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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 Williams,QU33R, 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 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
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Teleny and Camille $9.99 – $29.99
Jon Macy, longtime contributor to gay comics publications such as Gay Comics and Boy Trouble, has adapted a moving and erotic gay love story from the classic Teleny: Or the Reverse of the Medal. attributed to Oscar Wilde and his circle of writers and poets.
Camille, a wealthy young gentleman in Victorian London, falls in love with the handsome and mesmerizing pianist Teleny. While Teleny performs on stage, the two star-crossed lovers discover they share a psychic link in the form of an erotic vision. While Camille struggles to resist his homosexuality Teleny is being pursued by others. After telepathically witnessing the erotic encounters Teleny has with both sexes, Camille attempts suicide. Teleny rescues Camille physically and emotionally with his rapturous love forsaking all others. In this newfound happiness Camille tries to forget that Teleny owes much of his success to the generosity of the women who desire him.
Fans of gay comics and gay love stories will devour this sensual tome.
Winner of the 2010 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Erotica!PREVIEW:
Read the entire first chapter right now! (This preview has had a few images obscured in order to make it more acceptable for general audiences; the full graphic novel is sexually explicit and is intended for adult readers only.)INTERVIEWS:
Interview with Outlook Columbus — “The bottom line? This book is fun. It’s unique, academic and sexy. Teleny and Camille is far and away the most innovative gay novel of the past few years. I caught up with other Jon Macy to talk about his creation.” — Mackenzie Worrall
Northwest Press Interview on Comic Book Queers — Comic Book Queers’ EvilJeff takes over L.A. with the help of Zan Christensen of Northwest Press who brings his lackeys Justin Hall, creator of Glamazonia and Jon Macy, he of Teleny & Camille fame.
Interview on The Feast of Fun podcast — “Based on Teleny, the secret round-robin novel written by Oscar Wilde and his anonymous circle of friends, the classic work of erotica is now visually re-interpreted by Macy in all its lush, sexual excess. Join us as we take a look at the origins of modern gay culture in Victorian England, the origins of one guy one jar, the complicated man that was Oscar Wilde and how to cruise for sex in ye merrie olde England.”
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A Waste of Time #3 $2.99 – $4.99
Rickets the broken robot and Prester the born again teddy bear finally discover the whereabouts of the elusive Bill Watterson; he’s spent decades as the prisoner of a deranged Jim Davis, forced to draw Garfield comics! Can our heroes rescue Watterson from the clutches of this commercial enterprise, or have they arrived too late?
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A Waste of Time $7.99 – $19.99
The first full-length collection of irreverent and sweet comic strips from Rick Worley. Featuring a foreword by StevieD and EvilJeff from the Comic Book Queers podcast.
Foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed and misanthropic, Rick is no ordinary cute cartoon rabbit. The strips in this hysterically funny, surprisingly sweet collection range from fantasy tales about a closeted fundamentalist teddy bear, an oversexed fox, and a doomed robot love affair to autobiographical comics that share maybe a little too much information about the author. In their quest for contentment, the characters fail, fail, and sometimes fail again, but they never stop looking. There’s always the chance they’ll find that one person who was worth the search.
Or maybe not.
RAVES:
“There’s a brutal frankness and honesty coming from these foxes and teddy bears that you rarely see anywhere else. Comics are the one of the last havens to be truly offensive and beautifully unapologetic.” — from the foreword by StevieD and EvilJeff from the Comic Book Queers podcast.
“Beautifully drawn, hilarious, wistful, profane and very human. Rick Worley’s A Waste of Time knocked me out.” — Robert Kirby, creator of Curbside, Boy Trouble and THREE.
“Rick Worley’s insightful A Waste of Time comic strips are simultaneously tender and perverse—like his bunny.” — Howard Cruse, author of Stuck Rubber Baby and Wendel.
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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.
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