Here are comics and graphic novels either by LGBTQ writers and artists or with LGBTQ characters and themes for April 2017. In light of the American election results you, like many queer nerds, may want more than ever to support fellow queer writers and artists. That’s what you’ll find here based on looking through the monthly Previews catalog. As much as we try, sometimes a book, series, or creator is overlooked. Send us a message if that’s the case or to let us know about your work that doesn’t appear in Previews.
This time around you’ll find comics and graphic novels from Jughead Jones to Josephine Baker! Several of the much loved by Swedes Moomin books are featured by Drawn & Quarterly again. It seems fitting in light of the recent tragic Sweden incident to have Moomin as a reminder of the Swedish spirit. </snark> Moomin is a really fun and touching series to read though and while the characters aren’t queer, Tove Jansson was lesbian. Sarah Graley’s Kim Reaper published by Oni is this month’s feature image up top!
People’s names listed in bold are either LGBT+ or supportive. You’ll see Diamond order codes listed when they appear in Previews. Not all publishers include them in solicitations. Thanks where thanks is due – Andy Mangels because this was his idea and to Mike McDermott and Steven Leitman for their suggestions and input about several series that have been added to the list!
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ABSTRACT STUDIOS
MOTOR GIRL #5 $3.99 Page 254
Terry Moore
UFOs are crash landing all around town! Searching the junkyard, Sam finds Mr. Walden’s neutron weapon with nine eyes aimed at the skies. What will our favorite mechanic and her gorilla pal do about it? Find out in this action-packed issue of Motor Girl! Don’t miss a single issue of this fun, heartfelt story. (STL038478)
AFTERSHOCK
ANIMOSITY #7 $3.99 Page 264
Marguerite Bennett and Rafael De Latorre
As Jesse and Sandor embark on their American road trip, their faith in life, death — and each other — is tested at last.
JACKPOT! #5 $3.99 Page 266
Ray Fawkes and Georges Duarte
This is it! The secret history of the world! The end of an era! Bloodshed and backstabbing! And the ascension of a new God. Everything’s going to turn out for the best, right? It’s Ocean’s 11 and the Matrix rolled together into one tasty comic package called Jackpot! (JUL161176)
ARCHIE
ARCHIE #19 $3.99 Page 284
Mark Waid and Pete Woods
With Veronica Lodge back in town, everyone’s vying for her hand, from Archie to Toni to Reggie Mantle! Romance runs deep in Riverdale this issue! (STL039320) [Kevin Keller is in the cast.]
ARCHIE TP Vol 3 $19.99 Page 284
Mark Waid and Joe Eisma
Introducing Cheryl Blossom! The fiery red-head takes center stage as Archie and Veronica’s worlds are torn apart as the two are living thousands of miles away from each other. What will happen to the rest of Archie’s friends in Riverdale? And just what kind of havoc will Cheryl Blossom wreak? All the answers and more in the third volume of the smash-hit Archie series! Collects Archie #13-17. (STL039340)
JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #6 $3.99 Page 292
Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio
With the Pussycats arrested for plagiarism, Alexander Cabot is determined to put the band on trial! The girls are shipped to the Cabot family’s sovereign patch of Antarctica, where the Cabots’ word is law! How will the girls get out of this one? (Spoilers: Probably friendship.) (STL039328)
J
UGHEAD #14 $3.99 Page 286
Ryan North and Derek Charm
When Juggie’s ruined everyone’s lives (but by accident, obviously) and also drawn the entire Internet’s attention to Riverdale, can he fix it? And how can a man who only wants to eat burgers in peace have caused such problems? All these questions and more are answered in this issue! (STL039331)
RIVERDALE #1 $3.99 Page 294
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Alitha Martinez
From Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and the writers of the new CW series Riverdale comes the first issue of the must-read, brand new, ongoing comic series! Set in the universe of the TV series, the Riverdale comic offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, Josie & the Pussycats, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. Features interior art by up-and-coming artist Alitha Martinez. (STL032621) [This is the 2nd or 3rd time in a row that this comic has been solicited. No idea what’s going on here.]
