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By: BILL ROUNDY
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Imagine an alternate history of comics — one without censors, and without
skittish distributors, where gay issues could be expressed without resorting
to mutant metaphors, and creators could tell their stories without interference.
That alternate reality already exists on the Internet, where gay cartoonists
have flocked to present their work and have reached a world-wide audience.
One sign of the growing maturity of webcomics is the success of “Nowhere
Girl,” an online drama about a young lesbian whose life is slowly falling
apart. The lushly colored debut by Justine Shaw is the first webcomic ever
nominated for an Eisner Award, the Oscar of the comics industry.
Though she lost at the Eisners earlier this month, Shaw has been honored by
her fellow Web creators: “Nowhere Girl” recently won four of the
Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards, including Outstanding Comic.
Shaw, who works with computers in San Francisco, says that she initially felt
guilty over receiving the Eisner nominations because she’s “not
even a real comics person.” But she first sketched her lead character
way back in 1992, and now she appreciates having her years of work recognized.
“I’m pretty much over it,” she says. “Heck, it’s
great.”
TRADITIONAL PRINT COMICS are still dominated by superheroes. But on the Web,
you can find comics devoted to horror, romance, historical fiction and autobiography — and
there are gay stories in each.
“Webcomics offer delicious freedom,” says K. Sandra Fuhr, creator
of the online romance comic “Boy Meets Boy.” “I have no editor
telling me what to do or what not to do. No criticisms that my characters are
too gay — or not gay enough.”
“Boy Meets Boy” beat out a host of hetero comics to win the WCC
Award for “Outstanding Romantic Comic,” and it’s far from
alone. “Young Bottoms in Love” is a gay romance that updates every
weekday, telling a self-contained five-part story with a new cast of young
gay men each week.
“While the genre is certainly limited in its target audience, it has
perhaps the most defined target audience available,” says Tim Fish, creator
of the series. “That’s the first draw: I am able to identify, know,
and write to a specific audience… I get fan mail from guys often, who
never read comics, except for YBIL.”
Erin Lindsey, 23, a transsexual college student, began posting her webcomic “Venus
Envy” in late 2001, when she noticed a scarcity of comics dealing with
trans issues. The series soon evolved from a simple gag strip to a compelling,
sometimes moving teen soap opera about a 16-year-old transgender girl trying
to pass at a new high school.
Lindsey attributes the change in tone to “gnomes whispering in my ears
at night,” but adds, “the first couple were just doodling and finding
my feet. Then I centered on a main character and ideas about her started coming.”
Webcomics have even spawned their own unique genre, the journal comic. Like
an illustrated blog, journal comics distill a day’s experience into a
few panels, providing a glimpse into someone else’s life.
Neil B.’s journal comic, “Imitation of Life,” provides an
intimate look at his struggles with law school, depression and being gay and
Indian-American.
“It was a big decision for me to come out in the comic, because doing
so meant coming out to a lot of friends in real life who didn’t know
that I’m gay,” says Neil, who still does not put his full name
on the site. “But soon it become inexorably true to me that I couldn’t
be sincere about anything without coming out.”
MANY GAY COMIC STRIPS, such as “Dykes to Watch Out For” and “The
Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green,” have an Internet presence.
But comics that are native to the medium have developed their own forms and
traditions. There are no size restrictions, for instance: pages can scroll
for an infinite space, or take as many panels as they like to finish a story.
Gay cartoonist Howard Cruse, the creator of the acclaimed graphic novel “Stuck
Rubber Baby” and the strip “Wendel,” has adapted many of
his old cartoons on his Web site, recognizing that the new format required
a new layout.
“We’re like in the early stages of television, when most TV shows
were radio shows with pictures, or the early stages of any medium. People haven’t
yet figured out the special characteristics to the medium,” he says.
Unlike self-contained daily newspaper strips, web-comics often have plots
that stretch on for months. Because archives of previous strips are freely
available, new readers can simply click back to catch up on the story.
The interactive ...
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