Love Is Love is a 144-page graphic novel released in December 2016 by IDW Publishing in collaboration with DC Entertainment with many characters appearing from other publishers and franchises with explicit permission in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. The comic became a New York Times bestseller and over US$165,000 was raised by the sales, which was donated to the victims.[1][2] The comic was produced with volunteer work by dozens of artists and featured the first official comic based on the Harry Potter media franchise.[3][4][5]
On the 12th of June, 2016, Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The nightclub was a gay bar and the perpetrator had decided to commit a mass shooting in response to the United States' airstrike a month prior that killed Abu Waheeb, a leader of the Islamic State in Anbar, Iraq. Although no evidence points to Mateen knowing the Pulse was a gay bar.[6]
Publication history
Format
Unlike most graphic novels, the book does not contain a cohesive story or several shorter stories spanning several pages but instead a mass anthology[7][8] with one or two-page-long shorts, comic strips or single illustrated pages lacking panels or dialogue bubbles.[9]IDW Publishing simply referred to it as an "oversize comic",[10] as did Goodreads,[11]Geek.com,[12] and Comic Book Resources.[13]
List of contributors
The following is a list of contributors listed in the Love is Love comic.[14]
Many of the stories featured in Love is Love revolve around LGBT-related relationships and discrimination, and they sometimes utilize pop culture icons such as Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Deathstroke, and Wonder Woman. One tale is about a forgotten Golden Age superhero, Rainbow Boy, who uses his powers to fight "Doc Drumpf" and his armies of "Spider Haters".[16]
^Goldman, Adam (15 July 2016). "FBI has found no evidence that Orlando shooter targeted Pulse because it was a gay club". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016. The FBI, however, has been unable to verify that Mateen used gay dating apps and instead has found evidence that Mateen was cheating on his wife with other women. Officials said there is nothing to suggest that he attempted to cover up his tracks by deleting files. They also added he did not make gay slurs during the shooting spree inside the club, based on witnesses.
