The team at Interrobang loves queer YA, and especially queer YA comics. Flutter is about Lily, a girl who shapeshifts into a boy to get her dream girl and the chaos that comes from pretending to be someone she’s not. That chaos continues in Volume Three: Hey Mom, Why So Tense? To celebrate the Kickstarter for the third book, here’s a list of queer YA comics that we all should know.
As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman
This web-comic is a recent discovery, even though it has been nominated for an Eisner Award (2014) and the Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize (2013). That proves why we need more lists like this one to spread the word because what a discovery this has been! Created, written, and illustrated by Melanie Gillman, it’s about a group of queer teenagers stuck on a backpacking trip with a Christian youth camp. The entire ongoing comic series can be read for free online.
Wet Moon by Sophie Campbell
I love the world that Sophie Campbell has created in Wet Moon, a graphic novel series published by Oni Press. The cast of characters is richly diverse, but never in a forced way. One of my favorite things about Wet Moon is that while the series is queer through and through, it’s never the most important or main thing going on in the story. There’s the southern town and the art school setting, both of which feel like main characters. Then there’s Unknown, a masked superhero running around in the middle of this odd and beautiful slice of life comic. Wet Moon is a strange, intoxicating brew that stays with you in the best way.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen
You can’t write a YA queer comic book list right now and not include this series published by Boom Box, an imprint of Boom Studios. Yes, it’s all ages. Recently, while sitting behind my booth at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), I read this comic aloud to my friend’s three year-old. We were both extremely engaged despite the madness of SDCC going on around us. The series follows a diverse group of girls at a summer camp as they go on epic supernatural adventures and is a must read for all.
The Backstagers by James Tynion IV and artist Rian Sygh
This great new series mirrors Lumberjanes in many ways. It’s an all-ages series published by Boom Box and features a diverse all-male cast of characters. The guys are part of a theater crew at a private boys school. There are wonderful supernatural elements at play here, too, including a door backstage that leads to other worlds. Knowing all the things that can go on backstage during theater productions, I can’t wait to see where this series goes.
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill
Originally an award-winning web-comic, Princess Princess Ever After is now available as a special edition hardcover graphic novel published by Oni Press. This is a timely and timeless tale of two very different princesses who join forces and realize they bring out the best in each other. It’s a beautiful story about female relationships, empowerment, and taking matters such as happily ever after into your own hands.
