LGBT themes in comics

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Gay comics" redirects here. For the underground comic book series and anthologies, see Gay Comix.
Frederic Wertham
to allege that comic books promote homosexuality.

In

coming-out, societal discrimination
, and personal and romantic relationships between gay characters.

With any mention of homosexuality in mainstream United States comics forbidden by the

web comics
.

The popularity of comic books in Europe and Japan have seen distinct approaches to LGBT themes. A lack of censorship and greater acceptance of comics as a medium for adult entertainment in Europe has led European comics to be more inclusive from an earlier date, leading to less controversy about the representation of LGBT characters in their pages. Notable comics creators have produced work from France, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Britain. Japanese manga tradition has included genres of girls' comics that feature homosexual relationships since the 1970s, in the form of yaoi and yuri. These works are often extremely romantic and idealized, and include archetypal characters that often do not identify as gay or lesbian. Since the Japanese "gay boom" of the 1990s, a body of manga by queer creators aimed at LGBT customers has been established, including both bara manga for gay men and yuri aimed at lesbians, which often have more realistic and autobiographical themes. Pornographic manga also often includes sexualised depictions of lesbians and intersex people.

Portrayal of LGBT themes in comics is recognized by several notable awards, including the

"Lammys" awards since 1988, created a new category in 2014 for graphic works. Prism Comics
, an organization formed in 2003 for promoting LGBTQ themes in comic books, has provided the "Queer Press Grant" for comic book creators since 2005.

Part of a series on
Sex and sexuality in
speculative fiction
Main topics
Genres
LGBT themes
Recurring elements
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Comic strips

Panel showing the coming out of a character in 1993 in the comic strip For Better or For Worse. This comic strip caused death threats to be sent to Lynn Johnston, the creator.

Early comic strips also avoided overt treatment of gay issues, though examples of homosexual subtext have been identified. The 1938–1939 edition of

Terry and the Pirates features a primary villain, Sanjak, who has been interpreted by some as a lesbian with designs on the hero's girlfriend.[2][3]

The first widely distributed comic strip to tackle LGBT themes and include a gay character was

Chase, including their marriage in 1999 and separation in 2007.[2]

The 11 July 1984 installment of Bloom County had the strip's main characters staying at Bob & Ernie's Castro Street Hotel, run by a gay S&M couple.

When

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1994. The Pulitzer board said the strip "sensitively depicted a youth's disclosure of his homosexuality and its effect on his family and friends."[11] Subsequent appearances of the character have not focused on his sexuality, and the creator has said that this will continue.[2][4]

In most widely circulated strips, LGBT characters remained as supporting figures into the 21st century, with some, including

Greg Fox's Kyle's Bed & Breakfast, a series focusing on a group of gay friends who live together and face realistic problems associated with their sexualities, including relationship troubles and being closeted.[13][14]

Since the late 1980s specifically gay publications have also included comic strips, in which LGBT themes are ubiquitous.[15] Local LGBT newspapers sometimes carry their own strips, like Ron Williams's Quarter Scenes in the New Orleans paper Impact. Strips including Wendel by Howard Cruse, It's a Gay Life by Gerard Donelan, and Leonard and Larry by Tim Barela, have been syndicated in national gay magazines like the Advocate.[15]

One of the best known and longest-running LGBT comic strips, Dykes to Watch Out For, was written by Alison Bechdel – dubbed the "elder stateswomen of LGBT comics" – from 1983 to 2008. Dykes to Watch Out For is known for its social and political commentary and depictions of characters from all walks of life.[16][17] Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was lauded by many media outlets as among the best books of the year.

Other noted LGBT-themed comic strips have included Doc and Raider, The Chosen Family, Chelsea Boys and The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. Ethan Green has also been adapted into a live-action feature film.

Early homoerotic magazines

A Tom of Finland drawing printed in a 1962 issue of Physique Pictorial.

Touko Laaksonen, better known as

beefcake magazine Physique Pictorial starting in the 1950s. Due to obscenity laws, Laaksonen's full, sexually explicit comics could not be published at the time, and were instead distributed privately. Other artists who regularly contributed to early homoerotic periodicals during this time include George Quaintance, and Dom Orejudos
(under the pen name Etienne).