ROAD TO RIVERDALE TP Vol 2 $14.99 Page 287
Mark Waid & Various, Fiona Staples, and various
Read the stories that inspired the new CW television series! Road to Riverdale Volume 2 presents to readers all of the second issues of each of our new series so far, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats, and Reggie & Me, timed to the release of the brand new CW series Riverdale. (STIL039378)
BLACK MASK
THE FOREVERS #4 $3.99 Page 298
Curt Pires and Eric Pfeiffer
The killer revealed. Chaos erupts.
QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO #3 $3.99 Page 298
Magdalene Visaggio and Eryk Donovan
It’s getting real in the explosive third act of Visaggio and Donovan’s punk science adventure. After their time machine is sabotaged by the mysterious figures they’ve been seeing everywhere, Nat & Sumesh turn to the geniuses of Odyssey to help them fix it. This might be the worst decision they could possibly have made-psyche into oblivion!!
THERE’S NOTHING THERE #1 $3.99 Page 298
Patrick Kindlon and Maria Llovet
Celebrity-socialite Reno Selleti doesn’t believe in very much beyond Instagram comments, hipster drugs, and the flash of paparazzi cameras, so when a friend invites her to an Eyes Wide Shut-type party she goes along mostly for the lulz. But the joke doesn’t feel as funny when she realizes it’s an actual occult ritual, and suddenly she’s seeing things… Horrifying apparitions trying to warn her. “Run.” Like Darren Aronofsky remaking Drag Me To Hell, There’s Nothing There is a stylish & hallucinatory thriller about losing yourself in the bright lights and finding yourself at rock bottom. By your new favorite artist Maria Llovet and Patrick Kindlon. [The 7 page preview in Quantum Teens Are Go! #1 includes panels of two women seducing each other and leading up to having sex.]
BOOM
ADVENTURE TIME #63 $3.99 Page 315
Mariko Tamaki and Ian McGinty
The Princess competition continues with everyone trying to do their best despite the prankster trying to ruin their fun.
COADY AND THE CREEPIES #2 $3.99 Page 313
Liz Prince and Amanda Kirk
Coady and the Creepies make their way into the punk underground that’s literally populated by demon punks!
GOLDIE VANCE #11 $3.99 Page 313
Hope Larson, Jackie Bell, and Noah Haynes
On the hunt for Sugar’s saboteur, Goldie has a new suspect in mind: Sugar’s older sister, Red!
JONESY #12 $3.99 Page 312
Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle
Jonesy lets her powers get the better of her and now she has to deal with a nightmare pair of star-crossed lovers! Final issue.
JOYRIDE #12 $3.99 Page 312
Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To
The triumvirate’s greatest fears become reality as alien life forms arrive on Earth, and Uma, Catrin, and Dewydd must save mankind’s present to reimagine its future. Final issue.
LUMBERJANES #37 $3.99 Page 324
Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, and Ayme Sotuyo
A new story line kicks off Year 4 of Lumberjanes, perfect for new readers to jump on! Everyone at camp is super excited about the best day of the summer-Parents’ Day, when they get to show their folks what they’ve been up to! Molly seems really worried, though, and even her friends are unsure of how to cheer her up.
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #14 $3.99 Page 309
Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetyo
As our heroes fight to reclaim the Command Center, Tommy and Billy work with the resistance to defend against Lord Drakkon and his Mastodon Sentries.
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS TP Vol 3 $16.99 Page 309
Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetyo, and various
The first new Mighty Morphin Power Ranger in 23 years makes his debut in the comic book epic that had the world asking: Who is this mysterious new Power Ranger? From 
writer Kyle Higgins and artists Hendry Prasetya and Jonathan Lam ( comes the shocking revelations that will rock the Power Rangers to their core! This collection also includes new stories from the “Adventures of Bulk and Skull” by Steve Orlando and Corin Howell. Collects issues #9-12.
SLAM #5 $3.99 Page 313
Pamela Ribon and Veronica Fish
Now that their first real bout is over, Can-Can and Knockout find themselves on the same side… against a developer who wants to tear down the league’s space!
STEVEN UNIVERSE #3 $3.99 Page 314
Melanie Gilman and Katy Farina
When Steven and Connie fuse into Stevonnie to sneak into a PG-13 film, they run into Kiki and agree to take her to the prom!
