Posted in: Comics | Tagged: andrew wheeler, jlq, justice league queer, pride

Justice League Queer And DC Pride – The Ball Was Dropped?

DC Comics Editor Andrea Shea, an editor of - amongst many things - the DC Pride book has been doing a little media of late, as Pride Month hits.

Published Sat, 01 Jul 2023 10:57:10 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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DC Comics Editor Andrea Shea, an editor of – amongst many things – the DC Pride book has been doing a little media of late, as Pride Month hits. I am writing this from Blacks on Dean Street which is just round the corner from London's Old Compton Street, with London Pride kicking off, and so is pretty much as Pride Central as it can be right now. Andrea Shea told the Warner Brothers Careers Page, who are spotlighting her.

She talked about learning of the history of queer characters at DC Comics. "I found it particularly revelatory, especially the parts about how all comics, regardless of publisher, once had to adhere to the guidelines set out by the Comics Code Authority until DC chose to break away from their draconian influence in the 80s. I learned about Metropolis police officer Maggie Sawyer, adversary and eventually friend of Superman, who was queer with intention and care before we were ever allowed to use the word "lesbian" in a comic. I recently even learned that there was some fear of public reaction when that comic was published, but we are all better for that first shout of our existence, of the importance of our stories, and everything that's come from it since."

Andrea also states "Once June is over, I spend a lot of my time outside my standard workload coordinating with other editors across the DCU to ensure characters and talent we feature in the anthology don't get lost in our vast shared universe throughout the year. Sometimes that means encouraging or arranging subplots and backup stories in our biggest books, like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman" before concluding "my goal is to make the spirit of DC Pride so ubiquitous throughout the rest of the year that the celebration every June doesn't feel like water in a desert, but just another drop in an ocean of incredible queer stories, characters and talent we work with year-round."

I do know someone who might concur with her, but feels let down. Graphic novelist and old friend Andrew Wheeler who wrote the JLQ strips that were first part of a failed DC Round Robin in 2021 (beaten by the now cancelled Robins series), then appeared in the Tis The Season To Be Freezing anthology, and appeared in DC Pride 2021. Looking at his new graphic novel from Oni Press, we quoted his own experience writing queer-ficused comcis for DC, specifically Justice League Queer,

So, yes, we're going to do it again, the team consisting of consisting of Aqualad, Syl, Extrano, The The Ray, Bunker, Crush, Midnighter, Apollo, Batwoman, Tasmanian Devil, Natasha Irons – Steel, Ystin the Shining Knight, Traci-Thirteen, Aerie, and Wink. Andrew Wheeler recalled "DC editorial pushed me to pitch JLQ and then blackballed me when they decided JLQ was bad publicity. They call it pride. I call it exploitation. Extrano. Midnighter and Apollo. Batwoman. DC has a long list of queer milestones that it was embarrassed to acknowledge in their own time. Throw JLQ on the pile. What does "DC Pride" mean, exactly? They never tell you you're out, because they think the vague hope that they might still call you will keep you from speaking out. And they're right, usually. And it's that hope that breaks you down. I know, I'm burning bridges, but my secret gift is that there is nothing holding me here, so there's nothing anyone can do anymore. I have no parents, no kids, no dog. I can roll over and die any time I want to, and there have been many times since DC Pride that I've wanted to. Here's my manifesto: If you're a major publisher and you're putting out a "diversity anthology", those creators should reasonably be able to expect that you are committed to working with them. Otherwise, what is the point? If you can't put a "diversity" book together with creators you're actually working with; you're not actually supporting creators of that identity, you're exploiting them."