DC Pride: Better Together

DC Cultural Anthologies

by Nicole Maines, A.L. Kaplan (inker), Marissa Louise (colorist)

This hardcover expansion of DC’s celebrated DC Pride 2023 anthology delivers the greatest super-hero team-ups the multiverse has to offer! Legendary scribe Grant Morrison returns to the world of The Multiversity for a tale of the cosmic lengths Flashlight will run to in order to honor his lost love! Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy take a getaway to Dinosaur Island, only to stumble on Lobo’s daughter, Crush! Jon Kent gets a crash course in the dark side of magic from John Constantine! All this and more, plus a gallery of sensational DC Pride variant-cover art!

Collects DC Pride 2023 #1 alongside the debut of Circuit Breaker from Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 and an Alan Scott tale from DC Pride: Through The Years #1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, LGBT, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2024

Reviews

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology is most hit but there are a few misses here as well.

Miss: too much Harley and Ivy, not enough romance with the male characters, especially Tim Drake and Jon Kent. I'd have loved to have seen some interactions with their respective boyfriends.

Hit: The Apollo/Midnighter story, Cat-Man and Ghostwalker, and the Spirit World character whose name I forget.

Middling were the Circuit Breaker stories (interesting character but kind of incoherent) and the Grant Morrison story that, up to their usual standard, was a bit hard to follow but worth staying with it.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant read. I was introduced to a new character named Circuit Breaker who apparently made his debut in Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1. He's FTM and has visible top surgery scars, which is super cool! He got 2 issues included in this anthology.

Not my favorite of the DC Pride anthologies, but still worth reading.

[Eva B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jules has one of the best designs I've seen in a while! I wish that instead of including preview material we could have gotten some more original stories--and seriously? No Renee? No Kate outside of a guest appearance, but two Harley and Ivy stories?

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it perfect? No. Is it a vast improvement from its 2021 predecessor? For sure. Not everything ends with Inspirational Textboxes. The Rachel Pollack stuff was 😭 and a good reminder that comics have BEEN queer.

Some of the newer characters are really interesting! Love when things keep moving ahead.

[Calvin Pallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is amazing and the inclusivity is so good

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.83/5

This is a collection of DC comics featuring LGBTQ+ stories, characters, artists, and writers, and includes:

1. a foreword by Phil Jimenez - 3/5

2. Love's Lightning Heart: A Multiversity Story written by Grant Morrison, art by Hayden Sherman, coloring by Marissa Louise, lettering by Aditya Bidikar, and edited by Jessica Chen. - 1.5/5
- I'm unfamiliar with The Multiversity so this was confusing to follow as it seems to jump straight into fast-paced travel across different worlds as Flashlight searches for The Flash (I think?). While I liked the art and coloring, the story was too confusing.

3. And Baby Makes Three written by Leah Williams, art by Paulina Ganucheau, lettering by Frank Cvetkovic, and edited by Arianna Turturro. - 5/5
- This short story follows Crush who gets stranded in an island with Harley and Ivy. The art style feels very YA-graphic novel (cutesy, fun, with vibrant colors) and depicts a really cute and fun dynamic between Harlivy.

4. Hey Stranger written by Nadia Shammas, art by Bruka Jones, color by Tamra Bonvillain, letter by Frank Cvetkovic, and edits by Andrea Shea - 4/5
- I absolutely love the art in this story of Robin and Green Arrow's son, Connor where readers get a glimpse of the two discussing their feelings and experience with coming out. The dialogue was alright, but did I mention that I loved the art?

5. 8 Seconds of Still Force by A.L. Kaplan, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and edited by Andrea Shea - 2.5/5
- This is a Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker origin story. The story is lacking and Circuit Breaker's powers was hard to understand but the art is great and I love the green and pink color palette.

6. Subspace Transmission by A.L. Kaplan, letters by Aditya Bidikar, edited by Andrea Shea - 1.5/5
- This is a continuation of Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker's adventures although it appears that some time has passed since 8 Seconds of Still Force. To be honest, I had a hard time figuring out what was going on in this story.

7. Anniversary written by Josh Trujillo, art and color by Don Aguillo, letters by Lucas Gattoni, and edited by Michael McCalister - 3.5/5
- Midnighter and Apollo celebrate their anniversary by getting married again on national TV in order to combat homophobia. The story is heavy handed but the art is impressive - every panel looks like an oil painting!

8. Found: A Spirit World Story written by Jeremy Holt, illustrated by Andrew Drilon, lettered by Lucas Gattoni, edited by Jessica Chen - 4/5
- This is my first introduction to Xanthe and... I think I'm in love?

