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Rob Kirby, David Kelly, Rick Worley, Justin Hall, Jon Macy, Steve MacIsaac, Craig Bostick, Jennifer Camper, Tyler Cohen, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Kris Dresen, Dylan “NDR” Edwards, Michael Fahy, Edie Fake, Nicole J. Georges, Terrance Griep, Andy Hartzell, Ed Luce, MariNaomi, Carrie McNinch, Annie Murphy, L. Nichols, Jose-Luis Olivares, Eric Orner, Carlo Quispe, Marian Runk, Christine Smith, Sina Sparrow, Sasha Steinberg, Ivan Velez, Jr., Amanda Verwey, Eric Kostiuk Williams,
QU33R
by: Rob Kirby, David Kelly, Rick Worley, Justin Hall, Jon Macy, Steve MacIsaac, Craig Bostick, Jennifer Camper, Tyler Cohen, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Kris Dresen, Dylan “NDR” Edwards, Michael Fahy, Edie Fake, Nicole J. Georges, Terrance Griep, Andy Hartzell, Ed Luce, MariNaomi, Carrie McNinch, Annie Murphy, L. Nichols, Jose-Luis Olivares, Eric Orner, Carlo Quispe, Marian Runk, Christine Smith, Sina Sparrow, Sasha Steinberg, Ivan Velez, Jr., Amanda Verwey, Eric Kostiuk WilliamsQU33R, from editor Rob Kirby, features great new comics from 33 contributors—legends and new faces alike. Winner of the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology!
$9.99 – $39.99
Winner of the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology!
QU33R, from editor Rob Kirby, features 241 pages of new comics from 33 contributors—legends and new faces alike.
In 2012, Justin Hall edited a book called No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, that took readers on a journey from the beginnings of LGBT comics history to the present day. QU33R is an all-new project featuring queer comics legends as well as new talents that picks up where No Straight Lines left off. We’ve set down our history, now QU33R shines a light on our future!
QU33R had its genesis in an all-color queer comic zine called THREE, which featured three stories by three creators or teams per issue. Rob Kirby published three installments of THREE annually from 2010 to 2012, and the series did well, garnering not only an Ignatz nomination for Outstanding Anthology or Collection but also earning Rob the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant in 2011.
Producing the anthology was immensely gratifying, but featuring just three comics and publishing only once per year meant a lot of cartoonists weren’t getting the exposure they deserved. The publishing opportunities for queer cartoonists and queer subject matter are still limited, even today, and Rob longed for a wider distribution than he was able to manage on his own. He approached Northwest Press about doing a bigger compendium of all-new work.
While THREE was happening, Justin Hall was preparing his book No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, which Fantagraphics published in the summer of 2012. No Straight Lines traced the history of queer comics from their humble beginnings in the late 60’s/early 70’s all the way up to the present. The book was a whopping, award-winning success. Rob got to thinking that a follow-up volume—a sort-of-sequel focusing on all new work—would seal the deal, informing the world at large that we are still here, still queer, and still producing fresh and innovative work. He wanted to include not only several queer comics veterans, but also some fresh new faces and a few folks who haven’t necessarily belonged to the orthodox “queer comics scene” but have been doing non-heteronormative work all along.
QU33R features over 240 pages of new comics from a cross-generational lineup of award-winning LGBTQ cartoonists.
ISBN: 9781938720369
Publisher: Northwest Press
Publish Date: 2013
Page Count: 264
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The Legend of Bold Riley #3 $2.99 – $4.99
During a stormy night and under the influence of some surprisingly strong pipe weed, Bold Riley glimpses a shape of what’s to come. Now, somewhat less burdened by sorrow, she heads towards the Atratan Desert in search of the powerful city state of Kabumzala.
Written by Leia Weathington and illustrated by Joanna Estep. With color by Nechama Frier, a pinup by Gisele Jobateh, and a cover by Genue Revuelta.
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Fearful Hunter $12.99 – $34.99
Oisin, a shy young druid, lives in a ferocious world of sacred sexuality and erotic elder gods. When he falls for Byron, a simple wolf who only mates for life, their love threatens the plans of those who desire a forbidden power. Do the star-crossed lovers stand a chance when lascivious Druid masters and savage elder gods threaten their fragile new relationship?
Punk music, pickup trucks, and psychedelic earth magic add an urban spin to this captivating queer Celtic fantasy world.
Written and drawn by Jon Macy, with bonus stories and art by Justin Hall, Dave Davenport, William O. Tyler, Steve MacIsaac, Dylan Edwards, Sina Sparrow, René Capone, Agnes Czaja, and Sean Z. Maker.
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Dash #1 $2.99 – $3.99
Los Angeles, 1940: Private investigator Dash Malone can’t shake the feeling his lover, Johnny, is hiding something. Strange deaths start occurring throughout the city while a mysterious woman named Zita Makara begs Dash to take her case. When a grisly murder connects all three, a terrifying mystery unfolds.
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The Legend of Bold Riley $9.99 – $29.99
Leia Weathington’s sword-and-sorcery epic The Legend of Bold Riley is illustrated by Leia and a host of talented artists.
