Stonewall Gazette

Harvey Milk, Sally Ride, George Takei | Illustration by Allie Kolarik

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Anyone going to the Gaaays in Spaaace event in New York City on March 21, 2017?

The Gay Comic Geek will be there! In the video below he shares all the details: "It is an event celebrating sexual diversity in Sci-Fi genre at Hardware Bar. More specifically, this is about diversity in the Star Trek Universe. The event in NYC will be hosted by Paige Turner and will have guests Nana Visitor aka Commander Kyra from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Since I will be there, I’d want to meet anyone in the area if you attend. There will be a costume contest and lots of other fun."

You can purchase tickets HERE.

WATCH VIDEO: Will You Be Going to the 'Gaaays in Spaaace' Event in New York City on March 21, 2017? 

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Written by Justin Moran


Félix D'Eon has long been fascinated with art history, reveling in everything from Edwardian fashion and the golden-era of American comics, to Japanese printmaking and children's book illustrations. Though visually enrapturing, the subject matter of these works never connected with D'Eon, who's a queer Chicano man, born in Mexico and raised in Southern California. Here, the artist saw an important opportunity.


By appropriating the aesthetic of classic illustrations and trading out straight subjects for his own LGBTQ characters, D'Eon found he could use an already established visual language to showcase queer communities in a celebratory light. His work features a multicultural spectrum of queer love, seduction and sex, all presented in an antiquitous format that aims to normalize and empower historically marginalized people. READ FULL INTERVIEW HERE

WATCH VIDEO


"I cannot do this book justice by a long shot," writes the Gay Comic Geek in his review of the new anthology comic "Love Is Love" published by IDW and DC Comics. Gay Comic Geek shares: "This book had me crying from page one with the listing of all 49 people that died as a result of this shooting. The book itself has such a deeper meaning with the central theme of love being the main focus. It is a great book and I recommend everyone take the time to read through all of the stories donated to this book. The proceeds of this book will benefit the victims, survivors, and family of those that were lost. Have a box of tissue ready, it is a tearjerker." Watch the video below for the full review.

To honor the victims of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre a comic anthology has been created called, "Love Is Love". Organized by out writer Marc Andreyko and published by IDW, the 144-page graphic novel features some top tier writing talent: J.K. Rowling, Patton Oswalt, Matt Bomer, Damon Lindelof, and Taran Killam. 

DC Entertainment has fully backed the project which will incorporate many iconic DC characters, some of which are LGBTQ themselves. Also featured will be characters from Archie comics, and thanks to Rowling, Harry Potter himself! According to Entertainment Weekly, "All the work and art produced for the anthology’s 100-plus stories has been donated, with the proceeds from sales of the comic going to Equality Florida’s fund to benefit the victims and survivors of the tragedy, as well as their families."

Entertainment Weekly's Nivea Serrao spoke with Marc Andreyko about what the process of working on this anthology has been like for him. Enjoy the excerpt below.

Nivea Serrao: There’s a diverse range of contributors, not just in terms of identity, but also comics-creating experience, included in the effort. Why was that important for you?

Marc Andreyko: Because this tragedy affected everyone to some degree, it was important to have diverse voices: gay, straight, trans, male, female, black, white, Latino, Asian… Diversity is a wonderful thing and I wanted the book to reflect the makeup of the culture. And comics experience wasn’t a deal breaker. I wanted people from every group who all had specific points of view.

Nivea Serrao: How would you describe the impact on readers of seeing big name characters like Superman and Poison Ivy, or even Harry Potter and Kevin Keller from Archie featured in this issue?

Marc Andreyko: It is hugely important for gay kids who might not be out or in a safe space to live openly to see their heroes and the publishers of these heroes telling them that they are not just okay, but are valued and loved. Representation is important for those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to have familial support or live in a big city. Having DC, Archie, and Harry Potter in this book could quite literally help people at risk know that they are loved.

Nivea Serrao: What is the biggest takeaway you want readers to have?

Marc Andreyko: Simply that, as the title says, “love is love.” We should all be lucky enough not only to love someone but to be loved in return. No one should be threatened or scared about other people loving one another. Love should be celebrated and encouraged.

While growing up, super heroes with their secret identities often resonate with gay teens. As young gay men we scan the cultural landscape looking for the outsider or misfit - people like us. Canadian blogger Colin James Morrison hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia and in the excerpt below shares his story of being a gay teen and long-time super hero fan.

