But I’m also seeing comments from people who aren’t happy with it, and they mostly center on these things: it’s not a “page turn” but a “peel”, it’s designed to encourage fancy digital effects treatments, and isn’t iconic like the classic “DC Bullet” logo that debuted in the late seventies.

The people who are upset about the logo change also seem to be part of the group who complained about the massive company-wide book relaunches that DC did a few months ago. The company jettisoned the bulk of the characters’ long histories and started fresh, irritating these longtime fans in the process.

I was trying to figure out why I wasn’t feeling that same reaction to this new logo and the relaunches, and I think I might have nailed it down.

A lot of comics fans feel a strong nostalgia for classic comics that I don’t seem to, maybe because I came relatively late to the medium, at 13. The first comic book I bought for myself was Power Pack #12, from the spinner rack at my local 7-Eleven. I’d read a few old Little Lulu and Superboy comics, growing up, but nothing captured my attention like these young kids—who seemed like kids I might know—with super powers! (And it was an X-Men crossover, so I became a mutant junkie in short order as well.)

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I started picking up a ton of DC titles when I started reading comics in the mid-80s. They had just relaunched several their books as a result of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which simplified the DC Universe and “cleaned up” a lot of conflicting or just plain weird histories for their characters. (And when you’re creating fantastic tales about superheroes every month for fifty years, you better believe that things are going to get weird and conflicting.) The 1985 relaunch gave me an “in” to start reading Wonder Woman and Superman from their first issues and feel like I was there at the start of their journey.

The comics I devoured from then through high school were magical, and I loved them in a much more intense way than I love comics today. But even though that was the period that I was most blissfully in love with comics, I very rarely think, “comics should always be like that.” That magic I felt had nothing to do with company logos or particular costumes or the fact that they were in print not digital. I felt it because being 13 and discovering a whole new world is magical. I’m sure young people getting into comics today are feeling the same magic I did and are excited to be in on the ground floor of something new.

I don’t want comics to be frozen the way I remember them and risk becoming irrelevant to new readers, even if that means that sometimes I won’t always “get it” or agree with the direction things go in. How many people are going to see these unfamiliar logos, either printed on a comics book or animated and glowing on a screen, and be enticed to discover a whole new world unfolding before their eyes?

I can pull my old issues out any time I want, and those logos will never change. I’ve had my magic, and now it’s time for someone else to have a turn.

“The fourth year is almost a summation of the previous three,” says author McWhinny. “Touching on issues of class, politics and showcasing San Francisco as its own character in the series. Whether experiencing the modern day ‘Downton Abbey’ at the Getty house, negotiating through the contentious mood of the SF mayoral race, enjoying a surprising cameo at the Folsom Street Fair, or contending with wine-spitting drunks at a wine show at Fort Mason, there’s a little bit of the glamour and the gutter to be found in the life of the catering waiter.”

Some highlights of the series include run-ins with Björk, Olympia Dukakis, and Rita Moreno, gluttonous guests and the dangers of Sterno™. Along the way, McWhinny manages to explore sexuality, relationships and politics from the other side of the hors d’oeuvre tray.

“Not only was I wooed by his vocabulary,” writes Lacy Telles in a review on PrismComics.org, “but I loved his casual way of talking politics. It isn’t in an ‘above my head’ sort of way, nor in a ‘let me explain this to my buddy’s grade-schooler’ kind of way, but rather in a matter of fact, ‘Seamus assumes you know what he knows about politics’ sort of way.”

“But don’t get me wrong, people,” Telles continues. “Not every strip, not every story, is a jab at San Francisco high society. In ‘Morning after’, McWhinny shows a more serious side. Sure there are still smile inducing, relatable instances like the stranger from the night before blabbering away about chirping nothingness. But there is sincerity in his statement about class difference and the likelihood of a return phone call or a proper date. I appreciate these odd glimpses into the world of a catering whore outside of his catering jobs, especially when they show a slightly less acrid view on life.”

Diary of a Catering Whore is available exclusively on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch through iBooks. You can download a free preview before purchasing the book.

I have a background in marketing and advertising and have some ideas already, but I’m sure there are a lot of pressures and concerns that retailers have that I’m unaware of, or underestimate. I’d love to create an article that can really be a good resource for retailers and help them reach out to new audiences in a constructive way, and maybe avoid some pitfalls that you’ve experienced.

If you’re a retailer and want to share your thoughts on the subject, I would be really interested to hear. Or, if you’re a customer at a shop that could benefit from an LGBT section and have some ideas on how they might implement it, that would be great, too.

Here’s some questions to get your gears turning; if any of these strike a chord with you, please post Facebook comments in reply, or email me directly with your thoughts.

• Do you have any success stories to share about creating a section in your store?
• What works, and what really hasn’t?
• Do you have an “unofficial” section (perhaps adjacent to the indies), or do you do a seasonal PRIDE display?
• Have any customers had issues with your implementation? Had any issues with parents?
• Has the section increased business? Changed your customer demographic?
• Has the fact that you have an LGBT section gotten you any press?
• Do you have customers who might be well-served by an LGBT section? or who have asked for one?
• Are you interested in reaching LGBT audiences but aren’t sure how to do it? afraid of doing it wrong and offending people?