Underground and alternative comics

LGBT themes were found first in underground or alternative comics, often published by small independent presses or self-published. Such comics frequently advocated political positions and included depictions of sex, usually not intended solely to cause arousal but included as part of the exploration of themes including gender and sexuality.[19]

“Captain Pissgums and His Pervert Pirates” by

David Reuben's sex manual Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
, featuring explicit mutual gay sex acts, and promoting gay liberation.

Eventually comics appeared aimed at a gay audience: the first documented example of a widely circulated underground gay comic was Gay Heart Throbs, which produced several issues in the mid-1970s, but struggled to find an audience.[19]

Notable publications included Gay Comix, which was created in 1980 by Howard Cruse, featured the work of LGBT artists, and had close ties with the gay liberation movement. Much of the early content was autobiographical, but more diverse themes were explored in later editions. Autobiographical themes included falling in love, coming out, repression, and sex.[20] Gay Comix also served as a source for information about non-mainstream LGBT-themed comics and events.[15] Artists producing work for Gay Comix included Mary Wings, creator of the first one-off lesbian book Come Out Comix (1972) and Dyke Shorts (1976), and Roberta Gregory, who created Dynamite Damsels (1976) the first lesbian underground serial comic book and the character Bitchy Bitch.[19] Wimmen's Comix also tackled issues of homosexuality on a regular basis, and the first issue was also the venue for the first comic strip featuring an out lesbian, called "Sandy Comes Out", by Trina Robbins.[21] Excerpts from Gay Comix are included in the 1989 anthology Gay Comics, one of the earliest histories of the subject.[20][22][23]

Jeffrey A. Krell, Brad Parker, John Blackburn, Jon Macy, and Tom of Finland.[19] The contents of Meatmen are generally male-oriented, and more explicitly sexual than the intentionally gender-balanced Gay Comics.[24] Tom of Finland was a prolific fetish artist, specializing in images of men with exaggerated primary and secondary sex traits, such as extreme muscularity and improbably large penises. His drawings frequently feature two or more men either immediately preceding or during explicit sexual activity.[25] Howard Cruse has been described as "the most important gay cartoonist" of this period, and his work explores both pop and gay culture. In addition to being featured in Meatmen and Gay Comics, his LGBT-themed work has been syndicated in publications such as Heavy Metal, RAW, and Village Voice.[26]

Creators have used the comics medium to educate readers about LGBT-related issues including

Gay Men's Health Crisis
.

Such educational comics have been criticised for ignoring the special relevance the subject has to the LGBT community, with homosexuality marginalized in favour of depicting HIV as a threat to conventional heterosexual relationships. This has been blamed on the continuing perception that comics are for young people, and as such should be "universalised" rather than targeting specific groups, and hence are heteronormative, failing to provide characters that LGBT-identifying young people can identify with.[32] Other educational comic books such as the Swiss Jo (1991) also exclude explicit reference to homosexuality (as well as drug-taking and prostitution), in spite of their target audience being older.[33]

In 2010 Northwest Press began publishing LBGTQ themed works, focusing primarily on graphic novels and anthologies of artists' shorter works.

Fantagraphics Books edited by Justin Hall
, presented an overview of comics by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people since the 1960s.

Mainstream American comic books

Main article: LGBT themes in American mainstream comics

Mainstream comics have historically excluded gay characters, with

Sandman, in response to the lack of realistic representation of such people in comics.[36] Queer theory analyses have noted that LGBT characters in mainstream comic books are often shown as assimilated into heterosexual society, whereas in alternative comics the diversity and uniqueness of LGBT culture is at the forefront.[37] Mainstream comics have also been labelled as "heteronormative", in comparison to "integrationist" alternative comics.[38]

Censorship and criticism

Main article: Comics Code Authority

For much of the 20th century, creators were strongly discouraged from depicting gay relationships in comic books, which were regarded as a medium for children. Until 1989 the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which imposed de facto censorship on comics sold through newsstands in the United States, forbade any suggestion of homosexuality,[1] and LGBT characters were excluded from comics bearing the CCA seal. The CCA itself came into being in response to Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, in which comic book creators were accused of attempting to negatively influence children with images of violence and sexuality, including subliminal homosexuality. Wertham claimed that Wonder Woman's strength and independence made her a lesbian,[39] and stated that "The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies."[40] Storytellers subsequently had to drop subtle hints while not stating directly a character's orientation.[2] Overt gay and lesbian themes were first found later in underground and alternative titles which did not carry the CCA's seal of approval.

