The Adventures of Alix

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Alix is a French-Belgian comic series created by Jacques Martin in 1948. It may be considered the serious, historically accurate counterpart to the more famous Asterix, which it actually predates. It is a classic example of the ligne claire school popularized by Hergé.

The title character is a young Gaul from the 1st century BCE who, after being captured and enslaved, is adopted by a rich Roman and becomes a Roman citizen himself. He goes through various adventures that take him all over The Roman Republic and beyond—at one point, all the way to Han Dynasty China—and becomes a friend of Julius Caesar. His sidekick is a teenage Egyptian boy, Enak, and his nemesis is a scheming Greek named Arbaces.

In 2012, a sequel series came out titled Alix Senator. As the name implies, it takes place several years later, with Julius Caesar long dead, Alix now a Roman Senator, and Enak having disappeared long ago. (Text from TV Tropes)

Robin is having a VERY queer moment

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Tim Drake, better known to the world as Robin, asked out his current boyfriend Bernard Dowd in August 2021 – letting the entire world know the sidekick and hero is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Now, he shared his first on-page kiss with his boyfriend, and it’s truly swoon-worthy.

The new cover art for Tim Drake: Robin #6 showed Drake, dressed in his Robin uniform, holding Dowd closely as the couple shares a passionate, heartfelt kiss in the moonlight.

Fans on social media were ecstatic to see the first Timber – the ship name for Drake and Dowd – on-page kiss and for it to be featured so prominently in the issue.

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The boys’ love genre is for everyone who loves queer storytelling

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For many queer fans, one of the most iconic moments in modern anime fandom was the finale of figure skating anime series Yuri!!! On Ice. It seems difficult to imagine the show topping the dramatic (probable) kiss in episode seven, but the series ended on a note that seemed to say that the future for Yuri and Victor would be one where they’re together as partners on the ice — and off of it as well.

Yuri!!! On Ice has since become an international sensation with countless fans still eagerly waiting for more content. A big reason why is that it blends the familiar sports anime vibes with queer themes that call back to another popular genre: boys’ love (BL).

In the introduction to the 2015 collection Boys’ Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan, editors Mark McLelland and James Welker walk readers through this subtype of manga and how it’s commonly defined. “If you walk into a typical bookstore in Japan today, somewhere on the shelves you are likely to find various books depicting romantic and sexual relations between beautiful, stylish male characters.

These male homoerotic stories might be found in the form of manga — the name for Japan’s globally known narrative comics — or in the form of “ light novels” — a local label for lowbrow, highly disposable prose fiction,” McLelland and Welker write. “If the store you’re wandering around is large enough, you might find these texts occupying an entire shelf, floor-to-ceiling, or even multiple shelves. In fact, it’s quite possible that the bookstore will have one section for manga and a separate section somewhere else for light novels, all depicting male male romance.”

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Artists get police protection after threats over bisexual Superman

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The reveal of Superman Jon Kent – aka the son of the original Superman, Clark – being bisexual in comic Superman: Son of Kal-El was met positively by fans across the globe. However, not everyone was pleased.

The comic artists behind the new comic that reveals Jon Kent’s crush on cute, pink-haired reporter Jake Nakamura, have been brought under police protection after ‘fans’ made threats towards them.

An anonymous, law enforcement source said that “LAPD officers were recently dispatched to patrol the homes of some of the illustrators/production staffers who created the latest iteration of Superman” in order to offer extra protection and “make sure that things don’t escalate.” The same source also stated that it isn’t just the personal homes of these comic artists that are being protected by LAPD officers, but the studio as well.

While queer representation and inclusion of marginalized identities is improving within the comics world, its inclusion hasn’t been met with open arms by everyone. Only last week did Gabe Eltaeb, a colourist that was part of Superman: Son of Kal-El quit his job at DC Comics due to a change in Superman’s motto to convey the inclusivity behind the S symbol. And then there’s ComicsGate… Yuck.

Even so, that hasn’t stopped comics from having some amazing storylines and the new issue of the Superman comic has already proved to be a big hit, with the issue already having gained an “unprecedented” number of purchases already. Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 will officially release on November 9th.

Via Gayming Magazine

I Think Our Son is Gay

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Everyone knows someone – or is someone – who’s coming out to their family as LGBTQ+ was met with a round of “we knew all along”. It’s a response Tomoko Aoyama is expecting to give whenever her teenage son Hiroki musters up the courage to come out – but until he does, she’s going to wait in the wings, offering gentle support and quiet acceptance while he figures himself out.

