Rainbow-Comics

Mirror for https://twitter.com/rainbow_comics. This blog will consists of reviews of LGBT+ themed comics. 

[rainbowcomicsreview]

Episode 4 : Get Your Man

http://getyourmancomic.tumblr.com/ by @superkamiokande

Get Your Man is a sex positive webcomic about a Mountie and a doctor falling in love in different alternate universes.

Plot overview: The plot revolves around Francis and Charles, two men falling for each other across time and space.Francis is a Canadian mountie and Charles a doctor for many of these iterations.Many of these stories are a set up for more sexy things to come.

The story: In case of Get Your Man the basic premise is the most I can talk about in this section.Two men falling in love across time and space. Sometimes robots, other times vampires, this can vary depending on what Kami focuses on.This creates a very varied experience and it is interesting to see these characters being slightly different throughout their adventures.

The setting: The settings change with each AU. Sometimes it’s a school in the 1990ies, sometimes it’s the far off future, sometimes it’s a different planet.Kami manages to create all these settings in a way that they are still believable and fun, even if some of the stories are so short that the reader only gets a glance of them.

The characters: Francis is a Canadian Mountie. He’s rather shy but well-natured, friendly and proper.He is very focused on doing the right thing and puts his well-being far behind the ones of others.Charles is the absolute opposite: Eccentric, outgoing, often self-centered and not quite as law-abiding as Francis.Deep down he is still a good guy, who often finds himself enamored with the tall mountie.Their personality creates some nice contrast and play off each other very well. Conflict is mostly developed through character motivation.

The art: The art is very fluid and has a lively feel to it. The characters are generally always in motion, conveying what they feel very well.Kamis line-art is incredibly clean, making looking through the comic a real treat.The color palettes for each AU are very well balanced and give off a distinctive mood.The backgrounds are clearly not the focus, they are detailed enough to communicate a mood for the surrounding space.

Queer-ness: The story revolves around two guys falling for each other over and over. Sexuality is the main focus of this story.The subject is dealt with in an open and fun way, showing the characters enjoying each others company and the sex.It is incredibly sex positive avoiding abusive tendencies that many Boyslove comics suffer from.Charles also shows some sort of non-conformative dressing styles throughout different stories and illustrations.

Get Your Man is a fun and sexy comic, with very lovable characters.I highly recommend it for everyone wanting to read positive sexual fantasies involving gay man.Many of the stories are pretty graphic though, so it is clearly aimed at adult readers.If that’s for you go out and read how Charles and Francis get each other.

[rainbowcomicsreview]

Episode 3: Lovespells

http://lovespellscomic.com/ by Ryan and Sage

Lovespells is about a gay witch who falls in love with a magic knight, while trying to handle a curse

Plot overview: The witch Esther is burdened with a terrible curse. Every time her magic points run out she falls asleep!In one of these situations she is rescued by the magic knight Maria. Esther develops instant feelings for the upstanding young woman.Things seem to move into a favorable direction, when Maria asked Esther to become her pupil to polish her magic.

The story: Lovespells is a love story and focuses on Esther’s and Maria’s developing relationship. It’s seemingly simple but incredibly sweet.I would describe it as a feel-good-story. I love to return to Lovespells when I’m stressed, to escape for a while and make me feel better.Things like Esther’s curse still keep the reader on edge.

The setting: The story is set in a JRPG-world and deals with that in a creative way.Things like magic-health and status points and items that can just be magically stored away exists. The way it is set up never destroys the experience though.All these elements are brought up in a way that feels natural and as a part of the world, while giving me the feeling of playing a JRPG.

Characters: Oh boy, do I love these characters! Everyone just oozes with personality. Especially the leads Esther and Maria are incredibly sweet with all their quirks and interesting personality traits. Esther is head-over-heels for Maria and it’s fun to watch her struggle with that. It’s fun because the struggle is a result of her personality, rather than societal prejudices.Maria is a very upstanding, proper knight and I love that she’s still allowed to be very feminine. Both characters are on a similar level. The supporting characters are all very colorful and give the world a sense of being truly alive.

The art: The artwork for the comic starts out in black and white, designs and backgrounds are kept a bit sketchy and rather simple. They are still beautiful to look at. The comic later on picks up colors and details become more refined.Backgrounds are used in a greater capacity when deemed necessary, drawing the focus towards the characters.The character designs are all very varied and incredibly pleasing to look at. They reflect the JRPG design charm, while not being quite as restricted.

Queer-ness: The comic is focused on the blooming relationship between Esther and Maria. Esther is also pretty damn gay in general. Sexual orientations are not used as a crutch for cheap drama, like many mainstream works of that sort tend to often do.This makes this comic feel safe and genuine, because the focus is on how characters personalities interconnect.