Any and all responses would be appreciated, even if you haven’t created an LGBT section and have limited experience on the subject. I would welcome your concerns and ideas, as a retailer, on how you might go about it if you did.

Thank you!

Here’s the second of my ongoing “Retail Spotlights”, to highlight those comics shops that want to reach out to LGBT customers. The goal is to connect queer folks who are already comics readers to shops they can go and find the stuff they want to read, as well as invite LGBT communities around the country to explore what today’s comics shops have to offer by visiting one near them with a great selection and welcoming staff. If you’re looking for a fun place to shop where you can “come as you are”, then look no further!

This time around, we’re going to shine a spotlight on Mission: Comics and Art in San Francisco, California, courtesy of proprietor Leef Smith. This shop is a “junction point for the worlds of fine art, comic books, and popular culture”, and has a great selection of indie and local graphic novels, as well as all your must-have superhero books. In the back of the store, you’ll find something you don’t usually find at a comics shop: a full gallery space dedicated to showing original comics as well as artwork inspired by comics. Cool!

Mission offers a lot of other stuff you might not expect from a comics shop: they offer a Graphic Novel Rental Library, so you can read more for less money; they host a “monthly Comic Creators Meetup encouraging the creation promotion and distribution of independently produced comics”; and they also have a monthly graphic novel book club where you can enjoy a new work and share a lively discussion about it with other comics lovers. No stereotypical basement-dwelling hermits here!

According to Leef, this is a great time to come explore what comics have to offer, with the new relaunched—and more diverse!—DC Comics. Mission is even playing a part in DC’s big push to embrace digital comics, with digital subscriptions and online management via Comixology.

LGBT customers can rest assured that Mission: Comics and Art will help connect them to fantastic comics and graphic novels. Says Leef:

We’ve got a dedicated LGBT section that includes award winners like Teleny & Camille and Fun Home, and new releases like Gingerbread Girl and Wandering Son. Our local shelves also include Waste of Time and fan-fave Wuvable Oaf. We’re also happy to point out the mainstream superhero comics that do a good job depicting LGBT characters, such as Batwoman, Young Avengers & X-Factor among others.

Mission: Comics & Art has a special focus on comic books as an art form, with our gallery, artist receptions, and strong selection of self-published and Indy books. We offer a Graphic Novel Rental Library, and “buy” back graphic novels to add to the library. We’ve got an excellent coffee shop right next door, Rodgers Coffee & Tea, with fabulous “brew by the cup” coffee.

Mission: Comics and Art is located in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, at 3520 20th Street, Suite B (between Mission and Valencia). They are open Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 8pm. You can find them on Facebook and check them out on Twitter at @missioncomics. Being true San Francisco tech-heads, they’re also on Flickr, YouTube, Yelp, and Foursquare! (And, as I mentioned earlier, ComiXology…)

Mission will be hosting the big debut party for Rick Worley’s A Waste of Time at the beginning of October, during APE. Don’t miss it!

This week, I’d like to introduce you to Marsha and Alan Giroux and their store called All About Books and Comics in Phoenix, Arizona. The store boasts over one million (!) new and back-issue comics from all publishers, as well as other items such as shirts, coffee mugs, and more. They’ve been serving customers in Arizona and worldwide for 30 years and have ”the most knowledgable and friendly staff in Arizona.”

All About Books and Comics offers a free subscription service (so the books you want won’t sell out before you get them), a selection of back issues you can browse on their website, and they make regular updates about sales, promotions and new items on their email list, Facebook, and on Twitter at @AllAboutComics. All About Comics also buys and trades old comics; bring them in to the store so they can check them out!

I asked Marsha and Alan what they thought was the hottest thing in comics right now, and what they would recommend to new readers.

The most exciting thing happening in comics right now begins in September with the launch of DC’s new line of comics. They are relaunching with 52 new number ones. It is the perfect jumping on point for anyone interested in comics. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Batwoman and all the rest of the DC line are all starting fresh with a new modern day relaunch and you can start with the very first issue! All About Books and Comics will have them all! Batwoman is a lesbian and she’s finally getting her own series! For those of you that loved Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in the 1970′s, we will not only have the first issue of Wonder Woman in September but we also carry a full line of Wonder Woman products from coffee mugs to T-shirts.

Looking for something more independent? We recommend Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home, a coming of age story of a young lesbian growing up with her father in a funeral home. Did you grow up reading Archie Comics? They are also becoming much more LGBT friendly with the recent introduction of a new gay character, Kevin. We’ve got them!

Are you watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Walking Dead? These are two of the most popular TV shows that have comics and All About has them all! Did you see any of the great comic book movies this summer? Thor, X-men, Captain America, Green Lantern? We have all the comics and related merchandise.

Have a question? Ask the Professor. He has been collecting comics for over 40 years and can tell you anything you need to know about story lines. You can reach the Professor on the blog at AllAboutComics.com and read reviews of current comics.

