Posted in: Comics | Tagged: action comics, Comics, dc, gardner fox, gay, kiss, lesbian, magician

And Finally… Okay, So This Must Be The First Mainstream Gay Kiss In Comics…

Right then. Can anyone beat this?

From Zatara The Magician by Gardner Fox and Fred Guardineer, in Action Comics #12 from 1939, courtesy of Comic Book Tit Bits…

Zatara, as some may mention, was essentially of the ilk of Mandrake the Magician.  Wearing a top hat and tuxedo he would perform various astounding feats, aided by his manservant, Tong.  In this tale, Zatara journeys to the Fourth Dimension (thanks to a device created by a scientist friend of his) and encounters a planet at war.  There are two factions involved in a bitter struggle (seriously, one panel shows bodies disintegrating to bone under ray blasts).  The King of Thrule compels Zatara to steal the sacred Necklace of Baya from their enemies, which would end the war, and Zatara agrees ("to think, my hands could end this bloodshed!").  As he steals the necklace, he also convinces the Queen of this realm, Mulano, that war is a folly and it should be stopped.  She agrees (but only after Zatara threatens to steal her beauty away – ah, vanity), and joins Zatara on a trip to Thrule to sign a peace treaty.  There's only one snag à the King of Thrule has died!  Ah well, at least Thrule now has a Queen as well, Duoro.  Zatara hits on an idea and approaches the Queens with it – why not unite the two kingdoms, and rule together, on a shared throne.

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