writer. artist. activist.
Revision to a retraction! Remember how Kid Briton called Anachronism and Bloodstone boyfriends before his untimely beheading? Well, it turns out he was only half being a homophobic jerk: Bloodstone is gay! So go pick up his coming out issue, Avengers Arena #8, and Tong's coming out issue of FF, #6, and then check out all the awesome comics coming out this week that feature... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!
The return of a classic queer comic and the beginning of the next chapter in one of today's hottest queer-inclusive series. Plus, more Young Avengers!! It's a great week to be... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!
With Hippolyta coming back from the dead in the Marvel U and fighting the undead in the DCnU, Tia rescuing Batu from certain death in the Supurbia-U, and the Gordian knot that is #nowthatchersdead in the Twitter-U, this week is a life-or-death week for powerful women! And that means that it's a great week for... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!!
Dangit! It looks like Anachronism wasn't into cute mystical punks, but instead likes those mean fish-girls. Which means zero queers in Avengers Arena again...
BUT:
Batman #18
This issue definitely tips the hand of the writers: Harper Rowe is on her way to be
the next (and first no-takesies-backsies, present-day, female) Robin! Which means we get a big dose of her awesome queer brother this issue! You win one, you lose one, I guess.
For perhaps the first time EVER in the history of this column, there are only AMAZING comics this week! No schlock, just seven awesome titles for... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!!
First off, a PA: Avengers Arena has British boyfriends! Yup, Anachronism and Bloodstone appear to be dating! Not sure if they're still alive though... Also, Image's Prophet has a genderqueer character in John Ka! Now, back to this week's regularly scheduled, super-sized... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!!
Ultimate Comics' non-linear storytelling finally wends its way back to the hottest of superqueeros, the Young Avengers get their second issue, and the two best X-teams slouch their way toward X-termination! Plus some books about gays who aren't mutants or whatever in this week's... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!!
Just a quick shout-out to two of my favorite series on YouTube (besides the WillSon segments from Days of Our Lives, that is!):
It's a farewell to Vertigo's longest running, queer-lead comic and a possible hello to Bunker's boyfriend? Plus the stalwart classics: Batwoman, Wonder Woman, Kevin Keller, and the studs of Chew, X-Factor and Locke & Key in this week's... SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgendered, and queer in comics today!!
I wasn't a big fan of the new Oz movie, but I did love see this witches duke it out! I liked Theodora's (Wicked Witch of the West) costume, but I thought it was needlessly sexified, so I tried to mix both her new and old looks. But I really liked this Glinda's costume over the original.
Gave Kate a bit of a techno redesign. Batwoman beyond, if you will. She always seemed the more techie of the bat family. Submission to this contest: [link]
A Fan-Art of Wonder Woman. I was a big fan of the wonderpants and it was important for me that Wondy looks like a warrior.
Four OCs I created for a Avatar themed RPG I'm running:
Sung Lee-Kai, an impetuous and reckless rookie metalbending cop
Tetsuo Hara, a cocky firebending pro-bender
Akkiak, a former Triple Threat triad waterbender smuggler
Veil, a Chi-blocker with a terrible secret.
Air battle between A Thuulian Air Frigate and Elm'ser Skytrees.
Ages ago, I had the idea of rebooting Sailor Moon as a contemporary superhero comic. My original idea used a good deal of sci fi and fantasy... and while I've left that idea behind and moved on to other projects, there's still a part of me that believes that this would totally work.
edit: changed venus's colors to orange. Realized i swapped chibi moon's colors for venus. i think i was thinking too much of power rangers with the color palette! (pink ranger and all...)
Inspired by Hellcorpceo's Gritty techno Sailor Moon reboot: [link], I thought I'd try my hand at redesigning the whole inner senshi as gritty techno soldiers.
Moon: generalist and armed with a hard light hilt that can either form a sword blade, or fire intense laser blasts
Mercury: genetically modified for the water and cannot breathe air. she can psionically manipulate and shape water
Mars: The least human of the senshi. her cyborg implants have made her into a flying killing machine. Her retractable hand cannon and optic blasts rain firey death on her enemies
Jupiter: Her body produces massive electrical energy, which is captured by her gauntlets, giving her massive strength and allows her to discharge that energy in the form of electric shocking grip.