Colin James Morrison writes:

I’ve been a comic book fan, or more precisely, a super hero fan, most of my life. As part of my pop culture oeuvre, I am a reigning expert in most things spandex-y and superheroic, and my vast knowledge of these amazing creatures in capes and tights... 

* * * 

And, when I saw that first promo image of a younger and more studly Superman, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle arch of his back, the rolled up jeans with the strategically placed patches, the too tight t-shirt rippling over the well defined six packs abs. Wait, could it be, were they really….? And no, I wasn’t dense enough to think that DC was bringing Supes back as some bi curious late teenager, and yet something about that image struck me…that clearly THIS was not your daddy’s Superman. So, were DC finally about to do the unthinkable in all it’s new found diversity and inclusion….were they about to give me a big flamin’ ‘mo of a superhero? 

Continue reading Colin James Morrison: Big Gay Superheroes

Did you know that Archie Comics had a history with the religious right or that it had whitewashed characters in the past? Here's an excerpt from a fascinating new article by writer Lisa Foad.

Lisa Foad writes

At long last, Archie Comics (AC) — the behemoth of PG teen spirit in the pen-and-ink industry — will be furnishing Riverdale, honeyed home of Archie and The Gang, with its first fag.

So, while a queer in Riverdale is long overdue, the inclusion of Kevin Keller is hardly queer.

In fact, it’s the safest bet for a comic bent on preserving straight white masculinity.

How?

Because mainstream culture’s fear of “deviant” (read: black and/or gay) male sexuality consistently renders these bodies politely asexual – and therefore “safe.” READ MORE

"The Skin Tight party — in which the costumes range from the familiar (like Spider-Man) to ones that only a comics geek would recognize (like the 1993 version of Superboy) — is one way that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender comic book fans are expressing themselves today. They are coming out, loud and proud, in blogs, peer groups, Web comics and more, simultaneously pronouncing their sexual identity and their devotion to comic books. But it wasn’t that long ago that the environment was less than welcoming for those who wanted to make the two seemingly disparate worlds one."

The New York Times:

Dim lighting.

Rendezvous-friendly nooks.

Muscled bartenders.

Pulsating dance music.

At first glance, it could be any Saturday night in any gay bar in New York.

But then you notice, off to one corner, Superman flirting with Green Lantern.

And there, across the room, someone in the form-fitting outfit of Black Adam, Captain Marvel’s foe, determinedly working the floor.

In fact, there seems to be an inordinate number of men here tonight who look as if they have all but jumped from the pages of a comic book.

And in some way, they have.

This is Skin Tight U.S.A., the occasional costume-fetish party held at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village, which draws a regular group of men (and their admirers) who enjoy a special kind of dress-up.

Some wear heroic outfits; some, wrestling gear.

The crowd can range from 25 people on an average night to 250 on a spectacular one.

The common thread is that the muscle-cuddling garb often leaves little to the imagination.

“I was always attracted to the superhero physique,” said Matthew Levine, 31, who helped found the party in 2005 with Andrew Owen, 44, and who was one of the few participants willing to be named.

The two become friends as, respectively, the graphic designer and Webmaster for Hard Comixxx, a predecessor of Skin Tight, once held at the Eagle bar in Chelsea.

Mr. Levine is a big fan of the X-Men (who have a handful of gay characters) and the Transformers (all of whom seem straight) and has been reading comics since he was 8.

“As I got older,” he said, “I realized, ‘Oh, this is why I admire the Grecian ideal of manhood and musculature.’ ” READ MORE

Iron Man is one of the big summer movies for 2008. Based on the Marvel Comics' character, it boasts a great cast: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (the billionaire industrialist); Gwyneth Paltrow as his secretary; Terrence Howard as jet pilot James Rhodes; and Jeff Bridges in the role of the villainous Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. Jon Favreau has the directing duties. Favreau says that he gave the film a West Coast locale to differentiate his superhero movie from all the others which tend to place themselves in New York City-esque settings. Iron Man will have a ton of marketing tie-ins, with Hasbro, Sega and Burger King all getting in on the act. At least 50 million dollars will be spent for the film's marketing, which is said to be modelled after the successful promotional campaign of 2007's Transformers. Sounds like it could be a fun summer popcorn flick that I might want to check out. Iron Man is scheduled to be released Friday, May 2, 2008. -QTC