The five-month-old baby squirms in his crib as relatives look on. His uncle looks over to the newborn’s father, and comments “that kid’s going to be a ladykiller when he’s older!”. The child needs a diaper change. “Wait till she gets older,” the next-door neighbor says to the woman, gesturing to the woman’s five-year-old daughter.

According to tradition, the appropriate anniversary gift for a first year of marriage is paper. Many interpret that as money. Not comic cartoonists Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb, however. At their first marriage anniversary this past May 12th, the couple gave each other paper closer to their hearts: comics.

No, not those kind of LGBTQ rights (you know, human rights). I’m talking about Marvel’s divided film rights, and how that affects LGBTQ characters appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that’s owned by Disney. In its current state, there are no openly LGBTQ characters in all eleven films and four seasons of television.

Finding queer comics at ordinary comics conventions can often feel like some Herculean quest. It’s not polite to run up to a random comics creator and yell, “Are you queer?!”. And, unless a comic is emblazoned with rainbows or has a cutesy queer pun in its name, it’s nigh impossible to tell if a comic stars queer characters.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Cyborg, the Flash, and Aquaman. In September 2011, these seven were the tentpole heroes of the Justice League for DC’s New 52 relaunch. In June 2015, they are the seven heroes of DC’s current Justice League. Also in June 2015, they are the seven heroes of DC’s upcoming Justice League of America comic.

Collapsed and covered in Convergence confusion? Stupendously stumped and astonishingly stressed by Secret Wars? Do not dread! DC’s Divergence denotes a dawn of diverse, dutifully-drawn ditties. A long-held criticism of comic’s top publishers is a lack of diversity, both with the characters on the panel and of the creators who wrangle them.

As someone who cares deeply about queer representation, I see this question asked a lot. A writer develops a deeply homophobic caricature of a villain, there’s online fallout, and this is the refrain. Surprisingly, I actually have something in common with the commenter; I too want more gay (and bi, lesbian, etc.) villains.

Not yet halfway through its third season, Canadian science fiction show Orphan Black has already been renewed by the BBC for a fourth one! In universe, the tagline “Clone Club” refers to the eclectic gang of ladies who share a genome. Outside the universe, it refers to the eclectic gang of everyfolk who share a love for that Clone Club.

Every week, a different Panelteer will give you a rundown of the comics they’re most looking forward to for the week. Floppies, trades and omniboo are all fair game here. This week, Jon Erik tells us whats on his pull list. “If you like Saga but want it to be more gay, you should pick this up.”. And in the final sentence of his ComicsAlliance interview, Chip Zdarsky had me sold for Kaptara.

A female person who is “not like those other girls.”. She only has male friends, because girls are, well, you know how they are. If she ever upsets her male friends, she ceases being the “cool girl.”. The female lead in a movie, film, or comic who is surrounded by an all-male supporting cast. When Smurfette gets her own show and doesn’t pick up any friends along the way.

For the next two months, the world as DC Comics readers know it is going on vacation. Well, a vacation that involves a ton of people brawling in a cramped space—a DC family roadtrip, if you must. Historically, line-wide events predicated on nostalgia (which is a great many of them) often neglect the publisher’s queer characters.

This guest post is by Jon Erik Christianson. Jon Erik is a writer, geeky feminist, freelancer for the Forces of Good, and part-time Maniac Pixie Dream Guy. On occasion, he writes about villain butts. Poison Ivy, civilian name Pamela Isley, is a woman of refined tastes. She likes the color green, ’50s pin-up inspired attire, and the odd plucky psychiatrist.

This guest post is by Jon Erik Christianson. Jon Erik is a writer, geeky feminist, freelancer for the Forces of Good, and part-time Maniac Pixie Dream Guy. On occasion, he writes about villain butts. If March came in like a lion (as Marches are purportedly wont to do), it came in on a snowplow. And if it intends to go out like a lamb, I highly advise that lamb avoid public transportation because, at least in my New England neck of the woods, it is not reliable.

Much about Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, out this past Wednesday, is sung. Many writers far more professional than I have talked about its infectious theme song (which is doubly sung), hilarious end-page jokes, expressive artwork, and clever dialogue. The comic has gotten critical acclaim pretty universally across mainstream comics media.

Note: One of my favorite guest posters (and fellow Bostonian) Jon E. Christianson is back with a look at the Queer Comics panel from this past weekend’s BCC. The (convention) halls were alive with the sights of lines this past weekend in Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center. Comic book creators had winding lines.

They came with Pikachus. They came with Batarangs. They came with tails, oversized mallets, spandex, trench coats, and lots of double-stick tape. And they came by the thousands. This past weekend, the Seaport World Trade Center held its annual Boston Comic Con, and fans of superheroes, aliens, the supernatural, and everything in between gathered to celebrate art, fandom, and fiction.