THE WOODS #31 $3.99 Page 312
James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas
The final war erupts as the forces of good and evil on the alien moon collide, with the students’ path back to Earth hanging in the balance.
D.E.
RED SONJA #4 $3.99 Page 347
Amy Chu and Carlos Gomez
Deep in the heart of New York City, it’s a showdown between Sonja and the megalomaniac Kulan Gath and his rabid followers. When Max’s secret past is revealed, Sonja must decide between pursuing her revenge and the fate of her new friend.
SOVEREIGNS #0 $1.00 Page 331
Ray Fawkes, Johnny Desjardins, and various
The beginning of an epic tale that will change everything you know about some of comicdom’s greatest and longest-tenured heroes! Solar, Magnus, Dr. Spektor & Turok! Apart, they’ve saved countless lives a hundred times over. Together, they form a team that has protected the world in the past, present and future. Now, they will be reunited one last time to face a threat that will forever change their legacy and bring them face to face with their final destiny! Plus! Three backup features introducing the all-new, all-different, never-before-seen heroes, Magnus, Turok and Dr. Spektor. Wait — what?!
WONDER WOMAN ’77 MEETS THE BIONIC WOMAN #5 $3.99 Page 348
Andy Mangels and Judit Tondora
Bullets & Bracelets & Bionics! If it’s always darkest before the dawn, Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman — along with some familiar faces — had better pray that the dawn comes soon. Because from where the story continues, things look awfully dire. The evil cabal of villains have sprung their trap, and have staged a monumental assault, and one major character is already badly hurt. Our heroines will soon find that nothing is unbreakable!
DRAWN & QUARTERLY
BERLIN #20 $5.95 Page 356
Jason Lutes
With its twentieth issue, one of the biggest graphic novel events of the early 21st-century is fast-approaching-the completion of Jason Lutes’ epic Berlin series. Here, the inevitable antagonist of the tale of pre-WWII Germany begins to take center stage. Marthe and Kurt find their way back to each other-he, from the bottom of the bottle and she, from a one-sided relationship. Fascism creeps into every corner of society, but some can see it better than others. (STL039478)
MOOMIN & GOLDEN TAIL GN $9.95 Page 357
Tove Jansson
Another classic Moomin story reworked in full color, with a kid-proof but kid-friendly size, price, and format. One day Moomin notices that his tail seems to be thinning. Worried that Snorkmaiden will no longer love him if his tail goes bald, he consults the family doctor and several tail specialists, and even gets an X-ray. Nothing helps! Finally Moominmamma cooks up a magic potion, and it works like a charm, but now Moomin’s lustrous new tail is, well, solid gold!
MOOMIN AND FAMILY LIFE GN $9.95 Page 357
Tove Jansson
After losing both his fortune and his girlfriend, Moomin has hit rock bottom. Luckily, in his darkest moment, he stumbles across the beloved family he lost as a child — Moominmamma and Moominpappa — and together, the Moomins embark on their first adventure. Moominmamma struggles to balance her husband’s desire for danger with her own homebody sensibilities, while Moomin fears his new parents will eventually tire of him. A poignant story of love and reunion unwinds in this classic Moomin caper from Tove Jansson.
MOOMIN COMPLETE TOVE JANSSON COMIC STRIP HC Vol 1 $19.95 Page 357
Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson is revered around the world as one of the foremost children’s authors of the twentieth century for her illustrated chapter books regarding the magical worlds of her creation, the Moomins. The Moomins saw life in many forms but debuted to its biggest audience ever on the pages of the world’s largest newspaper, the London Evening News, in 1954. The strip was syndicated in newspapers around the world with millions of readers in forty countries. This is the first time the strip has been published in any form in North America and has deservedly placed Jansson among the international cartooning greats of the last century.
EUREKA PRODUCTIONS
GRAPHIC CLASSICS: AFRICAN AMERICAN CLASSICS GN Vol 22 $17.95 Page 360
Langston Hughes, Afua Richardson, and various
African-American Classics presents 23 stories and poems by America’s earliest black authors, illustrated by contemporary black artists, including Florence Lewis Bentley’s “Two Americans,” adapted by Alex Simmons and Trevor Von Eeden; NAACP founder W.E.B. Du Bois’ “On Being Crazy,” by Kyle Baker; Langston Hughes’ “The Negro,” by Stan Shaw and Afua Richardson; Zora Neale Hurston’s short play “Filling Station” by Arie Monroe and Milton Knight, and many more.
