5 LGBTQ+ comics to read for Pride Month 2022

It’s June once again and what that means is that it’s Pride Month, so that brings up the question, what are some good LGBTQ+ comics to check out during this month?

Arguably, there’s not as many LQBTQ+ focused comics as there should be, especially amongst the Big 2, aka Marvel and DC. However, that is changing and, while slow, the evergrowing representation, especially within Pride Month at DC, that has been steadily becoming more and more present with these comics is a good thing.

What’s listed here though are not only books that are good by simply having representation though, they’re simply good, which makes the representation present even better.

With that in mind, here are five stories you should read this Pride Month.

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star

Written by Jadzia Axelrod, Art by Jess Taylor

This is one of the first books, if not the first book, to be completely headlined by a transgender character and really that’s incredible. Even without that stipulation though, this is a genuinely beautiful book on every level. It’s honestly one of the best graphic novels that’s been released in the past five years. As a straight, cis man, I’m probably not the best person to explain exactly why this book is incredible, but it truly is in every respect.

Every single piece of dialogue has a purpose regarding Taylor, the eponymous Galaxy, struggles as she lives in the body of a human boy despite her being an alien princess. Her journey to figure out who she is is beautiful and brought tears to my eyes several times while reading it. Every line of art brings out the beauty of figuring out who you’re supposed to be. It’s heartbreaking at times, but in the end, it’s beautiful and shows that, despite the pain, being who you really are is worth it in the end.

Sunstone

Written and drawn by Stjepan Sejic

Just to start off with a warning, this is a very sexually explicit series, all very tastefully done though. With that disclaimer out of the way though, this is probably my favorite romance comic ever. It’s a fantastic story of growth and love that captures every single human emotion beautifully. From fear and shame to pain and loss to never-ending love, Sunstone has everything in it.

Starting off with simply being an exploration of BDSM culture, it quickly turns into one of the most joy-inducing, heart-wrenching, and happy tear-creating stories of love featuring LGBTQ+ characters. The main characters, Ally and Lisa, are some of the most well realized characters in comics and the love and pain that they share together, it’s something that everyone (speaking from experience) strives to gain. Beneath the sex, the humor, and the drama is a story of two women finding the love of their life despite the pain along the way.

Heathen

Written and drawn by Natasha Alterici

What happens when you take a lesbian viking who is kicked out of her village and the myth of a trapped valkyrie that can only be released through the power of love? Well, you get a tale of said lesbian viking trying to kill Odin in the name of love, that’s what. Heathen is an exceedingly weird Viking epic that, at it’s core, is a love story.

Seriously, there’s really no reason why a series like Heathen should work. Everything from its art style, which is good but not what you would think of when thinking of a Viking epic, to its often exceedingly weird story, it shouldn’t mesh together and yet, it does in every sense. This series will continuously make you want to turn page after page until you get to the inevitable end… and it will just make you want to read it again. There is no reason Heathen should be as good as it is, and yet, it’s fantastic.

Batwoman: Elegy

Written by Greg Rucka, Art by J.H. Williams III

Beyond being a great story, this was the first solo story for the first out LGBTQ+ member of the Bat-family (that number is now up to two with Tim Drake coming as bisexual). It’s also just a great origin story for the character. Elegy, and if you’ve watched Batwoman you’ve seen parts of this story, truly dives deep into both the characters of Kate Kane as she comes into her own as Batwoman and Red Alice, who is essentially the equivalent of Joker to Batwoman.

This is unabashedly the quintessential LGBTQ+ superhero starter story. It’s wonderfully written, has gorgeous art, and phenomenal characters that you will immediately latch on to. Elegy alone is great, but it then leads into the New 52 Batwoman series that is great… until editorial made a couple of terrible decisions. However, the first twelve issues of that series are great and a perfect companion to Elegy.

Gotham Central

Written by Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker, Art by Various

One combination of stories that people don’t typically expect is a police drama and LGBTQ+ story and yet, that’s exactly what Gotham Central is, mainly focusing around the character of Renee Montoya. This series starts off as a simple, and very, very good, police procedural about a special unit of police within Gotham City. In fact, Batman is barely even in this series, which is one of the best parts about it.

However, as it goes on, one of the main focal points of the series is the fact that Renee Montoya is (spoilers/content warning) is outed as a lesbian by corrupt cops. It’s honestly very rough and, while most of the other books on this list are about triumphs and love, this one is about the pain that comes from being hated simply for being who you are. It’s heartbreaking at times, as it’s supposed to be, and can be a tough read, but in the end, it shows that the evil shown toward Renee won’t win out in the end, despite the pain along the way.