Our friends at Bluewater have sent us the following announcement: History remembers the sacrifices of icons like Rosa Parks and the efforts of Dennis Banks, Cesar Chavez, and other great defenders of American civil rights. However, less is known about the rise of the gay rights movement, which many say started as a result of the Stonewall Riots. Bluewater Productions looks to commemorate the event and examine its legacy in an upcoming comic book. The Stonewall Riots, scheduled for release on the 44th anniversary of the infamous New York City riots this June, centers around the events and culture leading up to the riots, the incident itself and its historical significance as the genesis of the Gay Pride Movement. “Civil rights are not just an American tradition; it’s a  [Continue reading...]

San Diego, CA – The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominees for 2013 have been announced and No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, edited by Justin Hall and published by Fantagraphics, was nominated as Best Anthology. Justin Hall, who has been a long-serving board member of Prism Comics which promotes LGBT comics and creators, compiled a comprehensive and exhaustive survey of queer comics, starting from the pioneers of the genre and continuing through the decades showcasing work from the generations that followed. The anthology showcases everything from lesbian underground comix, to gay newspaper strips, to bi punk zines, to trans webcomics. This nomination comes on the heels of No Straight Lines being named a Lambda Literary Awards finalist for LGBT  [Continue reading...]

Dylan Edwards sent over this note to us about his appearance at the LA TImes Festival of Books (which is not to be believed--it's so big and great) this weekend: "Esteemed y'all, I am going to be tabling with Northwest Press this weekend at the LA Times Festival of Books: http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks This is a free event, so if you're in southern California, do stop by! In addition to pimping Transposes, I'll also be giving away my brang new Politically InQueerect bookmarks! You can get a sneak peek at them here: http://www.studiondr.com/2013/04/new-pique-new-bookmarks-and-latfob Speaking of PIQue, it proceeds apace on Tapastic. I'm really liking how the color versions of the strips are turning out. Go give them a look if you haven't  [Continue reading...]

Prism Comics, a nonprofit supporting LGBT comics, creators, and readers, has released its schedule for WonderCon 2013, held in Anaheim, California. Prism will appear at the convention from March 29th to 31st hosting two panels, superhero costume party, and booth featuring a full slate of LGBT creator signings including Tara Madison Avery, Brad Bell, Jane Espenson, Jeff Krell, and more. "Prism Comics will once again be 'LGBT-Central' at WonderCon 2013 in Anaheim. We’re looking forward to an exciting show with some great panels and some wonderful creators appearing with us. Join us at Booth 1009 near the front of Hall A." BOOTH: The Prism Comics booth will host a full weekend of creator appearances: Tara Madison Avery – creator of "Dirtheads", "Gooch", "Negativity  [Continue reading...]

Today, it was announced that Dylan Edwards' nonfiction graphic novel Transposes, which explores the life stories of seven transgender men who also happen to be gay, bisexual, or otherwise non-straight—has been honored with a nomination for a Lambda Literary Award in the category of Transgender Nonfiction. Transposes is an amazing window into the lives of these men, both the major events in their lives and the day-to-day ones, and paints a wonderfully human portrait. The book features a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Alison Bechdel, who was also nominated for a Lambda for her memoir Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama in the category of Lesbian Memoir/Biography. “Back when I first started making comics in 2000,” said Edwards, “I sent a few of my  [Continue reading...]

BURBANK, CA - This weekend, the queer comics convention, Bent-Con, will take place Friday, November 30th through Sunday, December 2nd. Featuring over 50 exhibitors devoted to queer comics and fandom, a full slate of panels, cosplay, gaming, and appearances by top comics professionals including Christopher Rice (A Density of Souls), Jane Espensen (Once Upon A Time, Buffy), Phil Jimenez (The Amazing Spider-Man), David Gerrold (Trouble With Tribbles, The Martian Child), Wendy Pini (Elf Quest), Tom Lenk (Buffy), Andrew Chambliss (Once Upon A Time), Patrick Fillion (Class Comics), Amber Benson (Buffy), Traci Lords (Cry-Baby), and many many more. This is all taking place at the Burbank Airport Marriott, 2500 North Hollywood Way,  [Continue reading...]

Pioneering gay comic strip Jayson is turning 30. Created by Jeff Krell on Christmas Day in 1982, Jayson features a boy from Farmville, Pennsylvania who moves the big city, earns a college degree, comes out of the closet, and waits for his life to start. Based on Krell’s years in Philadelphia as a struggling liberal arts graduate, Jayson debuted in 1983 in the Philadelphia Gay News and ran for a year before catching the attention of Robert Triptow, the editor of Kitchen Sink’s Gay Comix. "Robert liked the strips," explains Krell. "But he didn’t just want to reprint them. He asked me if I would be interested in writing new stories. I had just gone to my high school reunion and I thought that would make a good story." Jayson Goes Home debuted in  [Continue reading...]

Cartoonist Matt Runkle is raising funds via Indiegogo to help with printing the third issue of his comic book, Runx Tales. To contribute, go here. Originally conceived as a zine concerned with what it's like to be broke and gay in America, RT #3 will be a beautiful full-size comic book with a letterpress cover and a 4-page full-color spread! It includes an interview with writer Jincy Willett, stories of failed rent-boy attempts, a psychic exploration of San Jose, and a tribute to a drugstore that existed for reasons other than profit. A former resident at the Cartoon Art Museum, Matt Runkle's comics have been featured in Gay Genius anthology (Sparkplug Comic Books, 2011) and in Rob Kirby's THREE. There's now less than a month left to donate! All $10 donors will  [Continue reading...]

Returning for a SEVENTH spectacular year! Images of the World's Most Iconic Heroines Will Help Benefit Domestic Violence Prevention-Intervention Agencies in Oregon and Texas! On October 21, 2012, Women of Wonder Day — a part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month — will take place, returning to Excalibur Books in Portland, Oregon and Heroes and Fantasies in San Antonio, Texas! In October 2006-2011, six annual Wonder Woman Day —and the renamed Women of Wonder Day — events raised over $135,000 for Domestic Violence programs in Portland, Oregon, Flemington, NJ, And San Antonio, TX. The six-year combination of auctions of over 1,400 original art pieces, plus collectibles, autograph signings, and photo opportunities garnered spectacular turnouts and six Portland Mayoral  [Continue reading...]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — At the Alternative Press Expo (APE), Prism Comics announced the recipients of the 2012 Queer Press Grant (QPG) on October 13th during the Queer Cartoonists Panel moderated by Justin Hall. For this year's recipients, it's a tie between Blue Delliquanti for O Human Star and Christine Smith for The Princess. Prism Comics, which supports LGBT comics, creators and readers, established the Queer Press Grant in 2005 to encourage the publication of LGBT-themed comics. It is now the only grant today given to independent comic book creators, as the Xeric Foundation is no longer awarding grants for comics. "We were extremely gratified with the quality of the entries we received this year," said David Stanley, Prism's PR Chair. "As a result, we found not one  [Continue reading...]