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''Gay Comix'' (later ''Gay Comics'') is an
underground comics Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
series published from 1980–1998 featuring cartoons by and for
gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...
and
lesbians A lesbian is a homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with fem ...
. The comic books had the tagline “Lesbians and Gay Men Put It On Paper!” Much of the early content was autobiographical, but more diverse themes were explored in later editions. The contents of ''Gay Comix'' were generally about relationships, personal experiences, and humor, rather than sex. It is generally less sexually explicit than the similarly-themed (and male-focused) ''Meatmen'' series of graphic novels.Rothschild, p. 64 Its editors each made a deliberate effort to feature work by both women and men.


Publication history

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...
published the first five issues of ''Gay Comix''; thereafter it was published by
Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of '' The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on ...
, publisher of the ''
Bay Area Reporter The ''Bay Area Reporter'' is a free weekly newspaper serving the LGBT communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the largest-circulation LGBT newspapers in the United States, and the country's oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' gay newspaper. The first four issues were edited by Cruse; issues #5 through #13 were edited by
Robert Triptow Robert Triptow (born May 10, 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American writer and artist. He is known primarily for creating gay- and bisexual-themed comics and for editing ''Gay Comix'' in the 1980s, and he was identified by underground comix ...
.
Andy Mangels Andy Mangels (born December 2, 1966) is an American science fiction author who has written novels, comic books, and magazine articles, and produced DVD collections, mostly focusing on media in popular culture. As an openly gay man,Barela; Mangels changed the title to ''Gay Comics'' starting with issue #15, in part to divest it of the "
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...
" implications of "comix". Excerpts from ''Gay Comix'' were included in a 1989 anthology titled ''Gay Comics''.


Development

The idea for ''Gay Comix'' came from
Denis Kitchen Denis Kitchen (born August 27, 1946) is an Americans, American underground comix, underground cartoonist, publisher, author, agent, and the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Early life Kitchen grew up in Wisconsin, attending William ...
, a publisher of underground comics through the company he founded, Kitchen Sink Press. In 1979, after realizing underground cartoonist
Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he wa ...
was gay, Kitchen asked him to edit an anthology of gay comic artists. The two had worked together previously; Cruse’s comic ''Barefootz'' was published through Kitchen Sink Press.Schreiner, Dave. “Coming out and Falling Out.” ''Kitchen Sink Press: The First 25 Years.'' Kitchen Sink Press, 1994. 53. A call was put out for artists through comics magazine ''Cascade Comix Monthly''. ''Gay Comix'' aimed to get the gay and lesbian contributors to write about things that had happened to them, and experiences they had had. Originally Cruse had reservations about editing the anthology. “He
ruse Ruse may refer to: Places *Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria **Ruse Municipality ** Ruse Province ** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency *Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia * Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...
had never publicly, in print, declared he was gay…he thought coming out would only add to his woes.” Cruse decided that “it would be cowardly” to decline the editor position for these reasons. Cruse recognized that gay people were viewed as caricatures by most of the world, and wanted to publish comics that showed the humanity and normal side of lesbian and gay people.Ringgenberg, Steve. “Sexual Politics and Comic Art: An Interview with Howard Cruse.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 111,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1986. 83. ''Gay Comix'' featured the work of primarily gay and lesbian cartoonists. In an editor’s note in ''Gay Comix #4'' Cruse put out a call for more women to submit to the magazine, saying, “After all, the personal style of comic book storytelling in ''Gay Comix'' was pioneered by the women who put together '' Wimmen’s Comix'' when underground commix were young.”''Gay Comix #4.'' Edited by Howard Cruse. Princeton, WI: Kitchen Sink Enterprises. November 1983. While it sometimes had suggestive or sexual comics, ''Gay Comix'' was not a pornographic comic series. Cruse apparently even expressed hope that he wouldn’t be submitted comics that focused heavily on genitals.White, Ted. “It All Boils Down to the Editor.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 83,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1983. 31-45.


