2021 is not the best timeline ever, but this year both Marvel and DC decided to acknowledge the queercreators and characters in their line-ups. A few days ago, I took a look at the Marvel Voices #1, their Pride collection. I had no particular expectations for either anthology, but expected that DC might do a better job, as they’ve had a bit more experience and a handful of more well-known characters who are out.

Marvel took the opportunity to talk about all the “firsts” they’ve done, without noticing that those firsts often lack follow-up. It made for a self-congratulatory feature that, I’m sorry to say, wasted some top-notch talent. In the end, I came into the book not knowing some of the characters and I left in the same state. Yes of course I can look the characters up, but why should I have to?

So here we are at DC Pride #1, and again, I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a really interesting approach. DC took their currently known, beloved characters from their DC TV Universe and focused on them. It was innovative in a way, because they were offering up two ways to engage with these characters at once – in comics and on television.

Again, I didn’t know every character when I began the book, I don’t watch DCEU on TV. I tried, most of the shows just didn’t hook me. But I do like Batwoman, and I’ll be the first person to tell you how much of a surprise that is. I even like Alice. I mean – I really like Alice as a character now, so far removed from the stuuuuupid origin story. And Javicia Leslie gets two thumbs up from be as Ryan Wilder/Batwoman.

So, I sat down to read this anthology…and by gum, I enjoyed it. Trung Le Nguyen’s art in the Batwoman story was fab, but I love-love-loved Lisa Sterle’s art for “Clothes Makeup Gift.” The Harley x Ivy story was a bit weak. I don’t much like Harley, but I especially dislike that Ivy ends up being the good cop to Harley’s chaos agent schtick. “Try the Girl,” written by Vita Ayala was a fab story all around and well drawn and colored by Skylar Partridge and José Villarubia. Of all the stories, I thought this one stuck the landing best.

Also, let me remind you, that I have permanently retired “Date Night” as a title, so dear comic artists, don’t use that anymore. Ever. It’s over. Done. The story was solid, I liked “meeting” Nia (again, I don’t watch TV much…) I loved seeing Brainiac, because I always did think that Silver Age Braniac was a bish. ^_^

Overall this anthology did exactly what I wanted both anthologies to do – introduce the queer characters from that universe and give me a taste of their personalities and powers. If you know someone queer who wants to get into American superhero comics but has no idea where or how or even if to start, you could do worse than hand them this anthology to get a broad idea of who is out there, what their stories are  and why they might be interested. Dear Marvel – this is what anthologies are supposed to be. Do this next time.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Overall excellent, some sublime moments. And Lisa Sterle!
Story – 7 Generally very good, a little performative, but each choice served a purpose
Queer – 10 Yes, and… old school and current and varied in a way that I truly enjoyed
Service – Shockingly little

Overall – 9 Hands down this anthology was a winner

If you haven’t picked this issue up yet and aren’t virulently opposed, hop over to Comic Shop Locator and find a comic shop near you! Or, of course, you can get this digitally on Comixology.

After how much I really disliked DC’s Love is Love Anthology, (“searing white-hot rage” is a quote from my review)  Pride #1 was a relief and a genuinely enjoyable read.

The week after DC announced their Pride anthology this year, Marvel jumped in to say that they would be launching their new “Voices” series with a pride issue as well! My feelings about this were ambivalent. I will remind you that for my first two decades of life I was a hard-core Marvel fan. I have recently sold all the comics that no longer sparked joy, but I retain two long boxes with my whole Defenders run and my Thor and key issues that I have loved for years. I wanted so much to love this issue, and I knew I would not. Why? Because Marvel feels and sounds and produces and creates like a company that is putting out stories that aren’t theirs and so, they kind of don’t get how this works, really.

Marvel definitely got top notch talent to write and draw this issue, so much love to the creators – they really put their heart into the work. Voices #1: Pride had some really terrific art, especially. But….

I know what it is…but who is it for?

Honestly, I was hoping to read a bunch of cool stories about queer characters  – whether I knew them or not  and by doing so, get to meet them. Instead I found myself neck deep in “explaining how it feels to be not-straight/cis 101” and “performative teen trauma 102” and “woops, this is all the intro this character’s gonna get.”

You shouldn’t need wikipedia open to enjoy a 8 page comic.

The layout is all wrong. The book begins with factoids about every one of Marvel’s breathrough first “whatever” and later, mid-book, actual issues are cited, without them being referenced in the initial discussion….in fact, there’s no continuity from the one to the other, which would have been a nice touch. “XYZ happened! Whoooo us!!!!” and no hint of “For where it happened, look on on page 18.”

My favorite story is heavily laced with irony for me, as I historically absolutely do not like the X-Men franchise on account of working at a comic shop in the mid 80s and having to tell the same guys every single week on Thursday, “No, I don’t read X-Men” as they stood there for hourssssssss trying to convince me to read X-Me on the busiest day of the week.  X-Men fans in the 1980s came in 2 types – one of them was cute little fae, looking for something gayishishish to hang on to and the other kind asked me every single Thursday if I read X-Men.

Anyway, I really liked the X-Men/famous detective fanfic crossover “Grey Ladies”by Tini Howard & Samantha Dodge with Brittany Peers on colors. ^_^

And, in the end, that was why the book did not uplift me. It was all short scene-fanfic. Not a fully developed story in the lot. I know it was a lot to ask, but I would have paid twice as much for one whole story.

Ratings:

Art – 8 Outstanding in places
Story – Okay for what they were, and you kind of have to know the characters and their circumstances for it to work.
Queer – Yes, but yeah, as a comic nerd I’m not comfortable with all my heroes being cool club scene – kiss randos in the post-HIV, post-pandemic, post-Pulse, post I’m a fucking old grumpy nerd wolrd.
Service – A wholly reasonable amount of cheese and beefcake and I have no complaints, honestly.

Overall – 6 It could have been so much more. But attaboy Marvel, this is exactly the kind of self-congratulatory thing I expected. Adequately done.

If you feel that this deserves a deeper, much more abrasive dive, check out this fabulous Twitter thread in which Zoe does it better than I could ever.

…and I want to be very clear about this…Bobby Drake never “came out.” He was outed and I am still extremely pissed off about the choice by Marvel. It was not admirable.

Lastly, I bought the America Chavez cover….she’s not in the fucking book. SMDHaM