Queer Comics Database Debuts

Here at Panel Patter, we are proud to give attention to books featuring queer representation and work by queer creators. I'm always excited when additional resources that help shout out great work by and about queer people are created, such as Mari Naomi's excellent Queer Creators Database.

Yesterday, I was delighted to see that a new site opened up dedicated to finding queer-centric comics, called, appropriately enough, the Queer Comics Database.  Co-created by Aydin Kwan and Le Button as a capstone project for school, the site's tag line is "Discover your next queer read."

Opening with a page that gives you a random comic to read (currently for me the comic suggested is "Oh Human Star" by Panel Pal Blue Delliquanti--excellent choice!), the site's set-up is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate, with sections such as "Browse Creator," "Browse Series," and also a ton of tags at the bottom of the page that break things down into categories. You can also use a filter program on the left. It's pretty nifty.

The creators' goal isn't to be a gatekeeper. They aren't judging the quality of the comic, how "queer" the work or the creator is, and so on. It's designed to point you in the direction of queer comics, not to tell you which ones to read. They leave that to sites like, well like this one. :)

Here's their statement on the site's purpose:

MISSION

Our mission is to facilitate access to comics that contain queer representation. This includes:

• Comics published in print and on the web.
• Comics from major publishers, independent publishers, and self-published comics.
• Comics for children, teens, and adults, as well as all-ages comics.
• Representation from across the LGBTQIA spectrum, as well as intersectional representation.

SCOPE

Our focus is on the content of the work, rather than on the creators. Whether a work is “own voices” is beyond the scope of this site. If you are looking for a database of queer-identified creators, we recommend the Queer Cartoonists Database.

Although we strive for accuracy, our focus is on substantive representation. The site is not intended to be comprehensive, and there may be partial or incomplete information, especially regarding content warnings. This is not a recommendations site, and inclusion in the database does not represent an endorsement of any creators or content.

While probably not something I would personally use on a regular basis--I'm buried up to my neck in comics--I'm really glad to see a resource like this exists. I think it will be extremely helpful for school libraries and other places wishing to increase their queer content. They encourage people to submit additional works to the database as well, so if you're so inclined--or have a comic of your own to share--there's a way to do that, too.

You can visit the database here, and I highly recommend that you do!