Lesbians
who watch Queer As Folk might find themselves
rolling their eyes at Michael and Justin’s love of
comics--images of well-drawn men in tight spandex and masks
seem like just one more place that we're excluded. But women
who look forward to Wednesdays, when the latest issues of
their favorite comics come out, know the real truth: comics
aren't just for the boys.
Three-dimensional
GBLT characters exist nowhere for a mass audience like they
do in the comic genre. While it's not surprising that most
"graphic novels" are written by men, what might
be surprising is that in a genre populated by a male creative
force, the lesbian characters are given as much, if not
more, respect then some of their male counterparts.
These
heroines aren't big-breasted bimbos, or under-developed
sidekicks. They cover the gambit of ages, career paths,
characterizations and yes, sex appeal but what they all
have in common is their importance to the story.
With
lesbian storytelling dwindling on television and film, a
leap to comics might be a good place to get a weekly dose
of girl power.
Starting
off the trend was Love and Rockets, a
comic begun in 1981 that followed the adventures of two
lesbian/bisexual teens in a largely Hispanic California
neighborhood: Hopey, a short punk-rocker with short hair,
and Maggie, a natural mechanic with a love of adventure
and food. The series continued for nearly 20 years, and
is still considered one of the best comic series ever created
for its quirky but realistic characters and storylines that
covered everything from class, race, gender, and sexuality
issues to body image, violence, and gang warfare--as well
as lighter issues like friendship and romance.
Today,
the current king of gay representation would have to be
Brian K Vaughan. Touted as one of the best comic writers
around, his three most popular books all have a gay element
to them even if one character’s future is still only
being alluded too. If
Thelma and Louise had been a doctor and a spy and Brad Pitt
was the last guy on earth you would get a small sense of
the central theme in Vaughan's Y: The Last Man.
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