Monstress is an Image Comics series beloved by fans and a wonderful example of how to writer a powerful queer protagonist. In this breathtaking and witty graphic novel, Jake Wyatt and Choo explore the power and limits of wishes in a modern fable rooted in magic and family secrets. When openly asexual Anwar Sardar gets dragged to a kink night by his (soon to be ex) best mate, JD; he is surprised to make friends with Chris Slate, a middle aged transvestite with a penchant for Dr Who. Convinced they’ll never meet again Anwar puts him out of his mind, but the awkwardly charming man keeps turning up in his life.

Two unlikely friends, George and Johnny, hang out and tell bad jokes, go to high school, have sleepovers — and romance.Secondly, she has carved out a powerful queer protagonist in Maika Halfwolf, a stoic and often terrifying main character. This is a delightfully gay story set in a gritty and dark steampunk world. Are You My Mother? focuses more on Bechdel’s relationship with her mother, both while growing up and as an adult. It’s a quieter book in some respects, but it does go into detail about Bechdel’s ongoing mental health struggles and how they are linked to her upbringing. Olivia also does quite a lot of really exciting small-press or self-published adult work, including a series called Darlin’, which is historical fiction, also about werewolves in the American West in the 1800s. That’s a much darker and more violent type of story, because it’s an adult storytelling. It touches on a number of complicated issues around American history and colonization, and ecological destruction, and things like that, but done with just breathtaking visual chops, character work, and narrative storytelling ability. Harry is a gay trans man, Russell is gay cis man, and With Great Abandon is a queer romance set over the course of a year in London. It’s the story of their differences, their similarities, and their relationship. A hopeful and kind story. Also food.

You’ve already talked to Tillie, but one of the other books I was going to recommend before I saw the other recommendations — I’ll still recommend it! On a Sunbeam is gorgeous! I love Tillie Walden’s work. Spinning is another book of hers that I really, really enjoyed. I just have an incredible love for the way she populates fantastical and science fiction universes. On a Sunbeam has this really lovely combination of being an exploration of relationships between young people, in ways that could be described as slice of life, but the setting is done in a way that really takes you to a different place. I love that about her work. It’s pretty accessible — it’s a webcomic that’s been collected into a full volume. Linette Moore, The Prisoner of Shiverstone

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Lumberjanesbegan as a celebration of female strength and friendship. It’s a corny, cheeky, cheerful comic book series that pops with colour and goofy humour. A campy, raucous ride for all ages. An ancient empire awakens, bent on reclaiming the world they once dominated. A small group of people, drawn together by a common cause, are determined to stop them. However, they face more than threats from the outside…. A queer, high fantasy comic (with a dash of sci fi). A lighthearted look at life, live and sports through the eyes of Casey Wilkes, a young gay man in his late 20’s, living in New York City. An action-adventure modern fantasy story with an entire cast of queer characters, starring a gay trans girl and her weird friends!

Guardians is somewhat of a double threat, with Ewing establishing team members Marvel Boy and Hercules as dating, featuring married lesbian couple Phylla-Vell and Moondragon, and recently revealing team leader Star-Lord as bisexual. It’s easily one of Marvel’s best titles for LGBTQ+ representation, and it seems set to continue to be so with the recent announcement that Hulkling and Wiccan will be joining the team with the April 2021 release of #13. Our main protagonist, Mia, is part of a crew that rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures throughout space, piecing the past together. From queer memoirs to gay romances to action series’ with queer protagonists, here is a deep and varied list of some of the best queer graphic novels available right now. On a Sunbeam by Tillie WaldenA webcomic about being LGBT nerds, girl nerds, nerds of color, disabled nerds, and other kinds of nerds that don’t get as much love. This is a webcomic about being a nerd who’s constantly facing down sexism, racism, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, classism, ableism, fat-hate, and other prejudices and -isms from their nerdery of choice. The story of Acácio do Nascimento, a man who was subjected to several treatments looking for a supposed cure for his homosexuality. Prentice is out of his element as an ex-soldier among thieves, but looking for that place to belong is worth the frustration. But a chance meeting in the forest leads Prentice to a cell in the city’s massive network of thieves! Jas is fed up with living on earth and makes a deal with a stranded alien to get off the planet and into the galaxy on an adventure. But she learns that space travel and adventuring is not like what’s in her favourite sci-fi stories.