Lovespells is highly recommended. It’s sweet, it’s beautiful and it gives you and absolute great feeling while reading it.

[rainbowcomicsreview]

Episode 2: The Blue Valkyrie

https://tapas.io/series/TheBlueValkyrie by Emily Riesbeck (Trigger warning for mention of sexual assault

“The Blue Valkyrie” is a superhero webcomic featuring queer and transgender characters in leading roles.Aka the kind of webcomic, I love to read!

Plot Overview: Chloe lives in Cream City and has her life together. Stable social circle, a girlfriend and generally better than years ago.After meeting up with an old friend, who only seems to view her as an object and tries to assault her, she suddenly develops superpowers.In the face of the gentrification of her home through Edwin Price, she takes on the name of “Blue Valkyrie” to help.But strangely enough, Chloe is not the only one of her friends who develops mysterious powers.

The story: Chloe's superhero activities happen on a smaller scale and might, therefore, feel more down to earth than regular superhero stories.Dealing with businessmen trying to take over your city and helping out friends in crisis is something relatable.As a whole, the story is more focused on the development and relationships of its characters, which I greatly enjoy.All this might turn out to have been on a much greater scale all along.

Setting: The setting is a city with certain social troubles on the edge of gentrification.This topic is rarely touched upon in comics and TBV deals with this pretty well.It helps to make the characters and their struggles feel real.

Characters: Chloe is the clear main character of the story. She is sympathetic and relatable. As a reader, I want to see her succeed.The rest of the cast is very varied, everyone has unique struggles, later enhanced by superpowers.They are what I would personally call authentic. I feel like I could meet them down the street.

The art: The art by David Mitchell is mostly realistic, with natural looking people and detailed backgrounds.In the beginning, even though expressive, it is a bit wonky at parts, but David develops as an artist over the course of the project.Linework gets more clear and he starts making more use of negative spaces and grey-scale.The comic is in black and white, which is utilized to give a greater focus on detailed characters and backgrounds.

Queer-ness: The story opens with Chloe musing about the choice of her name. There is no secret of her being trans.She is in a relationship with another woman and most of the cast can be called queer in one way or another.Even if not the focus, the casts sexual and gender identities are important and have an impact.

I highly recommend TBV to anyone, but especially fans of the superhero genre, who might be tired of the Big Twos shenanigans.You’ll be getting an engaging story, with great characters and a slight twist on the conventional superhero story.

[rainbowcomicsreview]

Episode 1: Job Satisfaction

http://jobsatisfactioncomic.tumblr.com/ by @prawnlegs

 Job Satisfaction is a webcomic about about demon summoners and their day to day struggles with the job and interpersonal relationships.

 Plot overview: Lemme Laviolette is the personal assistant of the professional demon summoner Sinh Thùy.They have to deal with their own gender identity, Sinhs job and their fascination for demons, especially with the awfully charming Ambrose. Things become more complicated when Sinh summons the succubus Constance, who has taken a vow of celibacy.Even though not giving what Sinh expected Constance stays, much to Lemmes dismay.

 The story: It feels refreshing and new, depicting a world where demons are not hunted and the occult is a fascinating part-time. This goes so far as bringing demons to certain events assures you a clear rise in social ranks.Demons may be dangerous, but first and foremost they are also just people. Until now there does not seem to be an overarching plot. The story focuses on Lemmes and Sinhs day to day problems.

 Setting: The setting feels like a mix of the 1920s to 1930s and modern times.Buildings, clothing styles and means of transportations reflect the former, smartphones and the internet the latter.These elements are blended perfectly and add to the charm of the world.

Characters: The characters are greatly interesting and feel very real. The reader gets both frustrated and happy with them. They play off one another well and conflict is generally created by personalities and different world views than outside sources.All of them are likable, even if some feel more untrustworthy. Even characters with short appearances ooze personality, which makes the world feel truly alive.The designs are diverse, with different body types and facial structures.

The art: The artstyle is simple and cartoony. Linework and colors are solid. Shading is kept simple.The comic utilizes this to focus on expressions and gestures, of which the characters have plenty.The color palettes are beautiful and perfectly emphasize the mood of a certain scene. Backgrounds are solid and give a very good view into the world and setting of the story.

 Queer-ness(?): Lemme and Sinh are both non-binary. Their gender comes up every once in awhile and is treated very naturally.The demons don’t seem to have a set gender at all. They just go with different pronouns.Sexuality-wise Lemme has something going on with Ambrose, there is a hinted relationship with Sinh. Generally Lemme seems to be interested in all kinds of people and this is rather embraced than shamed.

Overall,Job Satisfaction charmed me with its unique characters, wonderful artstyle and generally interesting premise! It is a great amusing read and I highly recommend it!