Content

Artists producing work for ''Gay Comix'' included: *
Mary Wings Mary Wings (born April 14, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois as Mary Geller) is an active American cartoonist, writer, and artist. She is known for highlighting lesbian themes in her work. In 1973, she made history by releasing ''Come Out Comix'', the f ...
, creator of the first one-off lesbian book ''Come Out Comix'' (1972) and ''Dyke Shorts'' (1976) *
Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...
, who created ''Dykes to Watch Out For'' and whose graphic novel ''Fun Home'' was adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical *
Roberta Gregory Roberta Gregory (born May 7, 1953)
at the Bitchy Bitch Roberta Gregory (born May 7, 1953)
at the Jerry Mills, creator of ''Poppers'' *
Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he wa ...
, editor of the first four issues *
Robert Triptow Robert Triptow (born May 10, 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American writer and artist. He is known primarily for creating gay- and bisexual-themed comics and for editing ''Gay Comix'' in the 1980s, and he was identified by underground comix ...
, editor of issues #5 through 13 *
Burton Clarke Burton Clarke is a gay African-American Alternative comics, 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 f ...
, creator of ''Cy Ross and the S.Q. Syndrome,'' ''Satyr,'' and the cover of issue #3 *
Jennifer Camper Jennifer Camper is a cartoonist and graphic artist whose work is inspired by her own experiences as a Lebanese-American lesbian. Her work has been included in various outlets such as newspapers and magazines since the 1980s, as well as in exhibit ...
, editor of ''Juicy Mother'' *
Tim Barela Tim Barela (born 1954 in Los Angeles, California) is an acclaimed gay cartoonist who is best known for his creation of the comic strip ''Leonard & Larry''. The ''Leonard & Larry'' strip first appeared in a 1984 issue of ''Gay Comix'', then were l ...
, creator of ''Leonard & Larry'' *
Jon Macy Jon Macy is a gay American cartoonist. He began his career in 1990 with the series ''Tropo'' published September 1990 – April 1992 by Blackbird Comics. Since then, he has contributed to various LGBT comics anthologies and gay pornographic maga ...
creator of ''Teleny and Camille'' *
Lee Marrs Lee Marrs (born September 5, 1945) is an American cartoonist and animator, and one of the first female underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series ''The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp'', which lasted ...
and
Trina Robbins Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...
, two of the original members of the
Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other ...
Collective *Gerard Donelan, creator of ''It's a Gay Life'' and cover artist of issue #7 * Diana Green, a notable trans woman cartoonist


''Gay Comix #1''

''Gay Comix #1'' was published in September 1980 by Kitchen Sink Press. It was 36 pages long and sold for $1.25. The cover art was by Rand Holmes. It opened with a note from Howard Cruse:
Each artist speaks for himself or herself. No one speaks for any mythical ‘average’ homosexual. No one speaks for the Gay Movement…. In drawing this book, we gay cartoonists would like to affirm that we are here, and that we live lives as strewn with India inked pratfalls, flawed heroics, and surreptitious truths as the rest of the human race.
The cartoonists and stories featured were: * "Stick in the Mud" by Lee Marrs * "Reunion" by Roberta Gregory * "Billy Goes Out" by Howard Cruse * "When You’re in Love, the Whole World is Lavender" by Roberta Gregory Themes touched on in this issue include coming out and settling down, in ‘Stick in the Mud.’ Grief and cruising, in ‘Billy Goes Out,’ and hope for a more tolerant future in ‘When You’re in love, the Whole World is Lavender.’


''Gay Comix #2''

''Gay Comix #2'' was published in November 1981 by Kitchen Sink Press. It was edited by Howard Cruse, who also did the cover art. It had a cover price of $1.50. The cartoons and artists featured were: * "Jerry Mack" by Howard Cruse * "Castroids" by Robert Triptow * "Unnatural Desires!" by Roberta Gregory * "Getting Domestic" by Howard Cruse * "For Keeps and Forever" by Lee Marrs Themes addressed in this issue include domestic partnered life in ‘Getting Domestic,’ internalized homophobia in ‘Jerry Mack,’ and experimentation in ‘Unnatural Desires!'


