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Beyond "Watchmen": 10 Queer Comics That Should Be Movies
Long considered an "unfilmable" graphic novel, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen finally makes its way to the big screen this week. It got us wondering: If a book as dense and challenging and violent as Watchmen could become a movie, what's to keep filmmakers from tackling the vast array of fascinating queer comics out there? (The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, based on the comic strip by Eric Orner, was certainly a step in the right direction, but so far it stands alone among comics adaptations.)
To give Hollywood a nudge, or perhaps to inspire some indie filmmakers out there, here's a list of ten queer-inclusive comic strips and graphic novels that would be just terrific as movies. Read on!
Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower: Were you annoyed at the rampant heterosexuality of Troy? Queer creator Shanower's epic take on the Trojan War is truer to the sensibilities of ancient Greece, including a steamy man-on-man kiss between Achilles and Patroklos.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel: While much of Bechdel's brilliant graphic memoir details her coming of age as a lesbian, her father's conflicts over his own sexuality play a major role in the story as well. (Why Bechdel's queer-and-everything-else-inclusive Dykes to Watch Out For hasn't already become an animated sitcom on one of the gay cable channels remains an ongoing mystery.)
Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse: Cruse's poignant autobiography takes place in the South in the 1960s, where sexuality, race, religion and politics all come into play. Oh, and plenty of sex, from liberating to guilt-inducing to baby-creating.
Manhunter by Marc Andreyko: Hollywood loves movies about working women and their gay best pals, right? Well, in this DC Comics title from Out 100-er Andreyko, Kate Spencer is a high-powered attorney who, in her off hours, uses high-tech weaponry to dispense justice outside of the courtroom. Her friends include queer assistant D.A. Damon Matthews and his boyfriend, Obsidian, a superhero who's the son of the original Green Lantern.
Leonard and Larry by Tim Barela: One of the funniest serials about relationships and domesticity was this long-running strip about Larry, a married father of two who came out in middle age to own a leather store, and his partner Leonard, an often-irritated photographer. Mixing everything from heartfelt humor about love and cohabitation to farcical situations with stalkers and maternity rooms, L&L's brand of comedy begs for a big-screen treatment.
Young Bottoms in Love by Tim Fish: As twink-ish as Leonard and Larry is daddy-ish, YBIL offers very believable (and super-cute) under-30 urbanites struggling with fidelity, honesty and who gets to keep the dog after the breakup.
Curbside by Tim Kirby: Kirby (the co-editor of the Boy Trouble anthologies of queer comics) puts a grittier and sometimes even violent spin on the Young Bottoms territory, although his examination of gay relationships and sexuality is also hilarious and recognizably real.
Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather by Ron Zimmerman: Zimmerman took the classic Marvel Comics hero and made him an effete dandy who also happens to be the deadliest shot in the Old West. I love a character who talks like Clifton Webb and shoots like John Wayne, and it's certainly not the kind of hero we've seen much at the movies.
Angel Revelations by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: OK, you want superheroes? Angel of the X-Men — you'll recall Ben Foster's riveting shirtlessness when he played the character in X-Men: The Last Stand — first discovers his mutant ability while attending boys' school and befriends a gay student over their joint "outsider" status. The openly gay Aguirre-Sacasa is a Renaissance man writing for theater, comics and TV (HBO's Big Love).
Pride High by Tommy Roddy: What if the Disney movie Sky High had a GSA? That's the premise of Roddy's teen-friendly comic book about a high school for super-powered youths and the drama that erupts when five friends start a gay-straight alliance. Superpowers, cute boys and teen angst — what else does a movie need? Mind you, this is a list of just 10 of the many groovy gay comics out there — and I suspect you have your own favorites. Tell us in the comments! Submitted by on Wed, 2009-03-04 12:22. |
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Not to get all Fanboy on
Not to get all Fanboy on everyone, but just because Watchmen got made into a movie doesn't mean that A) it'll be any and good and B) that it does anything for the spirit and complexity of the book. That said, before we start pushing for gay movies to be made from gay comics I'd like more gay comics. Although Young Avengers would make a decent movie pretty easily, and the Teddy/Billy pairing is not just one of the few gay teen couples out there, they're also adorable. When the picture of Angel came up I was sure there'd be a reference to Neil Gaiman's 1602 storyline where Angel was actually gay. Speaking of Neil Gaiman and gay and the travesties of turning great graphic novels into horribly compressed movies that don't capture the spirit of the book, why not mention Sandman? And while we're considering that, Enigma would be a great gay comic book movie.
And this could be considered spoilerish, although maybe there was already a post about it earlier by Lyle, I can't remember, but Kate's (Manhunter's) son, Ramsey, turns out to be gay.
I totally...
...Agree with you that we really need more gay comics.
Personally, I've alwas felt really disappointed by the un-realized potential of Young Avengers, regarding both its failure as a regular series, and the chaste, lukewarm depiction of the gay couple.
And good mention of Enigma - Although I think that it would take much more balls than Hollywood currently has to bring that comic to the screen appropriately.
