As astrological doohickeys go, the nova is one of the most misunderstood. Most laypeople think that "nova" is the term used when a star explodes, but that's a supernova. The nova occurs when a white dwarf star sucks hydrogen from a no-doubt-delighted companion star and makes with all these cool special effects, like lots and lots of wood burning. A nova isn't so much an event as it is a process. And in that way, a nova is a lot like coming out. Many of our well-meaning, breederly brothers and sisters think coming out is a one-time event--like standing up in the middle of Grandma Mildred's 90th birthday and announcing, "I'm a homo; please pass the yams"--but, as we close in on National Coming Out Day, it's a good time to remind them coming out is much more than that. It's nothing less than a fusing of the public and private selves. Of course, there's coming out's opposite to consider: the problem with not coming out, with living in the gender identity closet, is that you have  [Continue reading...]

If I were to ask people to name me a book that deals with people who are misfits and outcasts of society where a guy in a wheelchair leads a team of individuals with bizarre and terrifying powers, I’m pretty sure that the first answer that comes to mind will be the X-Men, a book about mutants who are persecuted by a public that fears and hates them for being different. However, the X-Men do not have a monopoly on persecution and being led by an oftentimes tyrant in a wheelchair for that also can describe the Doom Patrol, a team of misfits who protect a world that fears and hates them because they’re different. When thinking of the Doom Patrol, many readers probably think of one of two incarnations, the original more traditional Doom Patrol made up of Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl and the Chief, Niles Caulder, or they think of the Doom Patrol as re-imagined by Grant Morrison with new eccentric members like Dorothy Spinner, the monkey faced girl who could bring her  [Continue reading...]

Paste-Pot Pete! Comics fans today still snicker at the mere mention of the name. Although he actually had at least as much success in his life of crime as most other four-color baddies, he appears doomed to always be the laughingstock of the Marvel Universe, both for his name (which he later changed to “The Trapster”--not really much of an improvement, if you ask me) and his original “flamboyant” wardrobe. His unusual sense of style, coupled with the strange, longtime companionship he later formed with fellow also-ran nogoodnik, The Wizard, has even led many to hint that unusual costumes weren’t the only things he kept in the closet. And, truth to tell, could he look any queerer? Here we have a villain, running around dressed in a bizarre outfit consisting of a camouflage jump suit, Little Lord Fauntleroy collar and tie, combat boots, and an extravagantly over-sized purple beret, who delights in spraying other men with long looping streams of white, sticky fluid. You  [Continue reading...]

Ten years ago, I went through what has probably been the darkest stage of my life so far. Never before had I felt so lost, and never before had I truly hated myself so deeply. I was in the midst of an incredibly painful breakup with a man who himself was drowning in the abyss of despair, and there was nothing I could say or do to pull him out. We only dated for a few months, but what made it so difficult was that he and I had forged such a strong connection from the moment we met that it really did feel like eternal love at first sight. Little did I know that the man I was so sure I’d spend the rest of my life with would turn out to be an impeccable master of manipulation. Everything he promised to me came with a hidden escape clause, and I, being naïve enough to take people at face value, bought into every last one of his sweet nothings. It took me a very long time to stop denying there was nothing sweet about them at all. This man and I stumbled upon each other through an  [Continue reading...]

Myth is an independent comic by Sean-Z that is clearly for adults only (the nudity on the very first page is a give-away). It has a blend of several genres - sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and soap opera - all blended into one story. It’s hard to describe the plot of the book without giving away the story, but basically, this is a tale about an alien lord named V’Riel whose mission is to locate the lost children of Zithyra, his home planet. He soon locates three possible candidates in Southern California, but before he’s able to round up the first of the candidates, he has to deal with an antagonist he already knows well. From a writing standpoint, Myth has potential. The story is unique and original and unlike anything I’ve read before. Plus, there’s plenty of intrigue and mystery to make the reader wonder what’s happening. The characters are well fleshed-out, and their reactions to the situations that they face make them easy to relate to. At  [Continue reading...]

Hey, look! I’m reviewing a Hawkman book! And not just any Hawkman book, a special Hawkman book! What could go wrong? After all, it’s Hawkman! A classic character, a striking visual design, and furry pecs in a leather harness. I love this guy! And look at that A-list talent working on the book! Starlin and Milgrom are old pros. Finally, I’m going to be reviewing a book that I can’t lick down to worthless stump with my acid tongue! Hooray! So let’s dive right in and look at the plot. (Spoiler alert!) OK, so the plot is that a dispassionate divine being tells Hawkman that his origin story is a falsehood and ... well, actually, that’s it. It’s not really a plot so much as it is a revelation. I read twenty-nine pages, and I got no plot, just a revelation that could have been handled in a panel or two. Come to think of it, not only didn’t this comic have a plot, because it invalidated the earlier Hawkman origin stories, this comic negated those earlier plots, which  [Continue reading...]

Reignbow & Dee-Va was born from a dream. Brian Andersen dared to dream of an action movie with a gay leading man. A really gay leading man. However, Andersen does not disappoint with his slam-bang storytelling or his action hero’s gayness. Add a dash of just the right amount of camp, and you’re still just scratching the surface of Reignbow & Dee-Va #1. The story starts out very nonchalantly with Reignbow and his best gal pal, Dee-Va – who’s a cross between Foxy Brown and one of the Spice Girls – seemingly out for a night on the town. Throw in a few dozen vampires, martial arts moves that would put Jackie Chan to shame, an exploding tasteless bauble and the sure-to-never-be-forgotten eye lashes of doom and you’re starting to get the picture. Oh, and then there’s that Treasure they’re hunting for. Hmmmm…yummy…delicious, half-naked, bound-and-gagged AGENT Treasure. Need I say more? Reignbow and Dee-Va is pure fun from beginning to end.  [Continue reading...]

In 1993, Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo slowly unraveled the tale of the Enigma. In a highly acclaimed comic book from Vertigo, a four color mystery wrapped in a riddle, the creators tackled a several taboos in this landmark series, including homosexuality. The premise is complicated (considering the title is Enigma, it should be expected). When a serial killer strikes Pacific City, Michael Smith, a mild-mannered phone company installer becomes embroiled in the drama. The serial killer is patterned after a fictional character in a comic book, reviving the ancient theatrical ploy of “a play within a play” in the four color medium as a “comic book within a comic book” (Apparently you can’t build a better mousetrap, but you can revitalize said chestnut in a different medium). Michael believes he is entangled in the mystery. The phone man proposes that a childhood fascination with his favorite hero, Enigma, is at the source of the strange crisis that has gripped  [Continue reading...]