''Gay Comix #3''

''Gay Comix #3'' was published in December 1982 by Kitchen Sink Press. It was 44 pages long and had a cover price of $2. Howard Cruse was the editor. The cover art was done by Burton Clark. ''Gay Comix #3'' was the first issue to include notes from its readers. The comics and artists featured in this issue were: * "My Deadly Darling Dyke" by Lee Mars * "Weekend Revolutionaries" by
Kurt Erichsen Kurt Erichsen is an openly gay cartoonist and civil engineer, creator of the syndicated LGBT-themed comic strip "Murphy's Manor," his most notable work, which ran for 1183 weekly strips from the 1980s until 2008 and through strip 1205 in 2019. ...
* "Castroids" by Robert Triptow (Two short Castroids comics were featured in this issue.) * "I’m Me" by David Kottler * "One for Sorrow" by Patrick Marcel * "I Always Cry at Movies" by Howard Cruse * "Necropolitan Life" by Billy Fugate * "The Tale of Cha-Lee and Sat-yah" by Demian * "As the World Grinds to a Halt" by
Cheela Smith ''Dragon's Egg'' is a 1980 hard science fiction novel by American writer Robert L. Forward. In the story, Dragon's Egg is a neutron star with a surface gravity 67 1,000,000,000 (number), billion times that of Earth, and inhabited by cheel ...
* "Another Coming Out Story" by Roberta Gregory * "Dirty Old Lovers" by Howard Cruse * "Watch Out" by Vaughn Frick Some of the themes addressed in this issue were activism, in ‘Weekend Revolutionaries’ and the pickup or cruising scene in ‘Castroids.’ This issue included a very positive comic about a gay trans man and his journey through transition. It shows a
trans man A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. ''Transgender'' is an umbrella term that incl ...
in a committed, happy relationship living a normal, well-adjusted life.''Gay Comix #3.'' Edited by Howard Cruse. Princeton, WI: Kitchen Sink Enterprises. December 1982.


''Gay Comix #4''

''Gay Comix #4'' was published by Kitchen Sink Press in November 1983. It was 44 pages long and sold for $2. Howard Cruse was the editor and Vaughn Frick did the cover illustration. It included the following comics and artists: * "Poppers" by Jerry Mills * "Scrapbook: Andy and I" by Jim Yost * "Networking" by Lee Mars * "Ode to Phyllis Anne" by Joe Sinardi * "Walls" by Rick Campbell * "A Word from our Sponsor" by Jackie Urbanovic and “Bird” * "Murphey’s Manor" by Kurt Erichsen * "Ready or Not, Here It Comes" by Howard Cruse * "Etiquette" by Jennifer Camper * "Stan Stone" by Vaughn Frick * "The Unicorn Tapestry" by Roberta Gregory * "Billie" by Jim Yost Some notable themes in this issue were struggling with being in the closet, in Ode to Phyllis Anne and Walls. ‘A Word From Our Sponsor’ was a parody commercial for a product a lesbian could use to “de-dyke” her home in a hurry. The issue also touched on the topic of
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 ...
and safe sex in ‘Ready or Not.’


''Gay Comix #5''

''Gay Comix #5'' was published by Kitchen Sink Press in 1984. The editor was Robert Triptow, and the cover art was by T.O. Sylvester. It included the following stories and artists: * "It’s Attitude" by Michael J. Goldberg * "Leonard and Larry in Revenge of the Yenta" by Tim Barela * "Just Because" by Roberta Gregory * "Binnie Blinkers" by
Richard Valley Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
* "Zen and the Art of Bush Sex" by Demain * "Mesozoic Rescue" by Michele Lloyd * "Simply Beastly" by T.O. Sylvester * "Poppers" by Jerry Mills * "Cabbage Patch Clone" by Howard Cruse * "Better Times" by R. Campbell * "When Worlds Collide" by Robert Triptow * "Hot Summer Night" by Camper Some of the themes in this issue were relations between gay men and lesbians, and gay men and their mothers, in ‘Revenge of the Yenta’ and ‘When Worlds Collide.’ This issue also discusses homophobia in ‘Just Because’ and ‘Binnie Blinkers.’