So if you’re in Phoenix but haven’t looked at a comic shop in a while because you didn’t think there would be anything for you there, give All About Books and Comics a try. It’s always good to support retailers that welcome everyone and try to offer stuff that appeals to all types of customers. The shop is located at 5060 N. Central in the heart of uptown Phoenix (one block North of Camelback on Central). You can also visit them online at AllAboutComics.com.

I had worked up a bunch of starter questions to get the ball rolling, and roll, it did! We talked about how the feminist core of the series spurs writers involved with it to be more inclusive of other sexualities. We talked about Andrew’s character and how it grew organically once Tom was cast and the writers started writing the part for him. Scott talked about the non-reaction that the powers that be at Fox had to Buffy’s tryst with fellow female Slayer Satsu in the comics series. In response to a question about who from the Buffy series would have been a good choice to be an LGBT character, the response from Jane was, essentially, anyone. There isn’t anything to prevent a character from evolving and changing or revealing things about her or himself, and it wouldn’t be any more or less surprising or out-of-the-ordinary than the way things work in real life.

There were some great questions from the audience, including one about trans inclusivity in the Buffyverse (currently none, as far as the panelists were aware.) I mused about whether a person whose soul was female but whose body was male could be chosen as a Slayer?

A few questions touched on vampire sexuality, and how likely it would be that most vampires had experienced same-sex relationships and sex, given that they have hundreds of years to kill. Jane recalled a quote from Joss Whedon that was meant to be attributed to Spike or Angel (not sure which) that went something like, “I’ve lived for over a hundred years, don’t you think I’ve tried just about everything?” So all those fantasies about Spike and Angel pairings might not be completely out of the question!

Tom’s comedic chops were on full display, and he brought the house down several times. He’s currently filming a documentary about the making of his one-person show, Nerdgasm, and about bringing it to the Edinburgh Fringe Fest this August. If you see the show’s headed to your neck of the woods, you should check it out!

The panelists were great, the audience was fantastic, and it was a really great way to spend an hour at Comic-Con. Thanks to everyone who came and shared the experience with us!

From the description of the film:

The passage of California’s Proposition 8 was met with shock and disbelief from LGBT communities across the country. Anger soon followed, and mass protests erupted throughout California, particularly in Los Angeles, where so many people, gay and straight, were caught completely off guard. Inspired takes a look at a diverse group of individuals who were spurred into action by the results of Prop 8, which awoke a new grassroots movement in Southern California.

Criticizing both the failed No on 8 statewide campaign (too controlling!) and the community as a whole (too complacent!), people naturally looked for answers. But blame in L.A. was quickly replaced with a renewed sense of determination. From East L.A. to Hollywood, Long Beach to Pasadena, average citizens were politicized overnight and word-of-mouth demonstrations sprang up throughout the city. L.A. saw the emergence of countless new political organizations, and Latino voices emerged not as mere educators to the movement but as outspoken leaders of the movement.

Prop 8, currently overturned by a U.S. district court and awaiting appeal, in many ways can be credited with this newfound sense of urgency and unity among everyday LGBT citizens. Where On These Shoulders We Stand illuminates Los Angeles’ early LGBT social and political history, Inspired chronicles a new generation of political activists and grassroots organizations.

I was at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival representing Northwest Press and Prism Comics, and it was a great experience. I didn’t get out into the show as much as I would have liked, but I moderated an excellent panel discussion on identity in comics, and how being our race, gender and sexuality can affect the kinds of work we do and what we gravitate toward as readers. The panel featured José Villarrubia, Erika Moen, Yuko Ota and Ananth Panagariya, and it was quite interesting to see how far we’ve moved away from identity politics in just a decade. Or maybe this bunch was just more enlightened than everyone else.

I also participated in TCAFabulous, a social event at Toronto’s “Crews and Tangos” which featured as its centerpiece a thorough “reading” of the comics from an LGBT perspective. (I’d never really thought about it, but it’s true what Erika Moen says about the “Kole” logo being very vaginal.)

After a few days’ recovery time, I headed to Atlanta for the 2011 Gaylaxicon/OutlantaCon. This is a fun, intimate event with a lot of terrific programming and this year the special guest was none other than Buffy: The Vampire Slayer‘s Amber Benson (aka Tara MacLean). Adam Fair, the creator of This Gay Existence, and I were on a panel about what’s been going on in LGBT comics over the past year, which was fun and a great discussion, to boot. I only managed to snap one picture of Amber, during “The Match Game” panel when the panel was interrupted for a word from the sponsor, “Boy Butter”. I did get to say hello and shake her hand as I was leaving the show, and invited her to do something with Prism Comics in the future. We’d love to work together!

Chance Whitmire of Fanboys of the Universe also joined us at the table and gave out cool buttons and Fanboys cards. Chance has invited Prism Comics to come to Asheville, North Carolina, this coming weekend for the show that he organizes, Fanaticon, with special guest Gail Simone!

I’ll be meeting up with Gail on Thursday and shooting a little video to get any last-minute fence sitters to take the plunge and support The Power Within before we hit our fundraising deadline. (There’s just $900 to go! If you haven’t pledged, please check it out and lend a hand!)