Most creative art areas have a queer history. LGBTQIA+ members have always been in hiding behind the spotlight - in film, music and comics 0 and it isn't until recently that these pioneers' stories began being given the attention they deserve.
'No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics' is a crash course in queer comic history. Since the 1970s, queer artists have been using comics to tell their stories, and many found it the only art form they could see themselves in. This documentary gives us an insight into the many artists brave enough to share their art and stories with the world, paving the way for many other art forms to allow queer people in.
'NO STRAIGHT LINES: THE RISE OF QUEER COMICS' TRAILER
The film has interviews with artists like Mary Wings, the creator of the first lesbian comic book; Howard Cruse, the Godfather of LGBTQAI+ comics; Rupert Kinnard, the creator of the first African American queer characters in comics; and modern day creators like Alison Bechdel, whose graphic memoir became the Tony Award-winning musical 'Fun Home'.
For someone fairly unfamiliar with the brilliant world of queer comics, this documentary serves as the perfect package as insight into its history. While the film has a simplistic design, it's incredibly engaging.
For someone fairly un-familiar with the brilliant world of Queer comics, this documentary serves as the perfect package as insight into its history. While the film has simplistic design it's incredibly engaging.
Since the film documents over five decades of comics, it's extremely interesting to see the constant changes and challenges that come from the platform, and the film shows all these - from technology upgrades to more personal challenges amid the AIDS epidemic.
If you grew up with queer comics, 'No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics' is the perfect issue of nostalgia with stories from your favourite artists. For those unfamiliar with the artform's history, it's the ultimate history lesson in these LGBTQIA+ pioneers.