''Gay Comix #6''

''Gay Comix #6'' was published in November 1985 by Bob Ross. It was edited by Robert Triptow. This issue had a cover price of $2. The cover was illustrated by J Mills. Comics included in this issue were: * "Tommy Teene" by Trina Robbins * "Gideon and Friends" by Joe Sinardi * "Terminal Lesbian Couple-itus" by Leslie Ewing * "Leonard and Larry" by Tom Barela * "The Sparkle Sisters: Stain on the Sofa" by Kurt Erichsen * "The Elves and the Leathermaker" by Michael J. Goldberg and Richard Cornwell * "Wendel in Shopping for Cornflakes" by Howard Cruse Some of the topics and themes in this issue were anti-gay buzzwords used in marketing to show covert homophobia in ‘Shopping for Cornflakes,’ and the joys and pitfalls that come along with being in a lesbian couple in ‘Terminal Couple-Itus.’


''Gay Comix #7''

''Gay Comix #7'' was published in Spring 1986 by Bob Ross. It was edited by Robert Triptow. Donelan did the cover illustration. This issue had a cover price of $2. This issue included the following comics: * "Leonard and Larry" by Tim Barela * "Jayson Gets a Visitor" by J.A. Krell * "Night Moves" by Donelan * "Bi Bi Baby" by Robert Triptow * "Late One Nite" by Roberta Gregory * "Love Bait" by Michael Goldberg * "The Sparkle Spinsters: Home Movies" by Kurt Erichsen * "The Discussion Group" by Donelan * "Swishy Fishy in Love Bait" by Michael J. Goldberg ''Gay Comix #7'' touched on AIDS in ‘Late One Night,’ bisexuality in ‘Bi Bi Baby,’ and coming out in ‘The Discussion Group.


''Gay Comix #8''

''Gay Comix #8'' was published in Summer 1986 by Bob Ross and was edited by Robert Triptow. The cover illustration was done by Kalynn. This issue was titled ''SUPER Gay Comix'' and all of the comics featured a superhero of some kind. Comics in this issue included: * "The Sparkle Spinsters: A Midsummer Night’s Super Stud" by Kurt Erichsen * "Fa-a-abuous Four" by Robert Triptow * "+Persons" by Robert Triptow * "Swishy Meets the Caped Cod" by Michael J. Goldberg * "JaysonMan and ArenaWoman ...An Epicene Epic" by J.A. Krell Comics in this issue included topics like gay bashing, in “JaysonMan and ArenaWoman,’ and AIDS in ‘+Persons,’ where a group of superhero-esque figures go to “cheer up terminal patients” at the hospital, but are forbidden by their leader to think about the grim realities of AIDS. ''SUPER GAY Comix'' was later referenced in a prank call by
the Jerky Boys The Jerky Boys are an American comedy act from Queens, New York City, New York, whose routine consists of prank telephone calls and other related skits. The duo was founded in 1989 by childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed. After Ahme ...
.


''Gay Comix #9''

''Gay Comix #9'' was a special issue of the collected cartoons of Jerry Mills, titled Poppers. It was published in Winter 1986 by Bob Ross and edited by Robert Triptow. It had a cover price of $2.


