Generation Hope

One of the most notable things about queer characters in comics, especially in the heart of the superheroic mainstream, is their absence, at least on a textual level. Queer subtext, though? There's plenty of that, whether it's same-sex relationships that read as romantic, or in the use of mutants as a metaphor that can be applied to LGBTQ experiences. Which brings us to Generation Hope #9, “Better”, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. It's not an issue explicitly about the LGBTQ experience, but it uses the mutant metaphor to tell a standalone story about real-life events that very much are.

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Most readers of this site, I'd guess, are familiar with "Thor" and "S.W.O.R.D." scribe Kieron Gillen -- and if you aren't, you should be. Ever since his breakout cult hit "Phonogram", he's been writing all kinds of comics from cosmic planet-pounders to old-school scrapbook fanzine love letters...