Unfortunately for Hiroki, who just wants to ‘fit in’ at school, he’s absolutely terrible at keeping himself in the closet – he’ll talk about wanting a boyfriend before rushing out a correction to “girlfriend”, and practically gushes over his crush, classmate Daigo Shiraishi. He just might out himself early at the rate he’s going!

Created by mononymous creator Okura, manga series I Think Our Son Is Gay offers a warm blend of family drama and slice-of-life comedy that can’t help but charm readers.

I Think Our Son Is Gay is slightly unusual compared to most manga though, in that it began life as a webcomic, originally published from August 2019 on Gangan Pixiv. The series was Okura’s second, following That Blue Sky Feeling, which also dealt with coming out and realising burgeoning sexuality, although the earlier series was told from the perspective of teenage leads, with popular student Noshiro finding himself drawn to outcast Sanada, expressly because of rumours he is gay.

Read on…

Robin just came out as bisexual

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Batman’s sidekick Tim Drake, aka Robin, came out as bisexual and scored himself a date all in one issue – and DC Comics fans are absolutely elated.

Drake first appeared in comics in 1989 and is the third character to assume the role of Batman’s vigilante partner Robin. Over the years, he has adopted multiple aliases including Red Robin and even going by the codename Drake before becoming Batman’s sidekick once more.

The character has been shown dating women before and, in the latest comic book, it has been confirmed that he is also open to dating men. Batman: Urban Legends #6 – by writer Meghan Fitzmartin, artist Belén Ortega, colourist Alejandro Sánchez and letterer Pat Brosseau – is DC’s latest instalment of an ongoing series exploring stories set in Gotham City.

The comic continued a story set out in previous pieces and saw Drake rescue his old friend, Bernard, who was kidnapped and almost sacrificed by evildoers. As the two characters fight side-by-side, Drake had a “lightbulb moment” where he discovered “something out in the ether has been taunting you, teasing you”.

He explained that people keep “asking me what I want”, but he could “never grasp” what the answer was. After the epic battle, Drake travelled to Bernard’s house and the two came face-to-face yet again. Drake shared that he would like to “figure” out their relationship, and Bernard responded by bluntly asking the other man if he would like to go on a date.

“Yeah, I think I want that,” Drake answered.

Read on…

Dick Fight Island

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The 1st volume of the English version of Reibun Ike’s Dick Fight Island is currently ranked as the #1 Romance manga and #1 Yaoi & LGBTQ+ Manga on Amazon. So, what’s all the hype about? Well…

Eight mighty island warriors battle to become king. The deciding factor? The one who comes last, of course!Eight islands represented by their best warriors must battle it out in a tournament to decide their king. To win this battle of endurance, it’s not the last one standing but the last one coming that matters!

The tournament to choose the next king of the islands is about to begin. The rules are simple—whoever comes first loses! Participating warriors protect their mighty swords with armor that grows larger and more elaborate with each tournament. But one warrior has returned from studying abroad with a technique certain to force a pleasurable eruption! Is there a competitor alive able to withstand it? Or is this deft warrior destined to become king?!

BE×BOY COMICS DELUXE published the first volume of Dick Fight Island under the title of Hachinin no Senshi (Eight Warriors) in March 2019. The second volume shipped in February 2021. SuBLime Manga is publishing the manga in English.

The Yaoi Manga Bundle

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Oh Humble Bundle, always the place where we look at one thing and suddenly all our money is gone. This time it looks to be the incredible Yaoi manga collection, worth up to $438 usually, but as with most things, is now pay as much as you like.

The Yaoi manga bundle has 60+ manga to choose from, and that doesn’t include bundles of manga with all of the volumes included. Considering the most you need to pay to get ALL of these is just shy above $18… That’s what we call a bargain!

From teen romance to steamy love affairs, this Yaoi manga bundle truly has everything you could want. It even has some well-known classics, such as Absolute Obedience ~If you don’t obey me~Cases and Then Some, and Every Morning at 8.

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Netflix to adapt queer graphic novel The Witch Boy

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The celebrated graphic novel The Witch Boy is set to be adapted into an animated movie musical for Netflix. The graphic novel, written by Molly Knox Ostertag, is set in a world where girls become witches and boys become shapeshifters, with those who defy this order getting exiled from society.

The series follows 13-year-old Aster, a male who has not yet shapeshifted and is fascinated by witches. When a danger threatens other boys, Aster knows he can help, but only as a witch, and he receives support from a non-magical and non-conforming friend, Charlie.

The synopsis for the Netflix adaptation confirms that it will follow this magical story, as it states: “In a secret, magical community where girls are born to be witches and boys grow into shapeshifters, Aster is surprised to discover his emerging and extraordinary witch powers. When a mysterious danger threatens his world, Aster must embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind himself, his powers, and everything that is magical.”

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