In recent years the number of LGBT characters in mainstream superhero comics has increased greatly. At first gay characters appeared in supporting roles, but their roles have become increasingly prominent.

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and criticism from conservative groups.[34] Critics have made accusations that comics are attempting to subvert readers into a "gay lifestyle", trying to "lure young American boys into the kinky web of homosexuality and AIDS".[41]

DC Comics

The Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures (2000) notes that gay subtext can be found in

the Joker as a "homophobic nightmare,"[44] and views the character as sublimating his sexual urges into crime fighting.[44] Burt Ward has also remarked upon this interpretation in his autobiography, noting that the relationship between the two could be interpreted as a sexual one.[45]

Wedding of Midnighter and Apollo in DC Comics. Partial panel from Transfer of Power graphic novel (2002)

In the first appearance of the

Deadman, Madame Xanadu (later herself revealed to be bisexual[48]), and Ben Turner
, the men are saved.

In 1988's

Preludes and Nocturnes and The Kindly Ones arc featured elderly gay men. Transsexual themes were explored in The Sandman: A Game of You (1991) and in a 1992 storyline in Legion of Super-Heroes with transsexual character Shvaughn Erin. In 1993, writing duties for the Doom Patrol comic series were taken over by the transgender writer Rachel Pollack who used the series to explored many LGBT themes as well as introduced the character of Coagula, a transgender lesbian, to the team.[52]

Notable storylines featuring LGBT themes include the coming out of

Apollo during their time as members of the superhero team The Authority.[55]

The comic book

Obsidian,[56] and also Manhunter's son and successor, Ramsey Spencer, who is also openly gay and dates the metahuman hero and his partner named Justin.[57]
In 2006 DC drew widespread media attention by announcing a new, lesbian incarnation of the well-known character
Pied Piper.[63] Policewoman Renee Montoya, introduced in Batman: The Animated Series without any stated sexual preference, was eventually introduced in the comic books as a lesbian and made considerably more butch.[citation needed] She was a main character in Gotham Central and 52
.

In 2011, DC launched its

Bunker, the first openly gay superhero ever to be featured in the Teen Titans ongoing series.[65] Another of the changes brought about with the DC reboot was the reinvention of a classic character as an out gay man, with DC as of 2012 depicting its longtime Green Lantern Alan Scott as a gay man in stories set on the parallel world of Earth-2.[66] In 2020, as part of its Infinite Frontier relaunch, DC established the mainstream continuity's elderly Alan Scott as canonically gay as well, by having him come out to his adult children. This incarnation of Alan Scott has been depicted on-and-off since 1940.[67]

Anti-villains

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, who form a non-monogamous couple.[70] Supervillain Prometheus is now a gay man who dated Midnighter.[71] Demon Knights brought back Shining Knight, who previously appeared in Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory as a girl crossdressing as a male knight. In the new series however, The Shining Knight says that (s)he is “not just a man or a woman[, but] both.”[72] This makes them the possible first intersex hero.[73]

In 2016, DC launched

Jonathan Kent
, came out as bisexual.

Marvel Comics

Writer Marjorie Liu autographing a copy of Astonishing X-Men #51 (August 2012), in which she depicted the marriage of superhero Northstar and Kyle Jinadu, the first same-sex wedding in mainstream comics

J.M. DeMatteis introduced Arnie Roth, a childhood friend of Steve Rogers, who comes to Cap seeking help in rescuing his "roommate" Michael.[n 4] Later, Arnie himself is captured by Baron Zemo and forced to dress in flamboyant clothes and stage make-up and give a speech about how his love for Michael is false and unnatural. Cap rescues Arnie and reassures him that his love for Michael is as genuine as Cap's own love for his girlfriend.[n 5] The story appears to have gone under the radar purely because DeMatteis did not use the word "gay". Subsequent official character biographies have confirmed Arnie Roth as gay. As of 2006, these policies are no longer enforced and LGBT characters appear regularly in Marvel comics.[80] Although same-sex couples are depicted occasionally kissing, intimate or sexual scenes have not been shown, even in Marvel's "Adult only" imprint.[81] The use of mutants and the discrimination they face in the X-Men comics has been seen as a metaphor for the real-world discrimination directed at minority groups including LGBT people.[82]

Anole, who later became a Young X-Men member along with another gay teen, Graymalkin.[86] During Marjorie Liu's run on Astonishing X-Men, she depicted Northstar's wedding to his longtime partner Kyle Jinadu in issue #51 (August 2012), the first same-sex wedding in mainstream comics.[87][88]

Wolverine
.

