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llymrie77's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
toadlovesreading's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
apersonfromflorida's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Cursing
cluelessnu's review
3.0
Did I read this just for Tim Drake's section. Yes.
Did I enjoy that quite a lot and fully appreciate the fact that the word queer was used as an umbrella term and there was ace presentation with Connor and we were finally able to see them be friends again? Fuck yes.
Did I enjoy that quite a lot and fully appreciate the fact that the word queer was used as an umbrella term and there was ace presentation with Connor and we were finally able to see them be friends again? Fuck yes.
aabaileyauthor's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
skye16's review
4.0
The foreword made me tear up a bit. Our rights are under attack every day. But being queer is and always will be beautiful. This newest DC Pride anthology tries to showcase that.
Most of this was only medium with a few standouts like the story with Midnighter and Apollo. It's about time they get their own comic book again. Also excited for the newcomers Jules and Xanthe.
Love's lightning heart: Green Lantern stories rarely connect with me, this one was okay though.
And baby makes three: Never been a Harley Quinn fan, but I enjoy her with Poison Ivy.
Hey, Stranger: yes, we need more queer platonic friendships
Subspace Transmission: always a pleasure to read about Jules. Can't wait to see me more of them.
Anniversary: Midnighter and Apollo, they always deliver. This is by far the strongest short in the anthology, reflecting on the rise of hate and anti-LGBTQ+ laws and the felling of helplessness that comes with that.
Lost and found: Alright, alright, I am going to read Spirit World
Team work makes the dream work: Amazons <3
The dance: ever since the trailer of Kraven, who's movie aparrently borrows a lot from Catman I wanted to check out the character, what a pleasant surprise to find him in this anthology.
Rural Vermont: Jon <3
Most of this was only medium with a few standouts like the story with Midnighter and Apollo. It's about time they get their own comic book again. Also excited for the newcomers Jules and Xanthe.
Love's lightning heart: Green Lantern stories rarely connect with me, this one was okay though.
And baby makes three: Never been a Harley Quinn fan, but I enjoy her with Poison Ivy.
Hey, Stranger: yes, we need more queer platonic friendships
Subspace Transmission: always a pleasure to read about Jules. Can't wait to see me more of them.
Anniversary: Midnighter and Apollo, they always deliver. This is by far the strongest short in the anthology, reflecting on the rise of hate and anti-LGBTQ+ laws and the felling of helplessness that comes with that.
Lost and found: Alright, alright, I am going to read Spirit World
Team work makes the dream work: Amazons <3
The dance: ever since the trailer of Kraven, who's movie aparrently borrows a lot from Catman I wanted to check out the character, what a pleasant surprise to find him in this anthology.
Rural Vermont: Jon <3
literati42's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
l_and_l's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
elllie_725's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Stories were a mixed bag and could have been a bit longer but I had a fun time!! Really enjoyed a bunch of them!
ericawrites's review
2.0
As I read DC Pride 2023, my mind kept juxtaposing two things: 1) the 400+ anti-LGBTQ+ (especially against trans people) bills across the US and the resulting violence from their supporters and 2) RS Benedict's essay, "Everyone Is Beautiful and No One Is Horny," which dives into how the glut of superhero movies makes actors take on extreme levels of fitness/beauty but then desexes them.
Phil Jimenez's opening essay ponders, "What are the queer heroes and villains on that Earth doing to protect other LGBTQ people and their rights? Are they shaping the world they live in to be more queer friendly? Or have the Justice League and the Titans and the Green Lantern Corps and the Outsiders and the Global Guardians and so many other made that Earth a more friendly place to queer people just by being in it, and merely existing in that universe is enough? And would seeking justice for all seem like activism to the people of that Earth, or just the right thing to do?"
What Jimenez (and the rest of these stories) fail to address is power. Superheroes are a power fantasy, notably created in large part by Jewish creators during WWII and the Holocaust. Superheroes take back the power. Queer rights have made the most strides when we've taken back the power from cishets. Pride started out as a riot. We threw bricks at Stonewall, hot coffee at Compton’s Cafeteria, and pies in Anita Bryant's face. Cishet people didn't feel bad we were dying of HIV/AIDS, but instead were scared of the actions of Act Up!
What would Harley Quinn do if a random stranger called her d--- on the street? Bash that bigot with her baseball bat! What would Batwoman and Alysia Yeoh do if Gotham City tried to ban gender-affirming care for trans kids? Make a fool of their politicians, get Barbara Gordon to hack into some computers, and take out their dark money funding group.
While cishet DC (and Marvel) properties are allowed to be violent -- in some cases, extremely so -- here, queer people aren't even allowed the outlet of violence against our oppressors. Or more than Jonathan Kent beating up one of Constantine's golems, Nubia fighting holograms, or Tim Drake tying up some thieves.
