Q: I see artists having their portfolios reviewed at comic conventions. Can writers have their work reviewed, too? Anyone who's been to a comic book convention has probably seen the long lines of young hopefuls, lined up with their big, black portfolios, waiting to show their work to big-time comic book editors for feedback. They want the expert opinions of people who hire and work with professional comics artists all the time, and—dare they hope?—this review might just get them a shot at drawing comics professionally. For those of us with a vivid imagination but no drawing hand (and no artist friends with a lot of free time), the process is similar, right? Just pack up your scripts and some "pitches" in a nice, leather notebook and go stand in line with the rest. Actually, not really. I tried this a few years back, at my second Comic-Con, when I waited to talk to DC Comics editor extraordinaire Bob Schreck. We'd met once or twice in the course of my work with Prism  [Continue reading...]

Michelangelo! Oscar Wilde! Andy Warhol! Tennessee Williams! Some of the greatest and most influential artists and writers in history, while excelling in their own creative fields, have also excelled in the fields of flower arranging, brunch preparation, and knowing the perfect place for a pre-theater cocktail. That's right -- they were gay! And before you start writing that angry e-mail, yes... I know not everyone of us is good at flower arranging. That is a stereotype. Those folks always have the best florist on speed dial. We are all good at brunch, though. True fact. Unless you've been living in a cave or a K-hole or on a Polygamist ranch in Texas, you know that this time of the year is Pride Season... the time of year when those of us who profess to be gay ourselves can voice an especially loud "Go us!" about our many achievements, advancements, and generally fabulous qualities. All these years of parades, rallies, candlelight vigils and beer busts, though, have not  [Continue reading...]

This is my third time reviewing Justin Hall and Dave Davenport’s Hard to Swallow series, and, frankly, I’m sure Prism readers will be bored hearing me recount again the reasons why I can’t say loud enough or to enough people how much I enjoy their stories in all their brutal, unshorn sexiness. Really, my credibility is at risk here if I give them “Rachael Ray face” one more time - you know, that oddly disingenuous, oft-replicated orgasmic grimace she puts on for every morsel of food she tastes that doesn’t seem to convey enjoyment at all. But my admiration for HTS is genuine, so I’m going to leave it at that and let Justin and Dave speak for themselves. Sean McGrath: Why create gay adult comics? Dave Davenport: Um, because we are gay adults. I just write stories and they always are GLBT interest in one way or another, if only because the protagonists are gay. As far as gay adult comics, I think it just seemed like a natural move for me  [Continue reading...]

Any gay comic reader who wasn't living under a rock for the past six years heard of the "controversy" that arose when the Rawhide Kid was outed in a 2003 Marvel story titled "Slap Leather." We never got around to reading the MAX series, ourselves, but can remember the looks we gave each other when we saw the first issue displayed at a not-so-local gay bookstore we used to frequent. It was hard to miss all the attention the book was getting, both negative and positive, which led us to the assumption that it was little more than a sales gimmick—an attempt to recycle a character whose glory days faded with the paper of his old comics. Normally, we think it's fantastic whenever a character is outed by a mainstream comic company because we see it as a great opportunity for progress and greater inclusion. Honestly though, we really didn't understand why—out the vast array of characters Marvel could choose from—Rawhide Kid was the one they decided upon. Nonetheless, we tried to  [Continue reading...]

I'm not sure how many of you out there have watched Lewis Black's Root of all Evil on Comedy Central. It's a series where two comedians debate on which of two subjects are the biggest drains on our will to live, such as Oprah vs the Catholic Church, or Donald Trump vs Viagra. Well, today I'm going to use this forum to debate the following: Marvel Comics vs DC Comics… Which is the root of all evil? First of all, let's examine their iconic characters. Marvel Comics has the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man. This is supposed to be the loser everyman that we all can identify with. But I'm not so sure that I want to identify with a guy who's stupid enough to make a deal with the literal Devil to ret-con his marriage to a supermodel trophy wife in order to save the life of his aunt, who is roughly 297 years old. Frankly, that shows that Peter Parker has the brains of an overcooked turnip. DC has Superman. The Last Son of Krypton. The Man of Steel. The guy who has more  [Continue reading...]

Flaming Arrow & Pigeon is so much more than its tongue-in-cheek, double-meaning title. The star of this comic, the triumphant Flaming Arrow, is both queer (hence, part one of the “flaming” meaning) and able to create and control a fiery bow and arrow (hence the second, double flamey whammy)! I love that talented creator/writer Tony Smith is able to take a potentially derogatory gay term, like flaming, and turn it into a positive by having his character own and embrace this often-offensive descriptive word, while also making the term work as part of his superpowers. Clever title, clever concept. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this comic. So yay for me and for Smith! Superhero comics are a dime a dozen now-a-days, and gay superhero comics seem be a fabulously growing trend among indy queer creators. Smith, thankfully, is no superhero hack; he is no pretender to the superhero throne, as he is actually able to tell a well-crafted, smart story. Flaming  [Continue reading...]

We live in a world owned by Robert Kirkman. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. His work perfectly captures the Myspace generation’s view on comic books: melodramatic subplots work if foreshadowed, Zombies are caused by diseases, and ‘80s-style teamwork is always in style. Not familiar with his work? Kirkman hit the mainstream market with Image Comics back in 2003 when he created Invincible, a fresh take on the superhero genre, and Walking Dead, a modern telling of zombie stories. Both titles have launched him into the A-list comic creator category and he’s gone on to write such titles as Marvel Zombies, Ultimate X-men and Jubilee. Kirkman knows this generation of comic readers and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he also masters their lingo in a non- Terry Kavanagh way (remember the disaster that was Nate Grey’s dialogue?). We here at Prism care about one thing: when it comes to our superheroes: make them hot and don’t make them sound  [Continue reading...]

If you knew being a hero could earn you fame and fortune would you do it? Would you choose making money over morality? And if so how far would you take it? Would you do whatever it took to get your name out there as a valuable asset to society or would you just be happy knowing that you saved the day and made the world a better place even if it was just until the next disaster or super villain struck? Those are the types of questions raised in Power Company, a DC comics series that debuted in early 2002, about a group of super powered individuals from all walks of life brought together by a former lawyer turned meta human from San Francisco named Josiah Power. Interested in making the act of saving the day a profitable business, Josiah Power assembles a team comprised of members he feels can maintain a good public image and business edge, such as Witchfire and Manhunter, as well as those who have good moral center that will be able to keep the team on track. Included in that  [Continue reading...]