Marvel Comics Universe
. Art by Marco Santucci.

Other LGBT members of Marvel's

Mystique and Destiny.[53] In X-Factor (Vol 3) #45 (August 2009), written by Peter David, depowered mutant Rictor and his longtime friend Shatterstar (with whom he'd had an ambiguous relationship)[n 6] were shown in an on-panel kiss.[n 7] After the issue was published, Peter David confirmed Rictor and Shatterstar's bisexuality in his blog and expressed his desire to develop the relationship between them further.[90][91] Shortly after, one of Shatterstar's creators, Rob Liefeld, expressed his disapproval of Peter David's decision and has stated that should he get the chance, he will undo Rictor and Shatterstar's bisexuality.[92] Despite his complaints, however, both Peter David and Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada have defended the development, and the story will most likely go on as planned.[93]
David went on to win the 2011 GLADD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for his work.

In 1997, writer

character foil to Topaz as a "good girl" (which does not match earlier portrayals of Topaz), and Satana as "the ugly."[96] In Marvel Zombies 4, Topaz teasingly calls Jennifer "girlfriend" to be ironic.[97] Her entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe now states that she is bisexual.[98]

In 2002, Marvel revived

Marvel MAX imprint,[99] introducing the first openly gay comic book character to star in his own magazine.[100] The first edition of the Rawhide Kid's gay saga was called Slap Leather.[100] The character's sexuality is conveyed indirectly, through euphemisms and puns, and the comic's style is campy.[100] Conservative groups protested the gay take on the character, which they claimed would corrupt children, and the covers carried an "Adults only" label.[13][59]

The

Miss America, Loki, and Noh-Varr.[102] Speed (Tommy Shepherd), the reincarnated twin of Wiccan, was revealed to be bisexual in 2020, and is currently in a relationship with Prodigy.[103]

Xavin is a non-binary/genderqueer Skrull (a race of shape-shifters) from the award-winning series, Runaways. Xavin was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 2 #7.[104] Xavin had first appeared to the Runaways in their masculine form, but changed into their feminine form for the sake of Karolina Dean, a lesbian hero whom they were to marry.[105] In the series, Xavin often switches between their two forms.[106]

One 2010 comic includes a development which suggests that

Wolverine
, the British Governor General of the Dominion of Canada, who is known as Howlett.

In April 2015

Iceman, Bobby Drake was gay. In the "All-New X-Men" comic book storyline, the mind-reading mutant Jean Grey asks Bobby why he calls women "hot," when she knows he is gay.[108] In 2017, Iceman received his first ongoing solo series, which focused on the adult Bobby Drake coming to terms with life as an out gay man, his Omega-level superpowers, his legacy as a hero and fighting some of the biggest villains in the Marvel Universe.[109] The book had been cancelled, with its last issue being in early 2018,[110] but Marvel has since announced a new Iceman ongoing series beginning in September 2018.[111]

Mark Waid, writer of Black Widow #9, discussed that "[Both Natasha and Bucky] have had a crush on Steve Rogers at some point in the past" hinting that Bucky Barnes may be bisexual.[112]

Archie Comics

In September 2010 Archie Comics introduced an openly gay character,

Kevin Keller in Veronica #202, though it was only published in the U.S. and Canada.[113] In the story, Veronica quickly falls for the new-boy-in-town, with a sweet smile and chiseled good looks, Kevin. Kevin beats Jughead in a burger-eating contest,[114][115]
and he tells Jughead that he's not interested in Veronica because he's gay. Unbeknownst to Kevin, Jughead has a score to settle with Veronica. So, when Jughead requests for Kevin not tell Veronica about his sexuality, Kevin willingly agrees. The bulk of the story is about Veronica's cluelessness.

As widely considered traditional, predictable, and wholesome publishers to the nth degree for generations, Archie Comics' open recognition of homosexuality through the addition of Kevin Keller came as a surprise to many readers. However, as Lyle Masaki of AfterElton.com recognizes, "There is a long-standing misconception that sexuality has to be a part of a gay character, but being gay doesn't have anything to do with sex."[116] Kevin went on to star in his own mini-series, and now is the star of his own digest-size series,[117] and guest starred in the Life with Archie: The Married Life series, with the issue depicting his wedding becoming one of the fastest selling Archie comics in decades.[118]

Other publishers

Ivan Velez, Jr. and Jennifer Camper. From left to right, front row, are L. Nichols, Sasha Hedges Steinberg
and Laurel Lynn Leake.

