DC’s New Book Of Pride Will Spotlight LGBTQIA Characters

The powers that be at DC Comics are giving their fans what they want, with the release of The DC Book of Pride in 2023, written and curated by talented author and DC expert Jadzia Axelrod, highlighting more than 50 of DC’s most iconic and beloved LGBTQ+ characters.

DC Comics has seen an impressive push the past several years in their representation of diverse queer identities, not only introducing new and unique LGBTQ+ characters, but having established characters like the beloved Tim Drake and Jonathan Kent come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, DC has hired queer creators to write and illustrate a variety of queer-focused series and specials. While many companies tend to reserve their LGBTQ+ focused material just for Pride Month, DC Comics is moving past their epic Pride Month specials to integrate queer characters more genuinely into their ongoing stories.

The DC Book of Pride, which is set to debut in May 2023, is being published by DK of Penguin Random House, the publisher of the incredibly detailed and impressive The DC Comics Encyclopedia, and will be written and curated by author Jadzia Axelrod. In an announcement on her Twitter, Jadzia Axelrod – who is the co-creator of the new DC transgender alien superhero Galaxy alongside Jess Taylor and author of the hero’s debut graphic novel Galaxy: The Prettiest Star – wrote, “To everyone who told me, ‘You know so much about queer superheroes, you should write a book,’ I have some excellent news.” It is truly so exciting that DC Comics is not only creating this incredible book, which will act as “...an indispensable and celebratory companion to the DC Pride comic books,” but that they are continuing to uplift queer creators like Axelrod with ongoing content focusing on LGBTQ+ characters that long time readers love and new fans can finally be introduced to. The DC Book of Pride will offer extensive profiles on “...more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Superman, Nubia, Robin, Batwoman, Aqualad, Dreamer, Green Lantern, and many more. Discover their fascinating origins, amazing superpowers, and key storylines,” and hopefully one on Axelrod’s own Galaxy as well!

While the cover for The DC Book of Pride is yet to be released, DK did have this to say, “With stunning comic book artwork and an exclusive cover artwork by renowned DC comics illustrator Paulina Ganucheau, this book is a perfect addition to the collection of any DC fan.” Paulina Ganucheau is the incredibly talented co-creator of Zodiac Starforce, creator of Lemon Bird, and is behind some of DC most stunning Pride Month portraits, like the fan-favorite cover of the queer Star Wars icon Doctor Aphra, so there is no doubt that her cover for the book will be absolutely gorgeous. DC Comics has made to sure to continue highlighting queer characters like Dreamer, Tim Drake, Jonathan Kent, and Aqualad in their ongoing series and guest appearances, showing that the comics publisher is actually dedicated to genuine representation of diverse queer identities. While there can always be improvement in media representation of marginalized identities, especially highlighting characters with intersectional queer and BIPOC identities, it is nonetheless impressive that DC Comics has continued to work towards creating inclusive and honest representations of LGBTQ+ folks.

The DC Book of Pride, written and curated by the incredibly talented Jadzia Axelrod, will surely become a must-have comic library staple for any DC Comics fan, and it is truly terrific news that an official compendium of LGBTQ+ characters will be available for all fans to enjoy and reference back to.

Source: Jadzia Axelrod, Penguin Random House