Venus: Touch telepath. Her cables are controlled by her mind and respond to her thoughts.She can use them to extend her touch-telepathy.
a commissioned illustration for the Ars Magica fanzine, Sub Rosa of The Ark under construction with a stone fortress built nearby with a small village.
a commissioned illustration for the Ars Magica fanzine, Sub Rosa of a fallen angel. I tried to give the appearence of his wings in the moonlight.
just a sketch of two mythological animals I've been jiving on recently. Contemplating doing a bestiary.
Participating in the annual 30 Character Challenge.
Alias: Xtravaganza
Name: Anong Rattanakosin
Powers: expert martial artist
Background: Anong grew up in Thailand and at a very young age identified as kathoey. Anong's father was a famous professional kickboxer in Thailand, but Anong had no interest in the sport. When her family immigrated to the United States, Anong quickly fell in love with Ball culture and quickly joined the legendary house of Xtravaganza. However the head of the House was suddenly murdered in a string of murders of House heads. Inspired by her friend Marcus who became the vigilante, "Vogue", Anong went to her father to train in kickboxing. Anong swore vengeance on whoever was responsible for her mentor's murder and began patrolling the streets with Vogue, taking her House's name as her alias: Xtravaganza!
Participating in the annual 30 Character Challenge.
Alias: Vogue
Name: Marcus Washington
Powers: Unique "Vogue" fighting style, uncanny flexibility
Background: From a young age, Marcus was an active part of Ball culture. He and his friends poured hours into planning their routines and costumes. However, when a string of murders claimed the lives of several heads of the Ball houses, Marcus put his detective skills to work and set to discover who was responsible for terrorizing his community.
i can't get enough of these guys. I started this as a warm up for some actual work, but ended up consuming all my time!
Participating the the annual 30 Characters Challenge
Alias: Boi Wonder
Name: Ty Ushkowitz
Powers: Olympic-level athlete and skilled acrobat, hand-to-hand fighter, and armed with combat batons and a variety of crime-fighting gadgets
Participating in 30 Characters Challenge.
Alias: Pitcher
Name: Trenise Marquis
Powers: Can create spheres of energy that when thrown, explode on contact.
more art of my character, Spectrum, that I made for the 30 Characters challenge. I've kind of fallen in love with the idea of this superhero transgirl who kicks major ass.
I really liked the character of Spectrum that I created a few days ago: [link]
Did a few more sketches of her in action.
Participating in the 30 Characters Challenge. Focusing on creating queer superheroes.
Alias: Switch Hitter
Name: Alyssa Hunter
Powers: Indestructible bat made of vibranium alloy, power suit grants super strength and durability.
Participating in the 30 Characters Challenge. Focusing on creating queer superheroes.
Alias: Stag
Name: Aurelian
Powers: Cervine legs granting increased speed, strength, and balance, Unbreakable antlers, natural empathy. Invulnerability granted through magic
Background: Aurelian is the crown prince of a secluded society of Cervid humanoids, the Fauns. The Fauns retreated into a magical pocket dimension as they became hunted by humans for their magical antlers and pelts. Aurelian discovered a path back to the human world. Once there he quickly came into conflict with human society as he found humans' disregard for nature disturbing. But he eventually came to understand that he had to teach humanity respect for nature, not enforce it. Aurelian is straight, though he frequently teams up with Queer League members, Gaia and Pixie.
Participating in the 30 Characters Challenge. Focusing on creating queer superheroes.
Alias: Flame Dame
Name: Jennifer Embers
Powers: Pyrokinesis and Firey Form
Background: Jennifer Embers was a wealthy socialite in New York City, the daughter of billionaire business man, Arthur Embers. Jennifer received her powers when she was in attendance at a demonstration of a plasma weapon for her father's company. The accident gave Jennifer the ability to envelop her body in super-charged plasma and project firey blasts from her body and fly by focusing her flame behind her. However, unable to turn off her flame, Jennifer, much to her father's chagrin, took to a life of super heroics. Jennifer quickly found herself partnering almost exclusively with queer heroes. Despite being straight, she is a loyal ally and honorary member of the Queer League.
Participating in the 30 Characters Challenge. Focusing on creating queer superheroes.
Alias: Peacock
Name: Alain Montfort
Powers: Flight, Specially design cape that can produce bursts of blinding multicolored light that can blind, disorient, and hypnotize. Powerful enough light blasts can burn and damage objects in its path.