“Who is Bold Riley?” you might ask. She has hunted the wildest game and dallied with countless beautiful girls, but still longs to know the world beyond the city walls. Princess Rilavashana SanParite, called Bold Riley, leaves behind her station and sets out to travel through distant lands and find forgotten ruins, fearsome enemies, inscrutable gods and tragic love.
She’s as capable with a sword as she is with her wits—man, does she carve things up when the need arises—and is a strong, beautiful, confident woman who doesn’t wear a bikini into battle. And she always gets the girl!
Created by Leia Weathington, with art by Weathington, Marco Aidala, Vanessa Gillings, Kelly McClellan, Konstantin Pogorelov and Jason Thompson. Cover artwork by Brinson Thieme. 232 pages. 7″x10″. Full-color with metallic ink cover.
Retailers! Download a Bold Riley Promotional Display that highlights the foreword by fan-favorite writer Jane Espenson and helps encourage customers to check out the book.
PREVIEWS:
You can download a 67-page preview of the book in PDF or EPUB (iPad-only) format right here on the site. The preview includes excerpts from four of the stories in the book, bonus artwork and more.Additionally, there’s a ZIP file of preview images available for use in reviews and articles. Download it here. (11MB ZIP file.)
INTERVIEWS:
Feature on Panel Patter by Rob McMonigal — “Ms. Weathington, working with a variety of other artists, has created a fantasy world ripe for exploration, with our guide being Bold Riley, a young woman with royal (but restless) blood. It’s great to see the ‘Uncharted Fantasy World’ idea given a new twist by having a protagonist that’s not only female, but queer as well.”
Feature on Portland Comic Books Examiner by Christian Lipski — “Author Leia Weathington is releasing Bold Riley, her first book, at the end of June, and spoke with the Portland Comic Books Examiner about her own journey.”
Interview on Portland Comics by Doug Dorr — “I worked with 5 other artists for Bold Riley and made the mistake at first of trying to really tightly control the visuals of the comic. That was something I learned to back off from pretty fast. If you are working with artists you probably decided to get into a collaboration with them for a reason. SO TRUST YOUR ARTIST! What I’ve started doing is making model sheets characters, objects and places that must look a certain way to maintain continuity in the story, after that I send photo references, script and descriptions of mood and setting and turn the artist loose to have fun with it.”
Interview on The Hathor Legacy by Maria Velazquez — “Like many creators I started writing the kind of story I always wanted to see. Like most women I was raised with fairy tales and the complex feelings that go with them. Sure they focus primarily on female leads, but those leads tend to be passive objects. The women are what things happen TO not people who make things happen themselves.”
Interview on Sequential Tart by Lee Atchison — “We like the anti-hero right now. And with reason. Things are shit, we’re all pretty jaded. How can you not be when at the click of a button you can see the latest string of atrocities played out before your eyes. I like the anti-hero, but somewhere amid all of the horror and the skepticism, I wanted to place a story about a hero who, while not beyond reproach, is good and wants to do good and tries her hardest.”
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The Power Within $2.99 – $4.99
A comic book tackling the subject of teen bullying and suicide, written by Charles “Zan” Christensen and drawn by Mark Brill.
Shannon gets picked on a lot; his dad and teachers think he should just “fit in” more, but that doesn’t help. So Shannon escapes into a super-powered alter-ego whenever he’s in a bad situation. But will the power within be enough to save him?
In addition to the main story, the book contains bonus pages by a collection of comics industry heavyweights, including Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey), Phil Jimenez (New X-Men, Wonder Woman), Greg Rucka (Detective Comics, Gotham Central), Matthew Clark (Outsiders, Wonder Woman), Stephen Sadowski (JSA, Warlord of Mars), Dan Parent (Archie, Kevin Keller), Donna Barr (The Desert Peach), Andy Mangels (Gay Comics, Iron Man: Beneath the Armor) and Carla Speed McNeil (FINDER).
Copies of The Power Within are available free of charge to youth services organizations and teachers’ groups. Please contact us by email to request copies. The book contains discussion questions so that the book can be used as a tool to start a conversation about issues of bullying and harassment.
PREVIEW:
Read the first part of the story right now!
INTERVIEWS:
Review at Gay.com by Jase Peeples — “Moved by the rash of suicides committed by bullied LGBT teens last year, Christensen and Brill took it upon themselves to create a story they hope will reach others in a way only comics can.”
Interview on Tacoma KOMO — “Imagine a world in which bullied teens are protected by muscled superheroes. It sounds fantastic, but this is exactly the world Zan Christensen and Mark Brill have created in a new comic intended to help teens cope with bullying and harassment in school.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCXzxJ-qDA4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCGaSZfBpqM
Sequential Tart –
“Most are explicitly about being queer, about what alternate lifestyles might entail, but there are a few that are about more general experiences viewed through a queer lens… It also covers how one queer’s experiences might differ from other queer’s—and how similar the lives of queer and straight people can be, as life and love can be beautiful and hard no matter what your orientation or gender identity. Those points all on their own would make reading the work worthwhile, offering insight to queer and straight audiences alike.” Read Wolfen Moondaughter’s review on Sequential Tart
Now Read This! –
“QU33R is a superb example of comics celebrating determination and difference: sensitive, evocative, romantic and humorously engaging ‘people stories’ which any open-minded fan can’t help but adore. There’s not much fighting but plenty of punch, and in an ideal world this book would be readily available in every school and library for any confused kid in need of inspiration, comfort, understanding, encouragement and hope.” Read Win Wiacek’s review on Now Read This!
