Jon Erik Christianson
Dear Friends and Deer Friends in Keezy Young’s ‘Yellow Hearts’ [Webcomic Q&A]
As part of a new series of interviews with webcomic creators, ComicsAlliance talked with artist Keezy Young about her webcomic Yellow Hearts, a story where children consider making a deal with a demon — over cakes.
She-Dwarf’s Leaving Home in Kyle Latino’s ‘Savage Beard of She Dwarf’ [Webcomic Q&A]
At the vanguard of the comics industry, there are no pre-order books, gatekeepers, and there is for sure no Diamond. Instead, there are webcomics. With their greater reader accessibility and opportunities for creator freedom, webcomics have proven themselves a creative phoenix, surging away from the alienation and familiarity that often dominates the mainstream industry. Thanks to crowdfunding avenues like Kickstarter and Patreon, it's now easier than ever for creators to sustain their passion and soar on their own creative wings.
To kick off a new series of interviews with webcomic creators, ComicsAlliance talked with artist Kyle Latino about his webcomic The Savage Beard of She Dwarf, a story where even the burliest foes can be defeated in a beard wrestling match.
I Want To See A Gay Character On The Justice League: An Interview With Steve Orlando [Flame Con]
Writer Steve Orlando's career has gone from strength to strength thanks to his work on critically acclaimed books such as Midnighter, Undertow, and Virgil. He's now working with some of the most fascinating heroes in the DC universe in his new ongoing Supergirl series and the upcoming Midnighter & Apollo, and he was recently announced as the new writer on Justice League of America. But he continues to balance these books with more personal projects, like the four-issue Boom fantasy miniseries Namesake, about a man hopping worlds to bury his two fathers' remains.
ComicsAlliance sat down with Orlando at Flame Con in Brooklyn last month to talk about queer heroes, the market for marginalized fans, and building bridges between creators and their critics.
On the Nose: Sophie Campbell Talks Bodies and Blaze [Flame Con]
Writer and artist Sophie Campbell became a fan-favorite through her work on creator-owned titles such as Wet Moon and Shadoweyes, and she's continued to grow her audience with amazing art for licensed properties at IDW, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a concept-redefining run on Jem And The Holograms with writer Kelly Thompson. ComicsAlliance sat down with Campbell at Flame Con in Brooklyn last month to talk about body diversity, her design process, and queer talent outreach.
#YesHomo: Phil Jimenez On Feminine Design and Industry Change [Flame Con]
Phil Jimenez is an award-winning creator known for his work at both DC Comics and Marvel on such titles as Wonder Woman, Angela: Asgard's Assassin, New X-Men, The Invisibles, JLA/Titans, and countless more. He's currently working on Superwoman for DC Comics. ComicsAlliance got the chance to sit down with him at the LGBTQ comic convention Flame Con in Brooklyn last month to talk about visual design, industry change, and superheroes as drag queens.
A Queerer World: Blue Delliquanti Dishes On LGBTQ Themes And Insect Cuisine [Flame Con]
Blue Delliquanti's webcomic O Human Star, about queer family drama and resurrection amidst a robot revolution, is now in its fourth year. During that time it has received the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant, and nominations for both the Ignatz and Lambda Literary awards.
Delliquanti recently announced plans for a new graphic novel, Meal, starring a chef on a quest to establish insect cuisine as truly the bee's knees, coming in 2017 from Iron Circus Comics. ComicsAlliance sat down with Delliquanti at Flame Con to talk about queer comics and food shonen.
Bi The Books: James Tynion Pulls Back The Curtain on Erasure and Queer Haircuts [Flame Con]
Brooklyn-based comics convention Flame Con hosted some of the industry's most prominent and prolific creators this year, such as comics writer James Tynion IV. In just over four years, he's written on Batman, Constantine: The Hellblazer, Talon, and several series at Boom Studios. He currently writes Detective Comics, The Woods, and his new queer-inclusive Boom series The Backstagers with Rian Sygh.
In the first of a series of interviews from Flame Con, Comics Alliance got the chance to sit down with Tynion to talk about queer comics, Boom Studios, and... world domination?
Detectives and Drag Races: Should My Kids Be Reading ‘Goldie Vance’? [Kids’ Comics]
Welcome to Crossed Palms Resort, your comfortable and cool (read: air-conditioned) home-away-from-home for your vacation in the Floridian sun. We offer gourmet dining, a private beach, and — what's that? That sound of burning rubber? No, no, don't worry. That's just our resident mischief-maker and meddlesome detective, Goldie Vance.
Best Cosplay Ever (This Week): Flame Con 2016 Edition
This weekend we were at Flame Con in Brooklyn to capture the kaleidoscopic cosplay strutting through the queer comics convention's second exhibition. Highlights include Stevonnie, Wiccan, Jubilee, Stranger Things' Barb, Rufio, multiple Magnetos, and a disgruntled Asgardian coffee shop employee!
Can Supergirl Save Us From Batman’s Fear Of Femininity?
Batman is a straight male power fantasy. His daylight veneer is one of a playboy billionaire. His nighttime identity is that of a sculpted superhero all clad in black. In either take, he is a masculine bulwark against the evil in Gotham — which is why his villains are so often feminine, queer, flamboyant, and robed in bright colors.
Hopefully Supergirl and National City can provide a more inclusive and subversive space for the feminine, the gender nonconforming, the queer. Kara is one of the few superheroes more often portrayed as feminine; she derives her strength equally from her own compassion as she does Earth’s yellow sun.