Any comic that is quirky enough to put a suspiciously phallic-looking monster on the cover (and a square-jawed hero commanding his troops to “Strip for action, men!”) is a winner in my book. While the cover might be a lot for your mom (or not), nothing else in Tony Smith’s QUEERBAIT #1 is quite as risqué, resulting in a rewarding and fun read. Anyone, straight or gay, could enjoy all of the 12 great stories inside. Smith himself deserves a lot of recognition for not only wrangling such a high caliber of material from so many talented people, but for also successfully wearing so many hats (writer, letterer, artist, colorist) as you can see from below. His passion for this project is obvious in every aspect of the book, and it rubs off on you as you read.

Here’s a brief rundown of the 12 tales:

"Prejudice & Pride" - Story & Lettering by Tony Smith; Pencils & Inks by Brian Brinlee; Color by Clonerh! - One of my favorites in the book thanks to the cool art and a good storyline. Flaming Arrow comes out on the cover of Superpeople and has to battle a homophobic granny AND a raging fire. Extra points for the well-drawn relationship between Arrow and his firefighter sister, Maggie. The end features two twists that, I admit, sent me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. In a good way.

"Gaydar" - Art & Story by Agata Laguniak - There’s a Suzanne Vega song called “Stockings,” where she sings, “Do you know where friendship ends and passion does begin?” This cute Iga & Lena one-pager explores that very situation.

"The Closet" - Story, Letting & Color by Tony Smith; Pencils & Inks by Filipe Goncalves - Poignant, smart four-pager about a kid discovering his dad’s “secret identity.” Very well-written and touching. I love when writers can strike multiple meanings with their words.

"The Pool" - Art & Story by Agata Laguniak; Lettering by Tony Smith - Iga & Lena pop up again in another sweet one-pager. It’s nice to see a smart and sweet story about two girls.

"Dino Rescue" - Art & Story by Henry Kujawa - Hot caveboy-on-caveboy action, interrupted by a dinosaur with an exploding head. Yeah, it’s that cool.

"In Plain Sight" - Art & Story by Steve MacIsaac - Steve MacIsaac draws a comparison between bear culture and Superman in one of the best-written pieces in the book. This guy is seriously talented and manages to hit the perfect pitch between text and art for maximum emotional effect. Look for big, big stuff from Steve in the future.

"As Warm As Stone" - Art & Story by Lynx Delirium - Lynx does a cool Goth-y wordless story about two gargoyles that’s actually pretty moving. It’s creative and different than the rest of the content in its approach, which adds so much to QUEERBAIT’s appeal.

"Emancipation" - Writing & Lettering by Tony Smith; Pencils & Inks by Rick Withers; Color by Giuseppe Pica - Incredibly well done superhero piece that wins the award for most disturbing subplot and ending. Dark is cool though, and helps to round out the overall reach of the book.

"Closer Than They Appear!" - Art & Story by Nicholas Eliopulos; Lettering by Tony Smith - Who would have thought that your arch enemy was really your future self? And who knew their future self was going to be so bitter? Oh, wait…

"Benediction" - Story & Art by Tony Smith - Adam & Steve debate the outside world. Oh, and look hot, too. I can see this being a regular feature in all the QUEERBAIT issues, which is a very cool thing.

"Hugging" - Art & Story by Agata Laguniak - Iga & Lena reaffirm their friendship in a tiny tale that will make you smile. I really like Agata Laguniak’s understated approach, and who hasn’t either wanted or had a great friend who knows just what to say to make you feel better?

"Pride High" - Writing & Lettering by Tommy Roddy; Pencils; Inks & Colors by Brian Ponce; Edited by Carl Hippensteel - A cool excerpt from the exceptional series. Love, love, love it.

With its vivid colors and sharp writing, QUEERBAIT #1 is definitely worth picking up. Again, Tony Smith deserves a major pat on the back for rounding up such a great group. Unfortunately, there’s not as strong a lesbian component as there could have been, but I’m sure that will be rectified with subsequent issues. The entire product is something to be proud of—both for the contributors and for the audience—and here’s hoping that there are many more issues to look forward to!

Visit Heroscribe Comics for submission guidelines for issue #2, and look throughout the issue for creators’ e-mail addresses to give them feedback.

Editor's note: Buy this comic here or ask for it at your local comics shop.

Jonathan Riggs really liked QUEERBAIT #1 and thinks you will, too.

Queerbait TM and © Walter A. Smith III. All other chracter are © their respective creators. All rights reserved. Review © 2007 Jonathan Riggs.

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).