Queer Comics History -Episode 2 - Tove Jansson

Welcome back my queer comics history series! In this video, I talk about the incredible creator, Tove Jansson. She seems to always get left out of records of queer comics history, so I wanted to make sure to correct that, since I think she is one of the greats.

[OrgulloCero]

Thank you for this video, I can really feel your Bond with the author and the series ❤️

[jd]

Very nice and informative presentation!

[KacyJones]

There was an issue with the video when I posted it originally, but it's back up now.

YouTuber Vincent Faust wrote a really thorough comment on the original video that I wanted to make sure got preserved, so here it is:

This is a really great series. I'm sure you have a long list of creators you plan to get to at some point, but sharing some names that I find really fascinating in this lense. And maybe going a bit overboard...

Rachel Pollack's Doom Patrol is one of my favorites and has been criminally never reprinted by DC. Unfairly overshadowed by the preceding stretch by Grant Morrison. I'm pretty certain that her creation of Coagula was probably the first openly trans superhero in the mainstream. Named after Kate Bornstein too! And the run touches more broadly on a ton of identity questions with her, Robotman, and their relationship, surely also a first that has barely been seen again since.

Neal Pozner is another who is barely discussed in comics as he should be. Before getting to comics he'd already designed record covers for The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix. Then designed and wrote the cool "camo" costume for Aquaman in the 80s. As a talent scout he "discovered" and brought into the industry Travis Charest, Gene Ha, Stuart Immonen, and Phil Jimenez. He created some AIDS awareness PSA ads using DC's characters that ran through the 90s, many of which come off very dated but were still admirable for their time. Tragically he passed from AIDS complications. Jimenez, who was also his partner for a time, came out himself in a tribute to Neal in his book Tempest, which starred Aquaman's sidekick in a new costume and identity inspired by the cult 80s series.

Maddie Blaustein somehow spanned a career editing Spider-Man comics at one of the character's creative peaks in the 1980s, to creating one of the first major transgender comics characters at the already trailblazing Milestone, to then voicing Meowth in the Pokemon anime.

[ariabaci]

Kind of tangential, but: Hayao Miyazaki himself had a similar experience with an author being "not that thrilled with the final result" when Studio Ghibli adapted Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin!

[LiterallyGraphic]

I've meant to read Moomin for a while now, one of these days I'll squeeze them in lol >.<

[alexandrajacquelineannalap]

Dear Kacy - I always loved Tova’s Moomin Trolls in Finnish. Anyway, I sent a LinkedIn Connection Request. My Very Kindest & Warmest Regards, Sandy 🌹👱‍♀️