The 1990s saw the creation of a number of independent publishing houses with output that competed with the giants of mainstream comics publishing, Marvel and DC. The companies included

Gen13's Sarah Rainmaker (created by Wildstorm for Image Comics before being taken over by DC).[63] Colleen Doran's A Distant Soil, dating back to the black-and-white independent movement of the 1980s, and published by Image since 1996, featured openly gay characters as the romantic leads that gained the series a Gaylactic Spectrum Award nomination.[120][121][122]

Dark Horse's

Buffy Season Eight comics attracted media attention when the title character has a one-night stand with another girl who had fallen in love with her.[n 8] The encounter was repeated, but both the character and the creators denied that this made Buffy gay, with Joss Whedon saying: "We're not going to make her gay, nor are we going to take the next 50 issues explaining that she's not. She's young and experimenting, and did I mention open-minded?"[123]

Mainstream European comics

Comics from continental Europe have been described as having a greater range of "themes, narratives and forms of visual impact" than English-language comics, but have been superseded in popularity by American comics since the mid-1980s,[124] with only French comics matching the popularity of Japanese and American comics.[125] The lack of a "comics code" equivalent to the US system has made the incorporation of LGBT themes less controversial. This is exemplified by the Kelly Green graphic novels (1982–93), created by Stan Drake and Leonard Starr. Drake and Starr are American cartoonists who chose to publish in France, where they would not be limited by US censorship and "could write and draw anything they wanted";[126] this included episodes in which the vigilante title character dresses as a boy to lure a gay villain into an ambush, and a stereotypically gay secondary character who ran a strip-club.[126]

At the beginning of the 20th century, French and

Franco-Belgian comics for children such as The Adventures of Tintin, Asterix,[128][129] and The Adventures of Alix have also had sexual and LGBT subtext inferred by readers.[130] Readers of Tintin books have speculated about his sexuality, leading to Marcel Wilmet, spokesperson of Studios Hergé, saying that Tintin is macho and not homosexual; Tintin has many male friends, but they are not boyfriends.[131][132] The Adventures of Alix comics by Jacques Martin are amongst the most prominent historical comics, and the text concerns the restoration of a moral order, but with a "homosexual subtext that may have been invisible to the original readers",[133] which includes the portrayal of a close relationship between Alix and his companion Enak and the full frontal depiction of teenage male bodies. Martin has disputed any gay readings of the central friendship in the books, but an article in Le Palace still called the "heroes homosexuel de notre enfance".[134]

Strips in the 1960s strove to break taboos, but were still censored by a law passed in 1949 that assumed comics were for children, which prevented the inclusion of explicit sexual themes, as in Barbarella album (1964), which had to be redrawn to remove nudity.[135][136] The late 1960s saw greater acceptance of comic strips as a mature artform, and their use as social commentary and satire was established in mainstream newspapers by the 1970s, although some anthologies continued to be banned as "pornographic".[137]

The works of French comic book creator Fabrice Neaud have been described as the "most ambitious autobiographical comics project yet published". These include his 1994 series Ego Comme X and the ongoing Journal, of which Neaud has self-published one volume every other year since 1996. The works chronicle day to day experiences and place them in a framework that examines representation and self-identity of sexual-minorities and the creative process. Volumes one and three focus on the author's homosexuality and status as a struggling gay artist in French small-town life: One story arc covered Neaud's unrequited love for a male friend. Neaud's works have been pointed to as examples that legitimised comics as serious literature, and elevated the regard for autobiographical works within comics.[138] The retrospective and subjective nature of the works leads to significant emotional events being afforded greater coverage, with the result that issues of sexuality and interactions between the author and other men are highlighted, reflecting the importance of sexuality to identity. This has led critic (and character) Dominque Goblet to dismiss the works as trivial; such criticisms have been attributed to bias against autobiography or comics, or inability to identify with a gay character.[139]