Background: Alain Montfort is a brilliant scientist who pioneered a form of psychiatric treatment through photo-hypnosis. When a large electronics company began funding his work, Alain didn't think to ask any questions, but he soon discovered his funders planned to use his photo-hypnosis technology to create a legion of mass hypnotizing war suits. Alain destroyed all the copies of his research and stole his prototype suit. Alain decides to pursue a superhero with the prototype suit he stole.
Participating in the annual 30 Characters contest, focusing on creating queer superheroes.
Aliases: Spectrum and Prism
Names: Tammy Nguyen (nee Terrence) and Thomas Nguyen
Powers: Emit and control light to a variety of affects, most notably, creating blades of photon energy and using as a weapon
Background: Terrence and Thomas Nguyen were born into the superhero tradition, their parents being notable heroes, The Beam and Morningstar. Terrence and Thomas inherited their parents light powers and were quickly trained as sidekicks: Spectrum and Prism. However, during their teenage years, Terrence comes to the realization that he is transgender but hides this from his family. After almost being turned against his brother by a super-villain promising Terrence a psychic solution to his transgender feelings, he comes out to his brother as Tammy. The siblings took off several years from the public eye and put their super hero careers on hold as Tammy transitioned. Now, they have reintroduced themselves to the crime-fighting scene, hoping to prove themselves and take up their parents' mantles as heroes.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Pixie
Name: Kelvin Sung
Powers: Wings, Flight, Eldritch blasts, Contract Magic
Background: Kelvin Sung met a bunch of Radical Faeries while in college. While on a Faerie gathering in the forests of upstate New York, Kelvin inadvertently fell into the realm of Fae-- an alternate dimension which the fae from legend had retreated. While there he became a favored consort of the Faerie King and was gifted with Faerie powers and became "Fae-touched." After finding his way back into our world, Kelvin seeks to bring the values of the Fae to the human world.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Gaia
Name: Tara Ferrera
Powers: Can control one element at a time (air, earth, fire, water, animal/plants); Can channel the Goddess of Earth who wields the powers of a nature god, but when channelling, Tara's body is unconscious and vulnerable.
Background: Tara joined a neopagan/Wiccan group while in college and quickly became increasingly devoted. During her studies she was taken as an apprentice witch to an older witch, named Tabitha who was wildly respected in the Wiccan community as a powerful witch. However, Tara had no idea that Tabitha actually was serving as the anchor of the incredibly powerful Gaia, the Earth Goddess. When Tabitha was on her deathbed, she passed on Gaia's amulet to Tara who became the new anchor for the goddess.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: BullDyke
Name: Karima Hamidi
Power: Bull-inspired power suit with indestructible horns
Background: Karima started her super career as a villain with an animal-themed villain group known as the Menacing Menagerie. But when the group took billionaire philanthropist Anna Gold hostage, Karima turned on her collaborators and saved Anna from them. She and Anna decided to partner in life and in work. Anna finances Karima's equipment while Karima serves as The Gold Foundation's under the radar super hero division.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Sappho
Name: Sappho
Powers: Magic sandals that imbue flight, Magic girdle that imbues super strength and invulnerability, Magic Shield that can reflect magical effects, Magic Spear that can cut through any substance
Background: Sappho grew up in a reclusive Greek community descending from the Sappho of antiquity. This group of Greek sorceresses cultivated a matriarchal society, shielded from the outside world with magic. Sappho has been sent out into the world as a champion of the Sapphoia with several magical armaments: The sandals of hermes, the shield of Athena, the Girdle of Hippolyta, and the spear of Ares.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Diesel
Name: Leonor "Leo" Vega
Powers: High tech motocycle; high tech gadgets and gun
Background: Leo Vega served as a high-level black ops marine for many years, but was injured on a mission, earning her an honorable discharge. After coming home, she was approached by a commercial security firm for a position as a test pilot for their new mecha-tech. Jumping on the opportunity to serve her country again, Leo signed up. But she soon discovered the weapons she was testing were being sold to warlords and dictators around the world. With the help of a scientist she fell in love with on staff, she stole a prototype mecha-bike and several other gadgets to work against the corporation she had become a part of.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Tomcat
Name: Florentina "Flo" Alvarado
Powers: Olympic level gymnast; expert hand-to-hand combat;