IMPROPER BOOKS
KNIGHT & DRAGON $14.99 Page 376
Matt Gibbs and Bevis Musson
Knight & Dragon playfully subverts the story of a heroic Knight defeating a ferocious Dragon to rescue the fair Maiden, by offering variant paths and multiple outcomes to the classic fairy tale adventure. Inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure series, Knight & Dragon is suitable for children and adults of all ages.
NBM
A HOME FOR MR EASTER GN $13.99 Page 393
Brooke A. Allen
Brooke (Lumberjanes) Allen’s first awesome graphic novel! Tesana has never really fit into anything before but her daydreams. But when making an attempt to connect to her peers by joining in a pep rally planning committee she suddenly discovers a little white rabbit that lays brightly colored eggs. Realizing that she may have found the real life Easter Bunny, Tesana embarks on an epic quest in an effort to get him back to his natural habitat and into safe hands. But her fanciful journey gains more and more undesired attention until the quest becomes an increasingly madcap race to stay ahead of greedy pursuers and find a safe place for her new friend — wherever that place may be!
ONI PRESS
KIM REAPER #1 $3.99 Page 394
Sarah Graley
Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim’s job is pretty dang cool: she’s a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife. Like most university students, Becka has a super intense unrequited crush. UNLIKE most university students, Becka’s crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn’t know that. Unaware of the ghoulish drama she’s about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it… and maybe even get a kiss in the bargain.
SELFMADE HERO
JOSEPHINE BAKER $22.95 Page 405
Jose-Luis Bocquet and Catel Muller
Paris, 1925. Over the course of a single evening, the Mississippi-born dancer Josephine Baker becomes the darling of the Roaring Twenties. Some audience members in the Theatre des Champs-Elysees are scandalised by the African American’s performance in La Revue Negre, but the city’s discerning cultural figures, among them Picasso and Cocteau, are enchanted by her exotic, bold and uninhibited style. When her adopted country grants her citizenship in 1939, Josephine sees her fame as a means of helping the French resistance. She takes advantage of her globe-trotting lifestyle to pass on messages and to gather information. Years later, she is awarded the Legion d’honneur by Charles de Gaulle. In the 1950s, installed in a palatial 15th century chateau, Josephine adopts 12 children from different ethnic backgrounds. Her “Rainbow Tribe,” as she often called them, was a living, breathing symbol of a happy and harmonious multicultural society. In Josephine Baker, Catel and Bocquet paint a glorious portrait of a spirited, principled and thoroughly modern woman, capturing the heady glamour of 1920s Paris in beautifully expressive detail. (STL038552)
SUBLIME
SPIRITUAL POLICE GN Vol 2 $12.99 Page 409
Youka Nitta
Because he knew the two of them were in love, Nagatsuma makes the hard decision to break up with-to betray-Aoi. Now burdened with a painful wound no one can see, Nagatsuma is assigned to Section Zero, a division of the police force tasked with handling investigations of a paranormal nature. However, the young man sent to collaborate with them knows of Nagatsuma’s relationship with Aoi. Will he keep this information to himself or use it to his advantage?
WORLDS GREATEST FIRST LOVE GN $12.99 Page 409
Shungiku Nakamura
When Ritsu Onodera changes jobs, looking for a fresh start, he’s not exactly thrilled when his new boss turns out to be his old flame. Ritsu’s determined to leave all that in the past-but how can he when his boss is just as determined that they have a future?
TITAN
SHERLOCK: THE BLIND BANKER #4 $4.99 Page 418
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
Manga adaptation of the hit TV show starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
VAULT COMICS
HEATHENS #3 $3.99 Page 450
Natasha Alterici
Things haven’t quite gone as Aydis planned. She’s been kidnapped. By the goddess Freya. And she’s trapped in the impenetrable stronghold of the Valkyries. Escape seems impossible. It’s hard enough just resisting Freya’s spell. Roles now reversed, Brynhild plans a rescue, with help from Saga and a very old friend. (STL038955)