Joker

America’s a joke. Burn it all down, let everyone die.

30. Enigma

Usually I have been very verbose, probably too much when I should have just kept my brainmouth shut. Oddly, I have very little to say about Enigma. It’s maybe one of my favorite comics of all times. Meanwhile, as a straight man, there’s a meaning to this book that I’ll never be able to connect to. But great art connects to it’s audience no matter what, and at the very end of the day, I can say that Enigma made me a lifelong fan of both Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo. Aside from Strangers in Paradise, it’s the one series I try to foist on as many people as I can, often finding cheap back issues and giving away sets.

Also, if you’re a comic fan recommending Watchmen as “the greatest comic ever”, get the fuck out, ya basic prick.

Happy Pride!

I’ll shut up now.

29. Cobweb

I know very little about Cobweb, other than she was created by Melinda Gebbe & Alan Moore as part of Tomorrow Stories, and is a lesbian.

So as I’ve been going through this month, picking characters I’d like to draw or wanted to draw, and finding inspiration on various lists of queer characters, I stumbled onto a thing where “X Character has only ever been shown in hetero relationships, but Y Creator said on Twitter once ‘I dunno, they could be bi/pan/whatever’.”

I found that very frustrating. I did my best to pick only characters that were absolutely confirmed and shown in continuity to be queer. Like… on the page, published and everything, they say “I am this” or are shown in relationships or even just flirting or whatever. Just, I wanted solid confirmation, not just Fabian Nicieza – who hasn’t worked on Deadpool in years – saying that Deadpool is pan, but there are no comics actually proving it. Y’know?

There’s also a few I didn’t pick because I was like “clearly some sweaty horny creeper dude came up with this.” Like Rainmaker. Or Black Cat. Not to say they couldn’t be the focus of good stories in the future, but there are better examples that don’t scream “straight guy with lesbian fantasies”.

Imma be surprised if the few queer people I know will want to still associate with me on July 1st.

28. Hulkling

I got… nothin’.

27. The Ray

He’s called The Ray, and his name is Ray!

Can’t remember when he was re-introduced into the current DC continuity – if it was before or after his appearances in the CW shows – but he’s the perfect kind of character to retcon in almost any way. Beloved by some, I’m sure, but still obscure, and yet still has some name recognition. I was never a huge fan, but loved his visuals, and I did genuinely get excited when he appeared on the CW shows.

I will say, I also liked the New52 version, but he never really made a splash, so Ray-Ray is a welcome presence.

I’m sure someone’s mad he’s gay now, but fuck those assholes.

26. Shining Knight

Sir Ystin/Ystina was introduced by Grant Morrison in the Seven Soldiers series, but I recall that being more she was presented as a girl who disguised herself as a male in order to fight as a Knight, before being tossed through time.

However, in the New 52 universe, Ystina was characterized as a biological female who identified as male (I guess? I read one issue of Demon Knights and don’t recall him being in it). Writer Paul Cornell explicitly stated that Shining Knight was transgender. I’m a bit surprised Morrison didn’t just go with that, as they have a history with that type of character. But maybe DC editorial wouldn’t let them at the time, and were maybe more open to the idea when the New 52 was starting? Who knows. Anyhoo, the New 52 was generally awful, but did leave behind a few good remnants.

25. Flash

Always Wally, except sometimes not, but Never Barry.

In that “sometimes not” section we have Jess Chambers, a Flash from an alternate Earth. They showed up in the Future State event, but possibly elsewhere? I read their story from the 2021 DC Pride book and enjoyed it quite a bit, and I really like their take on The Flash costume. I oddly get John Fox vibes from it, another sharp-looking Future Flash. They are also featured in a book called Teen Justice that takes place on their original Earth (11) before they crossed over to the main DC Earth and going by the name Kid Quick. But I went with the Flash version here.

Comics is confusing.

But hey! At least we now have an unproblematic non-binary genderfluid Flash we can all admire and accept!

24. Loki

Fuck America. Fuck this garbage, fascist, third world country.

Listen, the 15-20% of me that wavers from hetero can totally recognize that Tom Hiddleston is absolutely sexy.

I. Get. It.

I love him in the movies, and the Loki show was fantastic.

But, I cannot reconcile smokeshow movie Loki to comic Loki. Loki in the comics is and always will be an ugly middle-aged male-presenting evil villain to me. Marvel can do whatever they want, but when I see smexy Loki, it just doesn’t register in my brain. It’s like a Lovecraftian thing. I can’t comprehend this vision, so I either see what I want or I lose myself to madness.

I tried with this. I really did. But the Kirby/Simonson/Buscema Loki just kept rearing up. I just kept wanting to erase the beautiful locks and cover it up with the full head-shroud & helmet with fake ponytail. And I could not make his face any less evil.

I get wanting to portray villains in a more sympathetic light, but far too many go too far and just become anti-heroes trying for a redemption arc. We need more just outright villains in comics, and to me, Loki is one of those guys.

Look, Loki can fuck whoever or whatever he wants, and he can shapeshift and change into whatever sex or thing he needs or wants to in order to accomplish those goals. But, his ultimate goal should be to screw over Thor and take over Asgard and possibly Earth in the most villainous way possible. And do it in green and gold scale-mail spandex.

23. Obsidian

A companion to yesterday’s sketch, Obsidian – Todd Rice – is Alan Scott’s son. A member of Infinity Inc. and occasionally the Justice Society. I guess he was outed while being a supporting character in the Kate Spencer Manhunter series (much missed, RIP), but until I just now read the wikipedia entry, I’d have sworn it was much longer than that. That said, he’s cool looking, he’s got cool powers, and is grossly underused.

22. Green Lantern

So, to counter yesterday’s piece, here’s Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern. He’s a character I have a deep fondness for who has been presented as hetero for nearly 70-80 years. The character was outed last year during… something. I think it was an event book or something. Prior to this, an alternate Earth version of Alan was written as gay, but the “prime” version… well, didn’t exist at the time. So, now that the Golden Age Greats are all part of the main DC timeline again, Alan was brought back and has come out. And, it’s pretty great. Added bonus, is that despite the magic age resetting of those characters, he is still presented as a man past his middle-age and coming to terms with his own sexuality, which is an interesting take, seeing as most of the LGBTQ+ characters being introduced or outed are fairly young-skewing. Makes an old man like me proud. His story in last year’s DC Pride special was absolutely heartbreaking and heartwarming. Really hoping we get to see more of the Justice Society in the near future, and Alan plays a big role.