DC Pride Through The Years #1 – William Messner-Loebs, Greg Rucka, Steve Orlando/Vita Ayala, Tim Sheridan, Writers; Greg LaRocque/Jose Marzan Jr., JH Williams III, Jamal Campbell, Cian Tormey, Artists; Glenn Whitmore, Dave Stewart, Matt Herms, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This anthology is a little different from the rest, because three of the four stories here are reprints, each featuring a groundbreaking LGBT character from DC’s history, but the fourth story is all new and it’s worth taking a look back to see how far we’ve come.
First up is a tale that I believe actually had the first out gay character in DC Comics—Flash #53, with the tale “Fast Friends” from August 1991. Wally West, always a bit immature, makes a casual crack about Joker being gay and his reformed villain friend Pied Piper casually reveals that he’s gay, leaving Wally kicking himself as he and Superman get pulled into an elaborate and rather silly plot involving Jimmy Olsen and a deposed dictator. The LGBT content here is light and casual, and given the time period that works nicely as an antidote.
Next up is the first chapter of “Elegy” in Detective Comics #854, starring Batwoman. Rucka and Williams III delivered a highly acclaimed origin story for Kate Kane, giving her a backstory that involved Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and finding her own path after she was kicked out of the military. This issue also introduces Jacob Kane and Alice, but doesn’t delve too much into Kate’s origin yet. This is just a great spotlight kicking off Kate’s tenure in this title with excellent writing and stunning art.
My personal favorite of the older stories in this volume is “One Life” by Orlando, Ayala, and Campbell. A one-off issue of Supergirl amid some other big stories in the Rebirth era, this book was notable for introducing DC’s first non-binary character—teenage civilian Lee Serrano. Lee hasn’t appeared in any significant way since, which is disappointing, but the character is so likable and engaging here and bounces nicely off Kara. I can see this issue being extremely important to any kid struggling with putting their feelings about gender to words.
Finally, Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey close things out with “Past Prologue,” a short story starring Alan Scott that’s all new for this issue and leads into Alan’s upcoming solo series. This is a quick tale of Alan retelling an unknown story of his from WW2 to an unseen figure, as he recounts a mission before he was Green Lantern, involving a cosmic force known as the Cosmic Flame. He also shares the story of Johnny Ladd, his first love—and if one line indicates anything, maybe much more. This is a great teaser, and ends the issue on a strong note.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