Comics Worth Reading –
“This is a substantial work, well-suited for the shelves of anyone interested in the topic. Even beyond the subject matter, the collection of cartooning styles displayed here is eye-opening.” Read Johanna Draper Carlson’s review on Comics Worth Reading
Thirteen Minutes –
“Perhaps Howard Cruse’s reappropriated Dagwood Bumstead riff is an emblematic entry. There’s a certain aspirational nonchalance there to coming out as a young gay man, a matter-of-fact blurt-out from a closeted lesbian housewife. The people are just there, just living, and the future is wide-open, as indicated by so many of the inconclusive endings found in the entries. Kudos to Rob Kirby for the well-curated selections, along with achieving a rare narrative and aesthetic cohesion of all the themes and styles. Grade A-.” Read Justin Giampaoli’s review on Thirteen Minutes
Comic Book Resources –
“QU33R is the sort of comics anthology that we need more of. Kirby’s assembled a great deal of unique comics voices for this book, and the end result is a real joy to read. This isn’t just a book of good LGBT comics, it’s a book of good comics, period. QU33R is well worth your time and money.” Read Greg McElhatton’s review on Comic Book Resources
National Post –
“Memory and melancholy both show up in spades in QU33R, a smart survey of queer comics from the growing Seattle press. The tendency here is towards a certain degree of autobiography, calling back to the heyday of highly personal art comics of the ’80s and ’90s.” Read David Berry’s review in the National Post
Lambda Literary –
“All in all a superb collection, one I want on every graphic novel e-reader, and, as a librarian, in every library, personal and public, including my own.” Read Cathy Camper’s review on Lambda Literary
Optical Sloth –
“Damn, now that’s how you put together a fantastic anthology.” Read the review on Optical Sloth
Okazu –
“If you have ever asked yourself something along the lines of ‘what do LGBTQ comics in America look like?’ you’ll definitely want to pick up QU33R.” Read Erica Friedman’s review on Okazu
Lavender Magazine –
“This full-color collection by queer publisher Northwest Press covers the entire spectrum of the rainbow, young love, old love, no love – drama in the past and present, and through all the rainbow’s angstroms of gender, sex, race and class, happiness and despair. These stories will bear you along on a fresh tide of QU33R life heading into your future.” Read E.B. Boatner’s capsule review in Lavender Magazine
Whit Taylor –
“ In the case of QU33R, an anthology edited by Robert Kirby, all I can say are positive things. Why? Because the individual stories are quite strong and Kirby’s editing makes for a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Kirby has been editing anthologies for a while, and it’s quite clear to me that he’s very skilled at it. QU33R however, is a big leap forward for him for several reasons. First, visually it’s quite arresting and clever, for instance using a rainbow header that spans the book. The feel of the book is nice and the jacket is colorfully covered with individual faces exploring multiple identities. Second and more importantly though, Kirby has an editing style that does not stifle individual artists from exploring their visions, but one that allows for their pieces to complement each other.” Read the whole review on Whit Taylor’s Comics
The Bay Area Reporter –
“Contributors include such well-known gay comics artists as Eric Orner and Justin Hall, as well as a lot of newcomers unknown, at least to Out There. Territory covered runs the gamut, from the expected—coming-out tales, melodramatic love affairs—to the unexpected.” Read Roberto Friedman’s whole review in Out There in the Bay Area Reporter
Broken Frontier –
“Overall, this is an excellently curated and designed collection of cartooning that will sit happily alongside the Best American Comics series and Ivan Brunetti’s Graphic Fiction volumes.” Read Tom Murphy’s whole review on Broken Frontier
Comics Grinder –
“QU33R is a significant comics anthology collecting the work of 33 cartoonists exploring queer themes that was recently published by Northwest Press. What you find here is a wide variety of styles and insights.” Read Harry Chamberlain’s whole review on Comics Grinder
Gay People’s Chronicle –
“The conceit of Three is that Kirby gets three great comic creators to contribute stories to each volume. At times he went a little crazy and put more than three creators in, but that is what one calls creative liberties. This follows his history of anthologizing and contributing, like his early Strange Looking Exile and Boy Trouble, the latter with David Kelly. Now, however, Kirby has gone completely crazy, cramming 33 creators into his newest book, QU33R, out now on Northwest Press, the home of everything gay in comicdom.” Read Anthony Glassman’s whole review in the Gay People’s Chronicle
The Comics Journal –
“QU33R unquestionably succeeds as a wide-ranging survey of queer cartoonists at this point in time.” Read Rob Clough’s whole review in the The Comics Journal