"Anniversary" is the only story featuring human bigots spouting anti-queer hate and stars Midnighter and Apollo. Midnighter is the guy who literally rips out whole spinal columns and Apollo fries baddies with his sun powers. They also are unapologetically gay, and their best portrayals don't just feature their love (they are married) but their physical intimacy, including sex. Steve Orlando's work on Midnighter should serve as a blueprint for how to portray a full-queer life for them.
While cishets get blood and gore, "Anniversary" gives us marriage and homonormativity. Midnighter and Apollo are completely neutered of their violence and sexuality. Getting married (again) is NOT "winning over the hearts and minds" of bigots. Bigots want you dead. That's the end game. Midnighter should be ripping out their spines, not begging people, who'd rip out his if they could, to tolerate him.
Queer people aren't allowed violence, and sex is barred for us more than cishet superhero couples. Besides PG kisses, Ghost-Maker and Catman are the only ones we see post-coital, and it feels like "here are two characters you've probably never heard of, and thus, bigots won't even know their names to write in their angry letters." Harley gets a few lipstick prints from Ivy on her neck, implying more than PG action.
Grant Morrison's very Morrison "Love's Lightening Heart" gets us the closest to the violence and the sex cishet characters access, but it's cut down by Morrison's obscurity into DC's overflowing multiverse, and that the story serves as a plug for an ongoing title.
DC's previous Pride volumes were standouts, especially compared to Marvel, and they packed punches that 2023's watered-down storytelling cannot hold a candle to. In 2023, queer people deserve queer superheroes who are allowed violence and sexuality; we deserve the sometimes violent protection of superheroes, joyous celebration, and the same nuances as cishet people.
Phil Jimenez's opening essay ponders, "What are the queer heroes and villains on that Earth doing to protect other LGBTQ people and their rights? Are they shaping the world they live in to be more queer friendly? Or have the Justice League and the Titans and the Green Lantern Corps and the Outsiders and the Global Guardians and so many other made that Earth a more friendly place to queer people just by being in it, and merely existing in that universe is enough? And would seeking justice for all seem like activism to the people of that Earth, or just the right thing to do?"
What Jimenez (and the rest of these stories) fail to address is power. Superheroes are a power fantasy, notably created in large part by Jewish creators during WWII and the Holocaust. Superheroes take back the power. Queer rights have made the most strides when we've taken back the power from cishets. Pride started out as a riot. We threw bricks at Stonewall, hot coffee at Compton’s Cafeteria, and pies in Anita Bryant's face. Cishet people didn't feel bad we were dying of HIV/AIDS, but instead were scared of the actions of Act Up!
What would Harley Quinn do if a random stranger called her d--- on the street? Bash that bigot with her baseball bat! What would Batwoman and Alysia Yeoh do if Gotham City tried to ban gender-affirming care for trans kids? Make a fool of their politicians, get Barbara Gordon to hack into some computers, and take out their dark money funding group.
While cishet DC (and Marvel) properties are allowed to be violent -- in some cases, extremely so -- here, queer people aren't even allowed the outlet of violence against our oppressors. Or more than Jonathan Kent beating up one of Constantine's golems, Nubia fighting holograms, or Tim Drake tying up some thieves.
"Anniversary" is the only story featuring human bigots spouting anti-queer hate and stars Midnighter and Apollo. Midnighter is the guy who literally rips out whole spinal columns and Apollo fries baddies with his sun powers. They also are unapologetically gay, and their best portrayals don't just feature their love (they are married) but their physical intimacy, including sex. Steve Orlando's work on Midnighter should serve as a blueprint for how to portray a full-queer life for them.
While cishets get blood and gore, "Anniversary" gives us marriage and homonormativity. Midnighter and Apollo are completely neutered of their violence and sexuality. Getting married (again) is NOT "winning over the hearts and minds" of bigots. Bigots want you dead. That's the end game. Midnighter should be ripping out their spines, not begging people, who'd rip out his if they could, to tolerate him.
Queer people aren't allowed violence, and sex is barred for us more than cishet superhero couples. Besides PG kisses, Ghost-Maker and Catman are the only ones we see post-coital, and it feels like "here are two characters you've probably never heard of, and thus, bigots won't even know their names to write in their angry letters." Harley gets a few lipstick prints from Ivy on her neck, implying more than PG action.
Grant Morrison's very Morrison "Love's Lightening Heart" gets us the closest to the violence and the sex cishet characters access, but it's cut down by Morrison's obscurity into DC's overflowing multiverse, and that the story serves as a plug for an ongoing title.
DC's previous Pride volumes were standouts, especially compared to Marvel, and they packed punches that 2023's watered-down storytelling cannot hold a candle to. In 2023, queer people deserve queer superheroes who are allowed violence and sexuality; we deserve the sometimes violent protection of superheroes, joyous celebration, and the same nuances as cishet people.