Glamazonia

Superheroes have been the major genre to emerge from comics and graphic novels, saturating popular culture with images of muscular men and sexy women. A major aspect of this genre is identity in the roles played by individuals, the development of identities through extended stories and in the ways the characters inspire audiences. This collection analyses stories from popular comics franchises such as Batman, Captain America, Ms Marvel and X-Men, alongside less well known comics such as Kabuki and Flex Mentallo. It explores what superhero narratives can reveal about our attitudes towards femininity, race, maternity, masculinity and queer culture. Using this approach, the volume asks questions such as why there are no black supervillains in mainstream comics, how second wave feminism and feminist film theory may help us to understand female comic book characters, the ways in which Flex Mentallo transcends the boundaries of straightness and gayness and how both fans and industry appropriate the sexual identity of superheroes. The book was originally published in a special issue of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.

Winner of Prism Comics first annual Queer Press Grant, SHIRTLIFTER is a series of queer-themed short fiction comics from STICKY artist Steve MacIsaac. This first issue features the self-contained story "Unmade Beds." Set amidst the gay expatriate culture of Tokyo, the comic is a quiet and lyrical examination of cross-cultural adjustment and sexual parity. This new edition features re-inked, and in some cases redrawn, artwork and 8 pages of bonus material including alternate pages, sketches, and a feature on the evolution of a comics panel from inspiration to completion. 52 pages, color.

Collects Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1-12, She-Hulk: Ceremony (1989) #1-2; material from Solo Avengers (1987) #14, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #18, Marvel Fanfare (1982) #48. She's done being savage - now it's time to be sensational! Comics legend John Byrne launches She-Hulk's second solo series with a twist - because Shulkie knows she's a character in a comic book! As the jade giantess smashes the glass ceiling at her new law firm, she does the same to the "fourth wall" between character and audience - quipping with readers and arguing with her comic's creators as she takes on bizarre foes including the Circus of Crime, the Toad Men, Stilt-Man and Xemnu the Titan! Plus: Jen meets Golden Age hero the Blonde Phantom and learns harsh lessons about the rules of comics! The mayhem of Madcap! A wedding proposal like no other! And She-Hulk: The Movie?!

A cultural history of the customs, fashions, and figures of gay life in the twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries-and how they have changed us for the better. How the Homosexuals Saved Civilization presents a broad yet incisive look at how an unusual "immigrant" group, homosexual men, has influenced mainstream American society and has, in many ways, become mainstream itself. From the way camp, irony, and the gay aesthetic have become part of our national sensibility to the undeniable effect the gay cognoscenti have had on media and the arts, Cathy Crimmins examines how gay men have changed the concepts of community, family, sex, and fashion.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} Elizabeth Beier chronicles true-life romantic tales as she breaks up with a long-term boyfriend and navigates a brave new world: dating women. Beier tackles the complexities of sexuality and self image with a conversational and immediate art style and stories anyone who’s ever struggled with dating can relate to.

No Straight Lines showcases major names such as Alison Bechdel, Howard Cruse, and Ralf Koenig (one of Europe’s most popular cartoonists), as well as high-profile, crossover creators who have dabbled in LGBT cartooning, like legendary NYC artist David Wojnarowicz and media darling and advice columnist Dan Savage. No Straight Lines also spotlights many talented creators who never made it out of the queer comics ghetto, but produced amazing work that deserves wider attention. Queer cartooning encompasses some of the best and most interesting comics of the last four decades, with creators tackling complex issues of identity and a changing society with intelligence, humor, and imagination. This book celebrates this vibrant artistic underground by gathering together a collection of excellent stories that can be enjoyed by all. Until recently, queer cartooning existed in a parallel universe to the rest of comics, appearing only in gay newspapers and gay bookstores and not in comic book stores, mainstream bookstores or newspapers. The insular nature of the world of queer cartooning, however, created a fascinating artistic scene. LGBT comics have been an uncensored, internal conversation within the queer community, and thus provide a unique window into the hopes, fears, and fantasies of queer people for the last four decades. These comics have forged their aesthetics from the influences of underground comix, gay erotic art, punk zines, and the biting commentaries of drag queens, bull dykes, and other marginalized queers. They have analyzed their own communities, and their relationship with the broader society. They are smart, funny, and profound. No Straight Lines has been heralded by people interested in comics history, and people invested in LGBT culture will embrace it as a unique and invaluable collection.