Background: Florentina lived in East Harlem all her life. She even stayed after she came out and started dating women. But after a series of anti-gay attacks on lesbians in her neighborhood, Flo refused to take any more of it and put her past gymnastics and subsequent self-defense training to use as Tomcat, guarding the streets and alleys of East Harlem.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Poz and Neg
Name: Paul and Nathan Chung
Powers: Poz - fire bolts of lightning, super speed; Neg - absorb electricity, transform electromagnetic energy to increase strength, vitality, resilience; Together - control electromagnetic fields, move ferrous materials, fly
Background: Paul and Nathan Chung are twins, whose mother was HIV+. Paul contracted the virus at birth and Nathan did not. They later developed electromagnetic superpowers later in life and discovered that their twin-bond caused their powers to be split between them, meaning that they can only control their electromagnetic field when they are touching. They adopted the aliases Poz (Paul) and Neg (Nathan). Apart, Nathan can absorb electromagnetic energy from power outlets, static electricity and the like, which gives him near invulnerability to lightning based attacks, in addition this extra absorbed energy gives Nathan increased vitality and strength. Paul can expel electromagnetic energy stored in his body that he generates, but this can run out quickly. Paul can use this energy to increase his speed, metabolism, or as electrical discharges, but excessive use can leave him exhausted and drained. Through their twin bond, Nathan can transfer energy he's absorbed to Paul. Together, Paul and Nathan can manipulate magnetic fields, move ferrous materials, and even fly.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Timber Wolf
Name: Arthur Winters
Powers: Werewolf transformation; healing factor; enhanced strength, enhanced agility/reflexes/senses
Background: Arthur Winters was a lumberjack in the Canadian forests when he was selected by the Spirit Guardian of the Forest, the White Wolf to be the forests' champion. Since then, Arthur has protected the Canadian forests from its threats.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Otter Boy
Name: Ankit Sundarraj
Powers: prehensile otter tail; expert and fast swimmer; can hold breath for long periods of time; heightened senses; heightened agility and speed; can communicate psychically with otters.
Ankit's grew up in Monterey, CA to an Indian American family. He was a normal kid, but his family kept a secret from him until his 16th birthday. Shortly after revealing that all the members of his family are were-otters, his family, save for his little sister, was murdered by a group of magical poachers looking to score their magical pelts. Ankit swore to use his newfound abilities to protect his sister and to bring the poachers to justice. He fights crime with his best friend, Winston, a sea otter.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: The Silver Fox
Name: Nathaniel Vulpini
Powers: Unaging; Arcane tools
Background: Nathaniel Vulpini has lived for centuries. No one is sue for how long, but many believe that he has been active since at least the end of the Roman Empire. Over the years, Nathaniel has taken on many identities, but he has always been interested and involved with the arcane. While not a magician himself, Nathaniel has accumulated a massive fortune and an impressive collection of magical artifacts which he uses to protect the innocent from the things that go bump in the night.
Participating in the annual \"30 Characters\" challenge. I\'ve decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Cosmic Cub
Name: Sav
Powers: Ursine strength; alien tech; unquenchable curiosity
Background: Sav assists his uncle in his scientific research for their home planet Ursa. But since coming to earth, Sav has adopted the role of sidekick to his uncle\'s super heroic adventures.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Space Bear
Name: Dax-el
Powers: Ursine strength, Alien technology, Raised Intellect
Background: Dax and his nephew, Sav, were on a reconnaissance mission from their planet Ursa when they crash-landed on Earth. They were quickly adopted by the super-hero community on earth and began using his scientific expertise and alien technology to protect earth from threats.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Closet
Name: Sebastian Reyes
Powers: Open portals across great distances, but powers are quantum fueled and don't work when observed.
Background: Sebastian Reyes grew up the apple of his parents eyes. He was the only heir of his Mexican family's media empire. He was always watched over by body guards and electronic surveillance for his safety. In high school, Sebastian starting dating Danny. However, their young love was cut short when on a date Danny severely beaten by a group of bullies. Sebastien fled from the bullies and hid himself in a supply closet. In his state of emotional stress and for the first time being free of observation, Sebastian discovered he could open portals via the dark dimension, but only when no one was looking...
