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Queer Comics

A Critical Guide

Queer Comics cover

Queer Comics

A Critical Guide

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Pre-order. Available 21 Jan 2027
$32.40 RRP $40.50 Website price saving $8.10 (20%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

An international and intersectional introduction mapping the history, impact, key critical issues and seminal texts of the genre, Queer Comics looks at queer creators and queer content in graphic narratives beyond . Not advocating for a canon but instead offering new avenues for exploration beyond what has thus far been very US-focused, this book surveys the queer experience, looks at the genre as a queering of an already queer medium and dives into how it can speak to all communities.

Accessible and inclusive in the easy-to-navigate structure of the Bloomsbury Comics Studies series, the book covers:

- A broader cultural landscape beyond American underground comix including manga, pornography, Tijuana Bibles, contemporary webcomics, zines, children's and YA comics and adult graphic memoirs.
- key texts by creators such as Alison Bechdel, Howard Cruise, Yamaji Ebine, Crystal Frasier, Megan Rose Gedris, Kay O'Neill, Jem Yoshioka and Tab Kimpton among many others
- Themes from censorship, stereotypes and queer coding to explicit material and reclaiming the queer monster
- Critical ideas linked to the genre, including visibility and erasure, binaries, self and mainstream publishing.

Taking a lead from queer and comics studies, the book also features a glossary of crucial terms and resources for further reading.

Accessibility Information

Additional accessibility information

  • EPUB 3.0
  • Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
  • WCAG level AA
  • WCAG v2.2 compliant
  • accessibility@bloomsbury.com

Hazards

The publication contains no hazards

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  • No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
  • Has alternative text descriptions for images

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Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and size, spaces, as well as color of background and text)

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  • Page list to go to pages from the print source version
  • Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
  • All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order
  • Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
  • Purposes of all links are made clear

Rich content

Language tagging provided

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What are Queer Comics?

Introduction
Who are we?
What is Queer?
Comics are Queer
Queer in Form
Definitionally Resistant
Peripheral Art Form
Constantly Evolving
Queer in Function
Sites of Resistance and Subversion
Engaging in the politics of representation
As an accessible tool to speak back to power
Queer Comics: A Summary

Chapter 2: Queer Comics Histories

Pre-20th Century Histories
Queer-Coded Comics and Early Queer Comics
Moral Panics and Comic Book Bans
Queer Beginnings
Establishing Voices
Queer Comics go Mainstream
Conclusion

Chapter 3: Social and Cultural Impacts

Technological impacts: Webcomics and Crowdfunding
The rise of queer webcomics
Crowdfunding
Case Study: Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please!
Impacts of these technologies on traditional publishing
Smartphones, Market Changes, and Backlash
Queer Comics and the impact of Censorship
State-Based Censorship and Criminalisation
Book Challenges: "Community"-driven Censorship
Queer Hearts, Minds, and Bodies
Intersex comics
Fatness in Queer Comics
Disability in Queer Comics
Neurodivergance in Queer Comics
Aging Queerly in Comics
Ace Comics
Spirituality and Indigenous Frameworks in Queer Comics
Conclusion

Chapter 4: Key Texts

Moomins and Kake
Tom of Finland's Kake
Tove Jansson and the Moominverse
The Legacy of Laaksonen and Jannson
Horror Hospital Unplugged
Kari
Tarot Yohualli Ehecatl
Apsara Engine
Conclusion

Chapter 5: Critical Questions

What are the obstacles facing queer comics?
Capitalism
Artificial Intelligence
Anti-Diversity Campaigns: Comicsgate
Homonormativity
“Acceptable” Narratives
“Unacceptable” Narratives
The New Queer Comics Underground
Sexually Explicit and Pornographic Comics
The Monster and Queer Identity
Conclusion

References

Chapter 1 References
Chapter 2 References
Chapter 3 References
Chapter 4 References
Chapter 5 References

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 21 Jan 2027
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Pages 208
ISBN 9781350477117
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 8 bw illus
Series Bloomsbury Comics Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Tof Eklund

Tof Eklund is a Lecturer in Language and Culture a…

Author

Sam Orchard

Sam Orchard is Assistant Curator of the New Zealan…

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