Burton Clarke is a gay African-American

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

cartoonist. He is known for his contributions to the rise of LGBT comics and his focus on representing gay men of all races and classes in his art, using a mix of realism and fantasy to tackle complex issues such as internalized racism and homophobia.

Personal life

Clarke was born in Plainfield, NJ. He received his Bachelor's in Theatre from Syracuse University, his Master's in Acting from Florida State University. After four years at Sarasota's Asolo State Theatre, Clarke moved to New York. Due to the difficulty of finding steady work as a black actor, he eventually decided to fall back on his skills as a cartoonist, pursuing a personal interest in broadening gay representation in media.

Career

Clarke's comic "Cy Ross and the SQ Syndrome" was published first in the '' New York Native'' (1980), then re-printed in Gay Comix #2 (1981), and in '' Meatmen'' Vol.1 (1986). He contributed cover art to Gay Comix #3, and another comic, "The Satyr", to Gay Gomix #10. He was also known for publications in the ''

Playguy ''Playguy'' was an American gay pornographic monthly magazine that was geared to gay men under 25. It was established by George W. Mavety in 1976. It was published by Modernismo Publications, Ltd., which also published ''Mandate Mandate most ...

, First Hand,'' and '' Christopher Street'' magazine. Clarke has said that his own style is influenced by that of Leonard Star.

Reception

Clarke is known for the realism and detail of his art style, his radical use of heavy shading/lighting in black-and-white comics, and for tackling sensitive issues such as the intersection of race and sexuality, as well as internalized racism and homophobia. In "Cy Ross and the SQ Syndrome" he confronts the internalized racism which comes with being a "snow queen", while "The Satyr" confronts the ways in which internalized homophobia can lead to violence. His work has been recognized for the importance and rarity of its subject matter at the time, as well as its use in discussions about pornographic content and government funding for AIDS research. Contemporaries such as

Jerry Mills Jerry A. Mills (February 26, 1951 - January 28, 1993) was an openly gay cartoonist known for his comic strip ''Poppers'', which is credited as one of the first comic strips to develop multi-dimensional gay characters. Scholars have stated that ...

and Howard Cruse have both expressed an admiration of Clarke's art and a desire to see him be more prolific in his output.

Activism

Clarke is active in

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

awareness and in 1987 contributed panel art to the

GMHC The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." Hist ...

"Safer Sex Comix" project in 1987, an attempt to spread awareness about

and eroticize safe-sex practices such as using condoms.

Select publications

* Cassell, Avery. ''Resistance: The LGBT Fight Against Fascism in WWII''. Ed. Diane Kanzler. Dana Point, CA: Stacked Deck Press, November 16, 2018. * ''The Queer Heroes Coloring Book''. Ed. Jon Macy and Tara Madison Avery. Dana Point CA: Stacked Deck Press, July 29, 2016. * Estler, Thomas. ''Abolitionista!'' Vol. 1. United Graphic LLC: Mattoon, Illinois, 2014. * Queer Pin-Ups Card Deck sold by Northwest Press for the May 2015 Queers and Comics LGBTQ Cartoonist Conference in New York

Citations

References

* Hall, Justin. ''No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics''. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books, Inc., 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Burton LGBT comics creators Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Syracuse University alumni Florida State University alumni African-American artists 21st-century African-American people 21st-century LGBT people