It’s Pride Month and some of the best LGBTQ+ folks with pride and passion are also unapologetically geeky. From gaming to fashion to superheroes, there is a comic book for almost any geeky and fabulous passion. Here are ten essential comic books for LGBTQ+ geeks to check out.

1. Cheat(er) Code 

This humorous and sexy graphic novel is written by Steve Foxe and illustrated by Daz. It tells the story of Kennedy, who gets into a huge fight with Seth, his boyfriend of six years. When Kennedy turns to gaming as a distraction, he finds himself zapped into his video game library during a power surge. Once there, he finds some very attractive prospects in the forms of a silver-haired daddy, the barbarians he is traveling with, and an anthropomorphic cheetah character. Now, he will have to transverse the game with them and face his deepest fears to find a way out before he is wiped out of existence.

2. The Secret Loves of Geeks 

An anthology containing a mix of short comics and prose essays, this book features several LGBTQ writers and comic illustrators such as Maia Kokabe, Gabby Rivera, and Tini Howard. From a trans woman finding strength in the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer to two girls learning to show romantic affection without kissing, this comic book prose anthology shows how geeks relate to each other through dating, sex, and personal passion.

3. Chainmail Bikini

This comics anthology is by and about female gamers and contains contributors from over 40 different cartoonists. Some stories are written and drawn by queer female or non-binary writers.  Kae Kelly-Colon’s “Gamer Grrl” discusses their experiences as a demigirl, while Anna Antropy’s “Tales of The Crystals” depicts her experiences with live action role play as a trans woman.

It also depicts a variety of gaming, including tabletop gaming, role-playing, collectible card games, and video games. 

4. The Pride

If you’ve ever wanted to read a comic book series about an LGBTQ+ superhero team, then look no further than Joe Glass’s The Pride. Not only does the comic feature diverse comic book illustrators and colorists such as Sina Grace and Sophie Campbell, but it also features a variety of LGBTQ+ characters that poke fun at stereotypes while beating up homophobes. To name a few, Frost is a stunning lipstick lesbian with ice powers while Angel is a pansexual drag queen. In addition to being available digitally, the comic was also collected into a single paperback omnibus.

5. Superwomen In Love: Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit 

This ongoing series by the mangaka known as sometime tells the story of two women, the supervillain Honey Trap and the hero of justice Rapid Rabbit. After being rivals for ages, Honey Trap has the chance to defeat Rapid Rabbit once and for all. However, when Honey Trap sees Rapid Rabbit without her mask for the first time, she falls for her. When Honey Trap is kicked out of the organization she works for, she teams up with Rapid Rabbit to fight against them.

6. Boys Run The Riot

Written and illustrated by transmasc mangaka Keito Gaku, this four-volume series stars Ryo, a teenaged trans man with a love of fashion and graffiti. After befriending the boisterous new cisgender male transfer student named Jin, the two of them decide to create a fashion brand together. Through this brand, Ryo gradually learns to affirm their gender identity, meet new people who broaden his worldview, and navigate the hurdles he experiences as a trans man.

7. Spellbound 

In this visually stunning graphic memoir by transgender artist Bishakh Som, we follow her as she quits her job as an architect in order to pursue a career as a comics artist. Featuring the ups and downs of a creator, the comic finds meaning in everyday monotony. Through the eyes of the fictional cisgender female character Anjali and her prospective trans female love interest Titania, the reader sees how the artist’s sense of self evolved and led to her transition at the age of 50. 

8. Quarter Killer

This hip-hop cyberpunk tale by Danny Lore and Vita Ayala stars Q, a Black non-binary hacker who helps his neighborhood in exchange for quarters to play video game cabinets and call his mama. One day, he gets a visit from a young girl named Aya, who asks him to help her rescue her dad. From then on, Q and his crew get caught up in a corrupt tech scheme run by shady businessmen bent on exploiting the most vulnerable in Q’s neighborhood.

9. The Heartwood Anthology

Published by Power and Magic Press and edited by Joamette Gil, the anthology features stories and illustrations exclusively from non-binary comics artists. Using mystical woods as a metaphor for self-discovery and transformation, the comics in this book take a page from the fairy tales of old to invite readers to become lost and finally found. One story, “Finding Alex” uses a hair-eating forest monster as a powerful metaphor for gender dysphoria.

10. Jem and The Holograms

Whether or not you loved the original ’80s cartoon, IDW’s modern comic book adaptation is worth checking out. Written by Kelly Thompson and featuring illustrations from artists such as trans artist Sophie Campbell, this retelling of Jem amps up the glam and drama with a contemporary setting and more diverse takes on certain characters. Not only are rival band female band members Kimber and Stormer a couple, but Jem’s rival band The Misfits gain a trans female member known as Blaze.♦

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