"I walk with dignity. I step with pride."
Rawhide Kid
I have to say, you may literally be the first gay person I've met who DIDN'T dislike the Rawhide Kid mini. Even those who don't find it outright offensive or anti-gay at best seem to find it the gay equivalent of a blaxploitation film.
Come to that, conservatives hated it just for having a gay lead, so you may be the first person I've encountered, period, who has liked that mini. (People professionally associated with it excepted.)
It was basically Queer Eye
He was tough but, aside from some vague innuendo, asexual and swishy. I picked it up, hoping for a real Western where the cowboy just dug guys instead- not necessarily efferminate just gay. More zorro the gay blade or Jack and Ennis Ride Again.
Some funny ideas brought in, though. To this day, I picture the scene of Rawhide riding onto the Ponderosa...
Missing: Gay Online Comic
I remeber a comic a few years back online where the premise was that the Lambda comet showered the Earth in energetic particles which gave all LGBT superpowers. It had a dark overtone, but was very well done, least IMHO.
I lost the bookmark for it three computers ago. Does anyone else have an inkling about what that comic was and if so, is it still online?
Dude...
It was called Queer Nation and it was great! I've been scouring the internet for it as well!! Seems to have disapeared without a trace.
I always thought itd make a great animated series for Logo.
If anyone knows has info on this let us know!!
I think you might
Enigma
Now that is one great gay book. It would be interesting to see how it would translate to the screen, it would definitely have to be and indie movie. And the right person would have to undertake it to capture the surreal nature of the piece.
How about The Alcoholic? I know is a hetero story, but I found it to be a very inclusive and positive portrayal of gay folk from a straight guys point of view.
Enigma
Enigma
Alpha Flight
I always thought Alpha Flight could make a great quirky super-hero movie. Making fun of Canada is always comedy gold.
It could be all about how the Canadian superheroes are bored and get no respect and are not taken seriously by the super-hero community. They only get to face off against lame villians, solve mundane problems, rescue cats from trees etc. Then some sort of event occurs that incapacitates all the world's heroes but boring old Canada's and Alpha Flight has to save theday.
It could feature an all-Canadian cast playing the orginal team ( Vindicator, Sasquatch, Puck etc) and gay character Northstar could be played by that hot French Canadian actor who was in that gay movie C.R.A.Z.Y.
Ethan Green
Ethan Green
Ethan Green
Pride High
WOW!!!!
I'm impressed and honored that our title made the list. As one of the assistant editors of Pride High, I'd like to say thank you for this honor.
For the readers, I hope you're enjoying the adventure so far. Tommy has some exciting twists in store for coming issues!
Mike Millard, assistant editor of Pride High and creator of Lightspot
Batwoman
The most obvious omission is the new Batwoman who is a lesbian. Her relationship with the new Question would make a great movie.
I too was also thinking that Alpha Flight would make a decent movie if done correctly. With Northstar firmly in the gay camp it could prove a great point about how mutants and gays share a prejudice about being different.
The Authority
While it's not strictly a gay comic it's two lead characters are gay. Apollo and the Midnighter.
Bringing this comic to screen would be much harder than bringing the Watchmen to the big screen in my opinion.
Enigma by Gregg Araki. I
Enigma by Gregg Araki. I can definitely picture that.
And Stuck Rubber Baby by Gus Van Sant. If only to get Howard Cruse lots of money, he deserves it.
And I also liked the Rawhide Kid mini-series. I thought it was rather clever and funny.
As for Watchmen, I've heard from various sources that there's some gay-baiting, with Ozymandias's computer having a folder named "boys". Yay for the gay, closeted mass murderer! That Snyder is so progressive.
François
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http://gaycomicslist.free.fr
Kyle's Bed & Breakfast
would make a great movie in my opinion. I read it every month in The Orange County Blade. Here's a link to it's site:
http://kylesbnb.blogspot.com/
Top 10
If I thought Hollywood could pull it off, I would be campaigning hard for a Top 10 movie. I love those comics, and they portray both gays and lesbians in interesting, positive roles. Um, okay, and there's also incest and kind of bestiality. But still. Awesome comics.
And Top 10 is also about
And Top 10 is also about religious freedom...One of the good guys is a devil worshipper. Somehow, I think that would be a harder sell than the gay & lesbian characters.
François
---------------
http://gaycomicslist.free.fr
King Peacock, and yeah,
King Peacock, and yeah, he's a Yarzidi (look it up, pretty interesting stuff that only Alan Moore would know about, being the crazy old wizard that he is). And Top 10 could be a great movie in like, a few years. It's actually way better suited towards becoming a movie than his other works, I think. God, could you imagine a movie adaptation of Promethea? LOL!
Somewhat on-topic webcomic dealing with Moore's feelings about his comics being turned into movies: http://comiccritics.com/2009/03/06/how-to-watch-the-watchmen/
Adam and Andy!
I'd LOVE to see a live-action version of "A & A"--especially if they recreate some of those scenes with unclothed Andy pouncing on Adam when he gets home from work.