9. The Envoy: A Spirit World Story written by Alyssa Wong, art by Haining, colors by Sebatian Cheng, letters by Janice Chiang, edits by Jessica Chen - 5/5
- First of all, I love the all-Asian ensemble of creators who brought this story to life. I also adore the artwork and I am in love with Xanthe. This was a great introduction to the Spirit World comics, which I will definitely check out!

10. Teamwork Makes The Dream Work by Mildred Louis, lettering by Ariana Maher and edits by Jillian Grant and Andrea Shea - 3.5/5
- A YA-graphic novel of Queen Nubia testing a training simulation

11. The Dance written by Rex Ogle, art by Stephen Sadowski, colors by Enrica Eren Angiolini, letters by Ariana Maher, and edits by Michael McCalister - 5/5
- "Battle is a dance. And what is a dance without a partner?" I can't say I'm familiar with any of the characters here, but the story was simple, straightforward and well-written and the artwork was great. No complaints.

12. Across the Multiverse written by Greg Lockard, art by Giulio Macaione, colors by Fabs Nocera, letters by Ariana Maher, edits by Micahel McCalister and Katie Kubert - 3/5
- Another Midnighter and Apollo comic where they find each other across the multiverse.

13. Harley Quinn in Stranger Than Fan Fiction written by Alexis Quasarano, art by Max Sarin, colors by Marissa Louise, letters by Taylor Esposito, edits by Alex Galer and Ben Meares. 5/5
- This was a really cute YA-style comic of Harley Quinn following Poison Ivy at a masked garden gala to deliver a comic/fanfic she drew of the two of them if they were ever to meet in high school. The artwork was adorable and Harley's comic was equally as cute and I love Harley and Ivy's dynamic!

14. My Best Bet written by Christopher Cantwell, art by Skylar Patridge, colors by Dearbhla Kelly, letters by Morgan Martinez, edits by Arianna Turturro - 5/5
- Constantine and Son of Steel work together to save a friends soul. I thought the storytelling here was great and enjoyed this a lot.

15. a tribute to Rachel Pollack with contributions from Neil Gaiman, Tom Peyer, Trina Robbins, Alisa Kwitney, Joe Corallo and Jadzia Azelrod - this was a reminder that queer comics have existed for many decades (over 30 years!), thanks to Rachel Pollack's Doom Patrol and first appearance of Kate Godwin - a lesbian trans woman. 4.5/5

16. Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story written by Nicole Maines, art by Rye Hickman, colors by Bex Glendining, lettering by Rusty Gladd, edits by Sara Miller. 3/5
- this is an exclusive previous of Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story which I've reviewed here and had rated it a 4/5. That said, I do think more could have been included in this anthology as the excerpt provided doesn't offer much background on what's going on so I'm lowering rating for the portion that was provided in this anthology.

17. Past Prologue written by Tim Sheridan, art by Cian Tormy, colors by Matt Herms, letters by Lucas Gattoni, edits by Andrew Marino - 5/5
- A story of Green Lantern reminiscing on his past and to be continued in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern. This was a solid introduction that left my intrigued.

18. collection of art by Oscar Vega, Gabriel Picolo, Derek Charm, Jussica Lui Fong, Claire Roe with Triona Farrell, Luciano Vecchio, Babs Tarr, Travis Moore with Tamra Bonvillain, Noah Dao, Rosi Kampe, Angel Solorzano, Joshua Swaby, Brandt & Stein, Stephen Byrne, Yoshi Yoshitani, Amy Reeder, W. Scott Forbes, Claire Roe, Jen Bartel, A.L. Kaplan- I love looking at some of these artworks! 5/5

[Jose Covarrubias · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great read, just wanted a little more. The stories always left me wanting more.

[baz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This couldn't possibly have been more mid!
How could they have gone from such a banger of 2022 to this?!?

[Tyler Zamora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this collection of DC Pride stories a higher review than I did, but it just fell short compared to the previous years’ collections. I think one of the problems was the lack of knowing who all the characters were. And I can admit that’s somewhat my fault (I should be better as a comic geek), but I wish the stories were meatier so I could get a better sense of who these characters are, other than being part of the LGBTQIA+ canon. And maybe that’s another bigger gripe I have with this collection. Previously issues felt like they were telling these stories because they had to be told, they were essential. The stories in this collection feel more fun and light hearted, like they were just randomly thrown together without thinking of the way they cohesively appear together. For instance, I thought the section where they had a tribute to trans trailblazer Rachel Pollack should’ve been at the very end, but for some reason the editors tacked it in the middle/kinda toward the end. It felt weird.

