DC Pride 2022 # 1– Devin Grayson, Stephanie Williams, Ro Stein/Ted Brandt, Jadzia Axelrod, Alyssa Wong, Tini Howard, Greg Lockard, Stephanie Phillips, Travis G. Moore, Dani Fernandez, Danny Lore/Ivan Cohen, Kevin Conroy, Writers; Nick Robles, Meghan Hetrick, Ro Stein/Ted Brandt, Lynne Yoshii, W. Scott Forbes, Evan Cagle, Giulio Macaione, Samantha Dodge, Travis G. Moore, Zoe Thorogood, Brittney Williams, Kevin Conroy, Artists; Triona Farrell, Marissa Louise, Tamra Bonvillain, Enrica Eren Angiolini, Jeremy Lawson, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: With twelve all-star stories, this year’s DC Pride anthology is one of the biggest anthologies the company has ever put out. How do the twelve tales shake out?
After a foreword by Nicole Maines, we kick things off with “Super Pride” by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles, focusing on Jon Kent and Damian Wayne. This isn’t Damian’s only appearance as an enthusiastic ally this issue, although his plan to bring all sorts of weapons because “Pride was originally a riot”… kid’s got the spirit, but it needs some work. Jon and Jay are the focus in this story, as Jay gives Jon an iconic new cape for the event. It’s a slight story, but the imagery of Superman kissing his boyfriend at Pride cannot be overstated here.
“Confessions,” by Stephanie Williams and Meghan Hetrick, focuses on Nubia and Io as the Amazon couple shares a quiet night at home. The topic turns to the broken sword that was the reason they met for the first time, and Nubia confesses she wasn’t honest about how it was “broken in battle.” It was actually a casualty of a hilarious series of events involving Big Barda recruiting Nubia for a charity wrestling match against Giganta, with a great retro ’80s art style. It’s a weird, clever tale that wouldn’t fit in the main book, but fits perfectly here.
Ro Stein and Ted Brandt collaborate on “Think of Me,” which turns the focus on Connor Hawke and his ally from the Robin book, Damian. As Connor writes a letter to his mother and handles a heist in Star City, he also struggles to come to terms with and understand his own asexuality. It’s great to see a book reflect that asexuals can want love and relationships just as passionately as anyone else, and the use of the villain Music Meister was a pleasant surprise. This story also surprisingly ties into the ongoing Robin story, and makes me really want more from this creative team on these characters. Robin will need a new writer…
“Up at Bat” by Jadzia Axelrod and Lynne Yoshi focuses on Batgirl and her long-time friend Alysia Yeoh—who I think was DC’s first major trans supporting character back in 2011. Fans have been wanting Alysia to take a starring role for some time now, and with Batgirl taking a spike to the leg in this story, she finally gets her chance. When the villain who injured Barbara tracks them there, Alysia gets to jump into action with her own costume and a unique weapon that’s sure to go viral. Much like Axelrod’s brilliant recent graphic novel, this story also features some pretty frank conversations about what trans people are experiencing right now—and how it motivates Alysia to fight harder. This is a top-notch story, probably one of the best here.
Alyssa Wong and W. Scott Forbes are the team on “A World Kept Just For Me,” which focuses on Jackson Hyde as he and Ha’Wea prepare for a date. Jackson gets to meet his boyfriend’s family for the first time, which goes well—but it’s more complicated when Jackson returns to his own hometown. This is a shorter story, but the visuals are brilliant and I think it captures the complicated feelings many queer people feel about the places they grew up—it’s often a mix of good and bad that’s hard to reconcile.
“The Gumshoe in Green” by Tini Howard and Evan Cagle focuses on Jo Mullein as she tries to solve a new mystery on Far Sector. Told in black, white, and green, it follows up on a world where the emotion exploit has been removed and people are feeling the full passion of life for the first time in generations. Hired to investigate a cheating spouse, she quickly discovers some dark plans that involve her. It doesn’t feel like much of a Pride story, although this bisexual was glad to see Jo get to tell off some alien predators, but it is a nice, creepy follow-up to the original mini.
Greg Lockard and Giulio Maciaone’s “Public Displays of Electromagnetism” is a little unexpected because we haven’t seen The Ray in a good long while, but it works really well. Set during Steve Orlando’s Justice League of America run, it focuses on Ray and his boyfriend Xenos as they try to find a balance when it comes to making their relationship public. This story does a good job of capturing The Ray’s struggles with overcoming the internalized homophobia caused by an abusive childhood and letting himself be fully open, and it’s a great journey to watch him go on—now let’s see more of this character in the DCU!
“Bat’s in the Cradle” by Stephanie Phillips and Samantha Dodge turns the focus on Batwoman, as Kate Kane rescues her father from a kidnapping. This story is only four pages, and it’s surprisingly from Jacob’s perspective as he reflects on the journey he and Kate have gone on since her coming-out. Jacob is a… controversial character due to his actions in the James Tynion IV Detective Comics run, so it’s great to see a spotlight on him that shows that of all the enemies Kate had to face as she discovered her identity, he was never one of them.
“Special Delivery” by Travis G. Moore might be the most anticipated story in this issue. Focusing on Tim Drake, the most prominent and long-running hero to come out of the closet (unless you count Wonder Woman), this issue gets much more in-depth with Tim and Bernard’s relationship. Tim is on his way to meet his boyfriend with a mystery package that means a lot, only to be interrupted by a pair of villains who think Robin must be carrying some sort of mystery weapon for Batman. This story has some big Spider-man energy, as Tim can’t quite seem to balance his personal and superhero lives, but both the art and writing are stunning as it captures the feelings of young love and self-discovery perfectly.
Dani Fernandez and Zoe Thorogood take over for “The Hunt,” a Harley and Ivy story featuring one of DC’s most popular queer couples. The two have their own unique form of foreplay, involving an often violent game of cat and mouse. But when a mysterious mimic starts preying on both of their insecurities and trying to turn them against each other, they have to cut through the noise and figure out what they each really mean to each other. The art is gorgeous and it manages to capture the vibe of the Harley/Ivy bond in only a few packed pages.
Danny Lore and Ivan Cohen are joined by Brittney Williams on “Are You Ready For This?” featuring Kid Quick of Earth-11. The non-binary Flash is looking forward to attending Pride with their fan club, but they’re interrupted by the Earth-11 version of Shimmer and the Fatal Five. This story is mostly a fast-paced prequel to the Multiversity: Teen Justice mini which begins this week, and features some fun moments for all the characters. The cliffhanger it ends on asks a lot of questions, and the art style is top-notch.
The final story in this anthology is by legendary Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy with J. Bone on art, and “Finding Batman” is a frank tale that even comes with a content advisory attached due to its depiction of his early years in the industry—at the same time that AIDS was becoming a crisis and casual homophobic slurs were tossed around the office. It’s a hard read, but it’s an essential one—and one that perfectly illustrates how Kevin Conroy became Batman, and how he inhabits the character so perfectly.
Overall, there aren’t any real misses in this issue, and the passion comes off every story loud and clear. Another brilliant outing from what’s become one of the best traditions of Pride Month at DC.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