''Gay Comix #10''

''Gay Comix #10'' was published in Spring 1987 by Bob Ross and edited by Robert Triptow. The cover illustration was done by Peter Keane. Issue #10 had a cover price of $2. Comics in this issue included: * "A Donelan Look at Women" by Donelan * "Satyr" by Burton Clarke * "I Know You Are But What am I?" by Robert Triptow * "Castro" by Bruce Billings * "Jayson Dykes It Out" by J.A. Krell * "The Gay In the Street" by Howard Cruse * "The Crush" by Alison Bechdel * "Leonard and Larry" by Tim Barela * "Mindy and Millie" by Roberta Gregory * "A Donelan Look at Men" * "Swishy Fishy Fashion Cutout" by Michael J. Goldberg Comics in this issue covered topics like the agony of a crush in ‘The Crush,’ and monogamy in Leonard and Larry.


''Gay Comix #11''

''Gay Comix #11'' was published in Winter 1987 by Bob Ross and edited by Robert Triptow. It had a cover price of $2. Comics included in this issue were: * "Second Chance?" by Howard Stangroom and Stephen Lowther * "Mid Dyke Crisis" by
Leslie Ewing Leslie Ewing (born 1949) is an American cartoonist, activist, and breast cancer survivor. Her comics highlight feminist and lesbian themes and her cartoons have been featured in prominent queer comics, including Gay Comix, Strip AIDS, and Wimmen' ...
* "Wee Wee’s Gayhouse" by Robert Triptow and Michael J. Goldberg * "Let’s Get Visible" by Roberta Gregory * "Jayson’s New Neighbor" by J.A. Krell * "Fruitboy" by Robert Triptow * "Lavendar Booties" by
Angela Bocage Angela Bocage (b. 1959)
Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2022.
is a J.A. Krell * "Future Shock Part 1" by Roberta Gregory * "Romance in the Age of AIDS" by Leslie Ewing * "Castroids" by Robert Triptow * "The Sparkle Spinsters: In the Ghetto" by Kurt Erichsen * "The All Unkind" by Michael J. Goldberg * "Harry and Ken" by Howard Stangroom and Stephen Lowther This issue covered topics such as illegal love under oppressive governments in ‘Future Shock,’ and lesbian safe sex in the face of AIDS in ‘Romance in the Age of AIDS.’


''Gay Comix #13''

''Gay Comix #13'' was published in Summer 1988 by Bob Ross and edited by Robert Triptow. It had a cover price of $2.50. The cover illustration was by Michael Goldberg. It had the tagline ‘Torrid Tales of Politically Incorrect Love.’ Comics included in this issue were: * "Our Love Was Too Cosmic" by Vaughn Frick and Michael J. Goldberg * "Future Shock Part 2" by Roberta Gregory * "Birds of a Feather" by Robert Triptow * "Tea and Sympathy" by Groc * "Acquired Pronoun Deficiency Syndrome" by Michael J. Goldberg * "My Boss" by Blue * "Stonewall Riots" by
Andrea Natalie Andrea Natalie (born 1958) is an American cartoonist. She is the creator of the ''Stonewall Riots'' collections and founded the Lesbian Cartoonists' Network. Biography Andrea Natalie spent her childhood in Arizona and moved to New York to atten ...
*"Bocage's Boys of the Bioregions," Conceptual Porn Series, Presents: Mission Accomplished by Angela Bocage This issue covered topics such as homophobic bosses in ‘My Boss,’ and pronouns in ‘Acquired Pronoun Deficiency Syndrome.’


''Gay Comix #14''

''Gay Comix #14'' was published in Winter 1991 by Bob Ross. It was the first to be edited by Andy Mangels. As of issue 14, ''Gay Comix'' was to be moved to a regular quarterly publishing schedule, as opposed to the yearly and sporadic schedule it had kept up until that point. This was also the last issue to be titled ''Gay Comix''; later issues were spelled ''Gay Comics.'' Mangels changed the title to ''Gay Comics'' in part to divest it of the "
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...
" implications of "comix". ''Gay Comix #14'' had a cover price of $2.50. The cover was designed by
Roberta Gregory Roberta Gregory (born May 7, 1953)
at the

Special issues

In addition to the regular issues, there were special issues, the first devoted to Leonard and Larry, a strip by Tim Barela. In his review of the special for The Comics Journal, Ray Mescallado called Leonard & Larry “consistently the high point of ''Gay Comix'' whenever it appeared,” and noted that Leonard & Larry “proposes something even more radical than an openly gay superhero: plausible gay characters in ordinary situations.” He finished his review saying that “''Gay Comix Special 1'' could well be the feel good comic of the year.” The second special issue was devoted to the work of Alison Bechdel.


