DC Pride
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
FormatYearly
Genresee below
Publication date2021 - present
No. of issues3
Creative team
Written byVarious
Artist(s)Various

DC Pride is an annual LGBTQIA+-themed comic book anthology first published by DC Comics in June 2021.[1] The second anthology was published in June 2022. The third anthology was released in May 2023.

Publication and promotion

DC Pride was first announced in March 2021 as an 80-page anthology comic focusing on DC Comics' various LGBT characters.[2] It was published in June as a celebration of Pride Month.[3] The anthology is also meant to celebrate the LGBT creators working at DC, with the anthology's writers and artists being members of the LGBT community.[4][5]

As part of their celebration of Pride Month, DC also announced the limited series Crush & Lobo, focusing on the mercenary Lobo and his lesbian daughter Crush;[6] June would also see the release of the graphic novel Poison Ivy: Thorns.[5][7] DC Pride also marks the first instance of Nia Nal / Dreamer appearing in comics, with the story written by Nicole Maines. The character first appeared in the live-action series Supergirl, played by Maines. Maines described herself as very excited at getting the opportunity to write the character.[8]

A second anthology, DC Pride 2022, was released in June 2022.[9] DC Comics stated that it is a "100+ page Prestige format annual anthology comic".[10]

In 2023, DC Comics published three titles for Pride Month: DC Pride 2023 #1 (released in May), DC Pride: Through the Years #1 (released in June) and The DC Book of Pride (released on May 16). DC Pride 2023 #1 is the annual 100+ page prestige format anthology. DC Pride: Through the Years #1 is a reprint "collection of three older DC comics that featured LGBTQ+ characters".[11] The DC Book of Pride, by Jadzia Axelrod, is a character guidebook on the 50+ LGBTQ+ DC characters.[11]

Content

2021

DC Pride was released on June 8, 2021 and consisted of the following stories:[12]

2022

DC Pride 2022 was released on June 14, 2022 and featured a foreword from Nicole Maines. The anthology consisted of the following stories:[13]

2023

DC Pride 2023 #1 was released on May 30, 2023. It featured a foreword from Phil Jimenez and an extended tribute to the trailblazing writer Rachel Pollack, who passed away before she could begin working on a story for the book. The anthology consists of the following stories:[11][20]

DC Pride: Through the Years #1, released on June 13, contains:

Reception

Upon release, DC Pride #1 received widespread acclaim from comics critics. At the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 10 to reviews from comics critics, the series received an average score of 9.2 based on 17 reviews.[21] Oliver Sava, for The A.V. Club, wrote: "Corporate offerings celebrating Pride Month often feel like disingenuous attempts to cash in on a social movement, but DC Pride #1 succeeds by showcasing the ways DC Comics has been pushing LGBTQ+ representation for years. [...] Many of the stories in DC Pride feel like the start of something more, and ideally there's enough interest in this one-shot that these heroes can spend more than a month in the spotlight".[22] Sava compared this issue to Marvel Voices Pride and called Marvel's issue "more of a mixed bag". Sava wrote that "while Marvel has dragged its feet in regards to meaningful LGBTQ+ representation in film and television, DC has spent the last decade expanding representation across all of its media".[22]

References

  1. ^ "DC PRIDE #1". DC. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  2. ^ Haring, Bruce (March 11, 2021). "DC Will Celebrate June's 'Pride Month' With Big Rollout Of LGBTQIA+ Projects". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Doran, Michael (March 11, 2021). "Batwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and more take the spotlight in DC Pride #1 preview". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Beresford, Trilby (March 11, 2021). "DC to Celebrate Pride With Anthology Comic Featuring Batwoman, Harley Quinn and More". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Polo, Susana (March 11, 2021). "DC Comics' 2021 summer special is a wall-to-wall Pride celebration". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Jacobs, Mira (March 11, 2021). "DC Pride Anthology Comic Will Celebrate LGBTQIA+ Characters and Creators". Comic Book Resources. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Johnson, Lauren M. (March 17, 2021). "DC and Marvel Comics will celebrate Pride month with comics featuring their queer characters". CNN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  8. ^ Jennings, Collier (March 11, 2021). "Supergirl Star Nicole Maines Pens Dreamer's Comic Debut in DC Pride #1". Comic Book Resources. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "DC and Marvel Comics' Pride Month Plans Are Not Created Equal". Gizmodo. March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "DC Pride 2022". DC (Press release). March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "DC Pride Month to Include Collection of Out-of-Print LGBTQ+ Comics". ICv2. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Rude, May (May 7, 2021). "DC Comics Previews 'DC Pride #1" Art, Includes 'Be Gay, Do Crimes' Story". Out. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "DC Comics' 2022 Pride Anthology Gets a Boost From the Best Batman Ever". Gizmodo. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  14. ^ Michael Doran (May 5, 2022). "Superman gets a new cape for DC Pride 2022". gamesradar.
  15. ^ Theron, Clint (June 7, 2022). "DC Pride 2022: Nubia in "Confessions"".
  16. ^ Jesus, Gabriel De (June 7, 2022). "DC Pride 2022: Tim Drake in "Special Delivery"".
  17. ^ Hochwender, Lillian (June 7, 2022). "DC Pride 2022: "The Gumshoe in Green": The Bi Sleep".
  18. ^ "Discovering Asexuality with Connor Hawke". DC. June 9, 2022.
  19. ^ ""Finding Batman" By Kevin Conroy Is A Story For The Ages". June 13, 2022.
  20. ^ "DC Reveals First Look at DC Pride 2023 Specials and Variant Covers". ComicBook.com. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  21. ^ "DC Pride #1 Reviews (2021)". Comic Book Roundup. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "DC Pride highlights the publisher's commitment to LGBTQ+ stories". The A.V. Club. June 29, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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