This compilation of essential information on 100 superheroes from comic book issues, various print and online references, and scholarly analyses provides readers all of the relevant material on superheroes in one place. The American Superhero: Encyclopedia of Caped Crusaders in History covers the history of superheroes and superheroines in America from approximately 1938–2010 in an intentionally inclusive manner. The book features a chronology of important dates in superhero history, five thematic essays covering the overall history of superheroes, and 100 A–Z entries on various superheroes. Complementing the entries are sidebars of important figures or events and a glossary of terms in superhero research. Designed for anyone beginning to research superheroes and superheroines, The American Superhero contains a wide variety of facts, figures, and features about caped crusaders and shows their importance in American history. Further, it collects and verifies information that otherwise would require hours of looking through multiple books and websites to find.

Winner of the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology! QU33R, from editor Rob Kirby, features 241 pages of new comics from 33 contributors—legends and new faces alike. In 2012, Justin Hall edited a book called No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, that took readers on a journey from the beginnings of LGBT comics history to the present day. QU33R is an all-new project featuring queer comics legends as well as new talents that picks up where No Straight Lines left off. We've set down our history, now QU33R shines a light on our future! QU33R had its genesis in an all-color queer comic zine called THREE, which featured three stories by three creators or teams per issue. Rob Kirby published three installments of THREE annually from 2010 to 2012, and the series did well, garnering not only an Ignatz nomination for Outstanding Anthology or Collection but also earning Rob the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant in 2011. Producing the anthology was immensely gratifying, but featuring just three comics and publishing only once per year meant a lot of cartoonists weren’t getting the exposure they deserved. The publishing opportunities for queer cartoonists and queer subject matter are still limited, even today, and Rob longed for a wider distribution than he was able to manage on his own. He approached Northwest Press about doing a bigger compendium of all-new work. While THREE was happening, Justin Hall was preparing his book No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, which Fantagraphics published in the summer of 2012. No Straight Lines traced the history of queer comics from their humble beginnings in the late 60’s/early 70’s all the way up to the present. The book was a whopping, award-winning success. Rob got to thinking that a follow-up volume—a sort-of-sequel focusing on all new work—would seal the deal, informing the world at large that we are still here, still queer, and still producing fresh and innovative work. He wanted to include not only several queer comics veterans, but also some fresh new faces and a few folks who haven’t necessarily belonged to the orthodox "queer comics scene" but have been doing non-heteronormative work all along. QU33R features over 240 pages of new comics from a cross-generational lineup of award-winning LGBTQ cartoonists: Amanda Verwey (Manderz Totally Top Private Diary) Andy Hartzell (Fox Bunny Funny, Xeric grant recipient Bread and Circuses) Annie Murphy (Gay Genius, I Still Live) Carlo Quispe (Uranus) Carrie McNinch (You Don’t Get There From Here, The Assassin and the Whiner) Christine Smith (The Princess) Craig Bostick (Darby Crash, Go-Go Girl, Boy Trouble) David Kelly (Rainy Day Recess: The Complete Steven’s Comics, Boy Trouble) Diane DiMassa (Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist) Dylan "NDR" Edwards (Transposes, Politically InQueerect) Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf)Edie Fake (Gaylord Phoenix) Eric Kostiuk Williams (Hungry Bottom Comics) Eric Orner (The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green) Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby, Wendel, Barefootz) Ivan Velez, Jr. (Tales of the Closet, Dead High Yearbook) Jennifer Camper (Juicy Mother, Rude Girls and Dangerous Women, subGURLZ) Jon Macy (Teleny and Camille, Fearful Hunter, Nefarismo) Jose-Luis Olivares (Pansy Boy) Justin Hall (No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, Glamazonia, True Travel Tales) Kris Dresen (Manya, Max & Lily, She Said) L. Nichols (Flocks, Jumbly Junkery) Marian Runk (Not a Horse Girl, The Magic Hedge) MariNaomi (Kiss and Tell: A Romantic Resume, Smoke in Your Eyes, Estrus Comics) Michael Fahy (Boy Trouble) Nicole Georges (Calling Dr. Laura, Invincible Summer) Rick Worley (A Waste of Time) Rob Kirby (THREE, Boy Trouble, Curbside) Sasha Steinberg (Stonewall, Queerotica) Sina Sparrow (Art Fag, Boy Crazy Boy) Steve MacIsaac (Shirtlifter) Terrance Griep (Scooby-Doo) Tyler Cohen (Primahood) Released by Northwest Press, which has been publishing quality LGBT-inclusive comics and graphic novels since 2010.