Reception

In a review of ''Gay Comix #1'', Bill Sherman called the anthology “a beacon to any artist that needs one,” saying that “''Gay Comix'' does for gay cartoonists of both sexes what ''Wimmen’s Comix'' did for femme comix artists: opens the territory for incoming artists.”Sherman, Bill. “Coming Out and Going Out.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 62,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1981. 92. ''Gay Comix #3'' contained letters from readers. Not all letters were positive. One reader, Jim Clair, commented about issues one and two: “I am gay and proud, and really found the first two issues a ‘downer’ to gay life. I found no laughter, and was in fact depressed by a few of the stories. Gay life, even in big cities, is hard enough without having to be reminded of it in a magaine
icthat presents itself as a hopefully lighthearted view of our wonderful life.” In his review of the first three issues of ''Gay Comix,'' Ted White noted that while not every comic addition to the anthology was stellar, editing an anthology that was to cater to an entire category of people was no easy task, and that Cruse’s effort shone through. White also allowed that since those who submitted to ''Gay Comix'' would be presumed gay or bisexual, Cruse had a smaller than average pool or comic artists to draw from. White summed up his review by saying that Cruse “must deal with more obstacles than usual, and for that reason his achievements thus far in ''Gay Comix'' deserve to be applauded.”


Historical significance

''Gay Comix'' was “one of the first undergrounds to look at life from a gay and lesbian perspective.” It aimed to and succeeded in showing gay and lesbian people in as normal a light as anyone else. According to Cruse, “we wanted to reflect the feelings real people have. Gay people have been presented stereotypically so much you’d never know that we’re perfectly normal people.” Also historically significant is that Alison Bechdel, one of the most well-known lesbian comic artists alive saw ''Gay Comix'' as an inspiration for her own work. In the Comics Journal No. 282, Bechdel says: "I got out of college in 1981 and went into a gay and lesbian bookstore one day and found an issue of ''Gay Comix''- I think it was the first one, that Howard Cruse had edited- and that was pretty mindblowing. It hadn't occurred to me at that point to put together my penchant for silly drawings with my personal life and my political interest in gay and lesbian issues, but there were these people who were doing it: Howard Cruse and Roberta Gregory and all those early ''Gay Comix'' artists...I'm very grateful to them for all that groundbreaking work.Emmert, Lynn. “Life Drawing” ''The Comics Journal, No. 282.'' Edited by Gary Goth. Fantagraphics Books. 2007. 36-54.


See also

* ''
Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other ...
'' * '' Meatmen''


Notes


References

* * Emmert, Lynn. “Life Drawing” ''The Comics Journal, No. 282.'' Edited by Gary Goth. Fantagraphics Books. 2007. 36-54. * Mescallado, Ray. “From Sincerity to Sitcom.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 151,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1992. 30-32. * Ringgenberg, Steve. “Sexual Politics and Comic Art: An Interview with Howard Cruse.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 111,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1986. 64-96. * Schreiner, Dave. “Coming out and Falling Out.” ''Kitchen Sink Press: The First 25 Years.'' Kitchen Sink Press, 1994. 53. * Sherman, Bill. “Coming Out and Going Out.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 62,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1981. 92-94. * White, Ted. “It All Boils Down to the Editor.” ''The Comics Journal, No. 83,'' edited by Gary Groth. Fantagraphics Books, 1983. 31-45. {{Underground comix works Comics magazines published in the United States LGBT-related comics 1980 comics debuts 1998 comics endings Underground comix