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Poof
Name: Cameron Worthington
Powers: Teleportation accompanied with a loud puff and pink smoke
Background: Cameron Worthington came of age in the 1890s and was close friends with Oscar Wilde. During an outing with his "light in the loafers" pals, he steps into an opium den to smoke. However, it turns out that the opium he smoked was in fact a magical strain of the flower. He fell into a deep sleep and dreamed that he tumbled through an endless world of pink smoke. He awoke to find that all the hair on his body had turned bright pink and he was able to teleport by travelling through this smokey dimension. He was recruited shortly thereafter by Scotland Yards's Paranormal division.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Ms. Mahvelous
Name: Tyrone Ferguson
Powers: Super Strength, Flight, Invulnerable, Magical Transformation
Tyrone Ferguson grew up in the Bronx and was regularly bullied in school for being effeminate, but he quickly found a circle of queer friends. They would hang out in the West Village on the Christopher street pier and have a lot of fun. However one day on his walk home from an evening out Tyrone was followed by a group of bullies from school who attempted to beat him up. However, just as he was about to get beaten, Tyrone remembered something his grandmother told him... that should he ever be in danger to say the word "Shazam!". And so Tyrone uttered the magic words and with a flash of lightning was transformed into the fabulous and fierce drag queen super hero Ms. Mahvelous.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Lipstick
Name: Sofia Rovenskaya
Powers: Emotion manipulation through pheromone powers; Expert Spy; Expert Hand-to-hand combat
Background: Sofia is a famed Russian ex-KGB agent. She was the product of a genetic manipulation program where orphans were adopted by the state and trained to be espionage agents and received gene therapy to increase their natural abilities. Sofia was the first to develop metahuman powers from this program, acquiring control of the emotions of others through the emission of pheromones. For many years she acted as a field agent and assassin, developing a signature technique of seducing her targets both male and female with her pheromones, and then poisoning them with specially-laced lipstick. She escaped her handlers and broke ties with the KGB, and started acting as a rogue agent out for hire.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
Alias: Stone Butch
Name: Morda
Powers: Body made of organic stone granting heightened strength, invulnerability, and mass. Stone Butch can also glide through magical means.
Background: Morda is a living legend. The last of a mythical race of stone guardians, the Gargoyles, she broke free from the shackles her people had endured at the hands of mages throughout history, to be a protector of the innocent and servant of good. However, monster hunters throughout the ages have misunderstood her. One such monster hunter cursed her with a spell of immobility, trapping her as a living statue for all eternity. But at some point during the 1970s, Morda was freed when an enterprising crypto-paleontologist, Anna Nyugen, inadvertently lifted the curse by translating the magical inscription carved into the base of Morda's outcropping which had been transported to a museum with her. Morda returned to her lifelong mission of upholding justice and protecting the innocent, but relied on Anna to explain the new world she found herself in. Eventually this blossomed into a romance. Morda took Stone Butch as her superhero alias after Anna used it as a nickname for her.
Participating in the annual "30 Characters" challenge. I've decided to try it out and get a head start. Hoping to focus on creating queer oriented super heroes and fill out a queer Justice League.
First up is Power Bottom:
Alias: Power Bottom
Name: Kent Trevins
Powers: Invincibility and Super Strength below his waist.
Background: Kent gained is powers as a part of a government super soldier program, but the procedure which submerged him in a special super soldier solution, which was intended to make the subject invulnerable and super strong, was interrupted midway through the procedure-- giving Kent invulnerability and super strength, but only below his waist. With the procedure botched and the lead scientist killed, hopes for completing the procedure dwindled as Kent left life as a soldier and began fighting crime in San Francisco under his new guise: POWER BOTTOM
another commissioned piece for Sub Rosa Magazine. I really like the contrast with how peaceful and beautiful the scenery is with the brutality of the hanged man...
My submission to the Project Rooftop: Fantastic Forward Contest.
I was really trying to give the First Family a retro yet modern feel... kind of Mad Men meets Fantastic Four, which I think honors their origins from the 1960s...
a commission I recently received for the fanzine Sub Rosa for the Ars Magica RPG. A Magus shipwright constructing a boat with magic.
Evese, vatazin princess who sacrificed herself to undeath as a ghost to wait for her beloved.
quick sketch of two characters from a Blue Rose game i'm running. Kristos and his lover, Daral Dukay
Some sketches of the plant humanoid race for my Blue Rose game. Inspired by the Sylvari from Guild Wars 2 and mixed in a little Cylon into their backstory.