It's Pride Month, and I want to discuss what I think is a really important and amazing story that features a lot of things that drew me to comics in the first place. The drama of big, beautifully-rendered cosmic fights and the marriage of dialogue and art sparks the imagination, but sometimes we come to comics through another medium, like The MCU, X-Men The Animated Series, or Batman: The Animated Series.
There's something I've only experienced once before, with Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, which we should talk about sometime soon. But I'm rarely drawn in by nonfiction comics. The world can be tough, so I probably don't read as much nonfiction as I should. I tend to read to see through someone else's eyes, but there's one nonfiction comic that I think is important for everyone to read.
Now, as usual, I'm only speaking from my own perspective. The Queer community is varied and vast, but I've been reading comics for almost fifty years, and I've got some stuff to say.
Kevin Conroy, the actor who brought Batman and Bruce Wayne to life in the Batman animated series, which started in 1992, changed its name a few times, and won multiple Emmy awards. Conroy continued voicing Batman in the Justice League series, DC animated movies, television, and video games.
In 2022, DC's Pride anthology featured a special story written by Kevin Conroy and drawn by J. Bone. It is a short autobiographical piece about his troubled family life, working as an actor in theater, film, and television. It is also about his coming out. It's a wonderful read but a difficult one. Too often, when we read something about the past, it's easy to point out how far we've come and how different we are now. But it's important to remember Kevin Conroy's story isn't so far in the past that we can forget. Born in 1955, it's a harsh moment for both the writer and the reader when we see that he hasn't hidden his sexual orientation as well as he'd hoped. Slur words are thrown around, potential jobs are lost, and life hurts.
The reason I wanted to talk about this story is that Pride month is about more than a celebration of where we are. It's also a reminder of where we've been. History is more important than we often realize. It's easy to coopt the past when we don't remember it; it can be easy to manipulate. From people forgetting Cooper's Donuts and the Compton Café riots before Stonewall to the AIDS/HIV crisis in the 1980s, we tend to forget what's not right in front of us.
Conroy's story is the antithesis of forgetting. It's painfully present, the wounds of the past never quite healing properly and spilling into the present day. It's not a bleak story, however. It's actually a story about triumph. There are only great victories if there are great defeats, right? We read comics to see the heroes overcome, not just win.
It's a story about a triumph, personally and professionally, that I hope Mr. Conroy enjoyed. As Batman, he inspired more people than anyone can know. As an actor who came out, who blossomed into himself, into his true self, he's just as inspiring.
I also need to mention the art by J Bone, an out Canadian comic artist who skillfully, subtly, and superbly illustrates the story. The storytelling of Bone's art shows off the highs and lows. Comics are a graphic medium, and the art and words dance together perfectly.
Queer history is important. Personal stories are important. Understanding and compassion are important, and when they are all together, when we read them and connect to them, we build bridges. Happy Pride, everyone! Be proud of who you are.