Frank Margerin's most famous strips follow the lives of working class heterosexual men centered around the character of "suburban rocker" Lucien, and occasionally feature LGBT themes that show the characters' assumptions of stereotypes.[140] In Votez Rocky, the characters dress as the Village People and when a stereotypically gay character tries to chat-up Lucien in Le Retour (1993), he remains oblivious to the attempt. These occurrences have been noted to be about reaffirming their masculinity by comparison with non-masculine gay stereotypes, rather than depictions of homophobia.[141] The relationship between social class and sexual orientation is also explored when a character is arrested by vice police in a park along with a number of gay couples and is humiliated by the police officers homophobic insults.[142] In Comme s'il en Pleuvait (2001), the same character finds that the assumption that he is gay, due to a close male friendship, is to his benefit when in fashionable literary groups, where he is seen as more interesting and trendy.[143]

Spanish comics have been described as less conventional and more diverse than American comics. Anarcoma, by creator Nazario Luque [es], is a "bizarre noir thriller" starring a gay transvestite detective.[144] Anarcoma has been "widely celebrated" as one of the foremost subversive and countercultural comics that challenges preconceptions of sexuality and gender. Luque is openly gay and also writes the underground comic El Vibora. However, Gema Pérez-Sánchez says that the subversive impact of underground comics is less than one might expect, in comparison to mainstream and government-subsidised comics, as the readers of underground comics are unlikely to be shocked. The "veiled" queer content that appears in the Socialist government-sanctioned Madriz has a greater impact.[145]

In Germany, the openly gay cartoonist

gay culture" setting, have also gained great popularity among heterosexual readers.[147] Several of König's comics have been adapted into films; his work has sold more than 5 million copies and been translated into 14 languages.[148]

Johnny Alpha, gruff, macho men. Waugh, by contrast, was camp, flippant and flamboyant. In the annual poll of readers' opinions, Waugh became the first and last character ever to knock Judge Dredd off the top spot as Favourite Strip. However, the character was not used for seven years after his initial introduction, due to production problems.[151][152] In the British small press Martin Eden launched Spandex, which claimed to be "the world's first all-gay superhero team".[153]

Mainstream Japanese comics

Comics are an established art form in Japan, which has the biggest comic book industry in the world. Comics are respected and aimed at both child and adult audiences. Sex and violence are common, and their presence in fictional manga is regarded as a "safety valve".[154]

Yaoi and yuri

See also: Yaoi and Yuri

Yaoi and yuri (also known as "boys' love" and "girls' love", respectively) are

Hiizuredokoro no Tenshi (The Angel that Came from the Sun), an 11-volume series beginning in 1980 that reinterprets the life of the introducer of Buddhism to Japan; and Kaze to Ki no Uta (Poem of the Wind and the Trees), a 17-volume series beginning in 1976 that chronicles the relationship between two schoolboys in France.[155]

As with much manga and anime,

Simoun has been described as "a wonderful sci fi series"[160] which does not have to rely on its yuri content to appeal to the audience.[161] The various terminologies for both male/male pairings and female/female pairings are sometimes used to denote the level of sexual explicitness or romanticism in a work.[162][163] Although yuri originated in female-targeted works, today it is featured in male-targeted ones as well.[164][165]

Yaoi has been criticised for stereotypical and homophobic portrayals of its characters,[166][167][168][169] and for failing to address gay issues.[167][170] Homophobia, when it is presented as an issue at all,[163] is often used as a plot device to "heighten the drama",[171] or to show the purity of the leads' love.[167] Rachel Thorn has suggested that as yaoi is a romance narrative, strong political themes may be a "turn off" to the readers.[172] Critics state that the genre challenges heteronormativity via the "queer" bishōnen ("beautiful boys"),[173][174] and Andrew Grossman has written that the Japanese are more comfortable with writing about LGBT themes in a manga setting, in which gender is often blurred, even in "straight" manga.[175]

Bara and "gay comics"

See also: Bara

There also exists "gay manga" (called Bara (rose)) specifically targeted at gay men, with gay characters. Yaoi writers and fans distinguish these "gay manga" from yaoi,[176] sometimes calling it "bara".[177] Prior to the early 2000s, the primary venue for publication of gay men's manga was gay men's general-interest magazines, which have included manga since the inception of Barazoku in 1971. The typical manga story in these magazines is an 8–24 page one-shot, although some magazines, notably G-men, also carry some serialized stories. McLelland, surveying gay men's magazines from the mid to late 1990s, indicates that most manga stories were simply pornographic, with little attention to character or plot, and that even the longer, serialized stories were generally "thinly developed".[178] McLelland characterizes Barazoku as containing "some well-crafted stories which might be better described as erotic rather than pornographic", while the manga in G-men were "more relentlessly sexual", with less attention to characterization and mood.[179]

