- May 30, 2023
Why You Should Read DC Pride 2023
“Love is Lightning” by Grant Morrison, Hayden Sherman, Marissa Louise and Aditya Bidikar
“And Baby Makes Three” by Leah Williams, Paulina Ganucheau and Frank Cvetkovic
“Hey, Stranger” by Nadia Shammas, Bruka Jones, Tamra Bonvillain and Frank Cvetkovic
“Subspace Transmission” by A.L. Kaplan and Aditya Bidikar
“Anniversary” by Josh Trujillo, Don Aguillo, and Lucas Gattoni
“Lost & Found” by Jeremy Holt, Andrew Drilon, and Lucas Gattoni
“Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” by Mildred Louis, and Ariana Maher
“The Dance” by Rex Ogle, Stephen Sadowski, Enrica Eren Angiolini, and Ariana Maher
“My Best Bet” by Christopher Cantwell, Skylar Patridge, Dearbhla Kelly, and Morgan Martinez
“Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story” by Nicole Maines, Rye Hickman, Bex Glendining, and Rusty Gladd
Cori McCreery from ComicsBeat said it best in her DC Pride 2023 #1 article, “The previous two DC Pride issues have been celebrations, this book is more rebellious,” going so far as to call it a “defiance.” When comparing this year’s special to previous years, it cuts the perfect balance between realism and hope.
The universe of DC Comics and the superheroes within it are all built on one fundamental concept: hope. Ever since Superman first broke onto the scene, this has been true. Even when it didn’t feel like it, DC was reacting to what hope meant even at its most nihilistic by trying to run away from it, but whenever DC tries to turn it back on it, the idea of hope always comes back.
When things can feel rather hopeless for people in the LGBTQ+ community, with legislation trying to outlaw being transgender, hate crimes growing in number against all members of the LGBTQ community, and more, it would be easy to ignore hope. It would be easy to be angry and violent, and it would be justified to do all that, and not have hope. It would also have been easy to pretend nothing was happening and write about hope in a vacuum. Both paths would have been bad. They would have added to the hopelessness others feel in different ways.
Instead, DC Pride 2023 #1 hits it out of the park. It doesn’t give in to fear, but aptly acknowledges and recognizes it as the issue should. We have many reasons to be afraid, and instead of denying that, several of the stories here show how characters can stand up against all the hate. They don’t need superpowers to be symbols, or to stand up to oppression. The idea that LGBTQ+ heroes can do just as much by existing and existing loudly hits home.
It would have been easy to mess it up and say at least they tried, but they didn’t just try, the creators succeeded. This isn’t the usual review because this is a book you should read without spoilers. The best way to sell someone on it is to say that it does what it needed to do this year.
You can pick it up at your local Comic Book store, online, and if you have DC Universe Infinite, you can read it with your subscription. DC Pride 2023 is a book that should not be missed.
Thank You For Reading! Read DC Pride 2023!
Sorry for the long pause between posts again, but life remains busy and probably isn’t going to stop being busy. I’m going to be more selective about what books I review and probably be a bit inconsistent. If you liked this review, please like and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the blog.