on sci-fi here. Space isn’t a hostile frontier, but a warm, lively ambiance speckled with trees, classical architecture and impossible spacecrafts. The loosely autobiographical tale explores facets of love and intimacy during a time when everything feels lonely and foreign. If you want to get in your feelings and stay in them for 20 chapters, On A Sunbeam has you covered. Chris Kindred

Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Anthology
Editor: Joamette Gil
Publisher: Power & Magic Press
Nothing has helped queer comics representation as much as Kickstarter, and a shining star of the bustling Kickstarter comics scene is Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Anthology, edited by Joamette Gil and featuring stories from over a dozen incredible creators about witches across the gender and sexuality spectrums. From hard fantasy to fairy tale retellings, Power & Magic features a little something for everyone; editor Joamette Gil did a stellar job curating this anthology, and no story feels out of place, whether light-hearted romances or eerier supernatural shorts. Every story here is impeccably done, particularly a story from FYDBAC about two witches—one deaf, one blind—that includes some stellar illustrated use of sign language that’s rarely ever portrayed in comics. C.K. Stewart

The Prince & The Dressmaker
Writer/Artist: Jen Wang
Publisher: First Second
Jen Wang wowed readers with her art for In Real Life with Cory Doctorow, and her latest release sees Wang handling both script and art for an identity-bending romance set in old-timey Paris. Prince Sebastian’s parents are seeking a bride for their son, but Sebastian is much more passionate about his secret life as Lady Crystallia, Paris’ favorite fashion icon. Sebastian lives his fabulous second life with the help of his dressmaker best friend Frances, who keeps his secret but longs for greatness beyond her silent success with Lady Crystallia. Wang delicately navigates questions of personal identity and the responsibilities of friendship while spinning a charming love story and bringing to life a gorgeously decadent period in French fashion and culture. The Prince & The Dressmaker is a timeless queer-inclusive fairy tale for the modern age. Steve Foxe

Space Battle Lunchtime
Writer/Artist: Natalie Riess
Publisher: Oni Press
Space Battle Lunchtime exists somewhere between MasterChef and Star Wars. A light-hearted look at an intergalactic cooking competition, Space Battle Lunchtime follows Earthling pastry chef Peony’s adventures as a last-minute addition to a literally star-studded high-stakes reality show. Writer and illustrator Natalie Riess delivers all of the dramatic tension of your favorite reality competitions, including unlikely alliances and a sweet queer romance involving Peony and the last person she should probably be falling for on an inescapable space station. Riess’ illustrations feel as warm and welcoming as a sweet, homemade pastry, but she manages to weave in some incredible action scenes and moments of startlingly dark, wry humor that never feel jarring or out of place. Space Battle Lunchtime is a must for anyone who loves surprising romances against the backdrop of intergalactic intrigue. C.K. Stewart

Spinning
Writer/Artist: Tillie Walden
Publisher: First Second
Tillie Walden is a marvel of empathy, a cartoonist who can dive into emotions at a molecular level through dynamic panels with shifting perspectives. That talent has funneled the journey from youth to adulthood in works including I Love This Part, A City Inside and The End of Summer. Spinning glides over similar truths in Walden’s memoir of competitive ice skating and first love. The 400-page journey feels intimate and personal without straying into self-important extremes, diagramming the treasured epiphanies that spur kids to abandon defunct dreams and embrace new ones. Walden renders the taut calfs and frozen pools with a devotion that underlies the 10 years she spent practicing the sport. The door-stop book offers the same breathless humanity as Craig Thompson’s Blankets and the Tamaki cousins’ This One Summer, with the added element of a young girl grappling with coming of age and coming out in a close-minded environment. Sean Edgar

Transposes
Writer/Artist: Dylan Edwards
Publisher: Northwest Press
Dylan Edwards’ Transposes is a comic anthology collecting illustrated adaptations of interviews with trans men conducted by Edwards beginning in 2008. While the age of the interviews does show in some cases, thanks to the constant and swiftly changing nature not just of trans issues in the United States, but of the vocabulary and conversations happening within the queer community as a whole, Transposes is a rare work centered on a more diverse set of trans masc experiences than those of hypermasculine straight trans men. It’s a set of deeply personal stories that explores numerous aspects of what it is to be a trans man, and how tricky it can be to navigate relationships of all types when you don’t live up to the stereotypes of what a man should be. C.K. Stewart

Wuvable Oaf
Writer/Artist: Ed Luce
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Ed Luce’s Wuvable Oaf, available in two compilations from Fantagraphics (Wuvable Oaf and Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal), is pretty dang adorable. The Oaf himself is a sensitive fellow, who spends his time crafting and taking care of his menagerie of kitties when he’s not out trying to find love. His giant, hairy body, however, means that he once earned his keep as the professional wrestler Goteblüd, a scary-looking Satanic character. He’s kept in line by Eiffel, a tiny but fearsome frontman of the grindcore band Ejaculoid who clearly has a thing for big dudes. Wuvable Oaf is saturated with gay culture, particularly bear culture, but it’s not about that culture. Part of what makes it delightful (apart from Luce’s charming drawings) is the way it presents its subculture as the norm, a world in which straight people almost don’t exist. It’s nothing if not proud to be what it is. Hillary Brown