The 1990s saw increased media focus on LGBT people in Japan, and a large increase in the production of such works written by gay men. Gengoroh Tagame has been called the most influential creator of gay manga in Japan to date. Most of his work first appeared in gay magazines and usually feature sexual abuse. Much of Gengoroh Tagame's early work was published in the magazine G-men, which was founded in 1994 to cater to gay men who preferred "macho fantasy", as opposed to the sleeker, yaoi-inspired styles popular in the 1980s.[180] Like most gay men's general-interest magazines, G-men included manga as well as prose stories and editorial and photographic material. G-men encouraged steady readership by presenting a better-defined fantasy image, and with serialized, continuing manga stories which encouraged purchase of every issue.[181] Tagame's depiction of men as muscular and hairy has been cited as a catalyst for a shift in fashion amongst gay men in 1995, away from the clean-shaven and slender stereotypes of Yaoi and towards a tendency for masculinity and chubbiness.[166] Tagame's work has been criticised by notable gay manga writer Susumu Hirosegawa for its lack of complex storylines. Susumu Hirosegawa's early works were yaoi, but later Hirosegawa moved into gay manga. Hirosegawa's works sometimes contain no sex at all, with greater focus on plot, but when sex is present it is often in the form of sadomasochism or rape, in which the victim learns to enjoy the experience.[166] Bara manga's popularity has continued to increase, with four major publishers of bara manga anthologies in today's Japan.[182]

Other genres

Pornographic manga and anime for men, frequently called hentai in the West, often contains depictions of lesbianism for the titillation of male readers, examples being Demon Beast Invasion (1994) and Twin Angels (1995).[175] Futanari are common character types in hentai; they are transgender or intersex figures, often female, with penises.

Mainstream, non-pornographic manga also frequently contains explorations of gender and sex roles, although usually for purposes of exoticism or comedy rather than in a realistic manner.

Class S is a genre of girl's fiction that tells stories about crushes between a female upperclassman and an underclassman.[186] Maria-sama ga Miteru, a contemporary series which includes a manga adaptation, has been described as a revival of the Class S genre.[187]

Fandom and awards

See also:
Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Other Work

As the visibility of LGBT comic book creators and characters has increased, comic book fandom has taken notice. Panels discussing LGBT topics occur regularly at comic book and LGBT conventions such as

Comicon and Gaylaxicon, and conventions also feature stands dedicated to LGBT comics.[188] Ted Abenheim, event chair of Prism Comics said in 2008, “We're in our sixth year of exhibiting at Comic-Con, presenting a larger booth and more panels and events than ever before.” A number of websites
dedicated to LGBT comic book fandom and featuring content from staff writers exist, such as Prismcomics.org, Pinkkrytonite.com and Gayleague.com.

The first

GLAAD Award for Best Comic Book was awarded in 1992 (to DC's The Flash). Since then, a number of GLAAD awards have been awarded to mainstream titles, including for DC's Green Lantern and The Authority titles, and Marvel's Young Avengers. According to Paul Lopez, LGBT fans and creators have "debated whether the awards for mainstream comics were more about media hype than the actual content of the comic's stories."[63]

The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy or horror, and their "Other Works" category allows nomination of comic book series or individual issues.[189][190][191] Comic book winners include issues of DC's Green Lantern, The Authority and Gotham Central, and nominations have been given to titles from Marvel (X-Force, X-Statix), Dark Horse (Buffy Season 8) and Image Comics.

The Lambda Literary Foundation, recognizing notable literature for LGBT themes with their "Lammys" awards since 1988, created a new category in 2014 for graphic works.

Prism Comics, an organization formed in 2003 for promoting LGBTQ themes in comic books, has provided the "Queer Press Grant" for comic book creators since 2005.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ First appearance in Millennium #2 (1987)
  2. ^ In Green Lantern #137 (June 2001) and #154 (November 2001)
  3. ^ First appearance Stormwatch (vol. 2) #4 (1998)
  4. ^ Captain America v.1 #270
  5. ^ Captain America v.1 #293-301
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External links

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