On a high note, that tribute to Rachel was beautiful and my favorite part of the collection. It was very real and struck a chord with me. A lot of the other stories felt like the characters were gay, trans or whatever just because they happened to be. It had no importance to the story or character sometimes which bugged me. For example, the story featuring Ghost-Maker and Catman just had two heroes boning and for what. They were gay for each other, but what is at stake, what was learned? I guess that they’ll always be there for each other, whether it’s for a quick fight or a quick bone. Is that the message? Is that who my people are? Maybe I’m reading too much into it. I just didn’t connect with a lot of the stories as a gay man personally.

I did like the story with Apollo and Midnighter (although it was a bit corny). I also was somewhat interested in the story at the end about Alan Scott (Green Lantern), but we barely got the story and instead it was the beginning of another storyline that we’ll never know the answer to (cause I probably won’t be checking GL out anytime soon). It just felt pointless, even though I was intrigued. The Nubia story was fun! I liked that she got to fight several different DC villains in a danger room style format. I also liked that the message of that story was finding strength as a unit by finding individual strengths in one another. It takes all types of people to make up a world. This story did a great job at using LGBTQIA+ characters, but not making anything feel forced. Another thing I really loved was the costume design for trans superhero Circuit Breaker. I thought it was smart to use the top surgery scars as part of the costume. It’s a way for the community to see beauty in a past that may sometimes be rooted in pain.

Overall, I appreciate what DC writers and editors are trying to do, but as the G in LGBTQIA+, this wasn’t completely it for me. It missed some marks, had some highs, and some many lows, but I’m not mad I read it. I’m absolutely floored that this comic even exists and I’m happy it does, even though it didn’t live up to my super high expectations. Either way it’s totally worth the read just to be exposed to other super heroes that are unknown and don’t get much time in the spotlight.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m starting to recognise more characters that are involved in these pride stories and once again find myself going, “wait, who’s this now?” but I’ve always said that’s a good thing. It lets readers that may relate to these characters in some aspect discover them.

That why I like whenever I see Connor in them. A few years ago I didn’t have a clue who this character was, now I enjoy there’s some asexual representation in the comics.

And for other characters involved I like that the writers don’t choose to fully push the sexuality’s of characters in your face, a glimpse of a trans persons scars, the hint of flirtation between characters.

And then some very obvious stuff as well, characters supporting gay rights rallies, two guys that have clearly just had a very fun time… dancing as the comic puts it… and subtle hints at past relationships from some characters.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I could read this without being caught up on DC titles (I'm probably six years behind, in general), and I was completely lost with a number of the characters and storylines. Fortunately, they mostly stand alone enough that it didn't matter that I'd never heard of Flashlight before, and only had a vague idea who Nubia is. I think what really worked best for me was the story that wasn't in here - Rachel Pollack was scheduled to have a story included but she passed away before finishing it, and instead they replaced it with memorials to her, which were heartwarming and welcoming. It was a very suitable observance of her impact and elevated the otherwise pretty average stories of the collection.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Bad Super Hero Fan. I'll admit, outside of Flash, Green Lantern, and the Batman friends, I will admit, I didn't know these heroes/anti-heroes.

Featuring a collection of mini stories about some of our favorite Queer-coded characters are now very openly Queer.
Of course, DC Fans will rejoice at the Harley and Ivy stories (yes plural), but most of the stories do feature more M/M relationships than any other identity.

While I appreciate good artwork (and believe me it is stunning), it wasn't my cup of tea (personally).

After and in between the stories are collective poster art/cover art designs that really show just how deliciously Queer Heroes are. It made me happy to see that.


I guess I'm going to have to go down the rabbit hole and get into some more DC heroes.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75

As with any anthology, certain stories are gonna hit and others are gonna miss. Unfortunately, of the three pride collections I've read, this one had a lot of misses, especially the first one where I had no idea what was going on the whole time.

I think the problem is that the misses were stories that you really needed to have outside context to understand and I think that shouldn't happen in an anthology. All the stories should be able to stand alone.

However, the ones that landed *really* did and the artwork throughout was really sublime. The introduction and the tribute to Rachel Pollack were also very touching.

I'm glad I read this, and it has made me wanna check out some new series/authors/artists which is what an anthology should do.

[Cavak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of cute oneshots and a lovely tribute to Rachel Pollack. I was sorta expecting more political stories than the one in here, given how hostile the political climate can be towards LGTBQIA at present and the powerful questions asked by Phil Jiminez in his foreword. But I understand that sometimes cozy escapist fantasy is all right too for the feels. Comfort fiction is best sometimes.

Especially loved discovering some characters that I didn't know about until reading this since I'm not a heavy comic fan, even if the context of their situation confused me at times. Gotta keep an eye out for them. Hoping to read another collection with some deeper storytelling in the future.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very YA-oriented, which is nice but not quite what I was hoping for. Also, I am unfamiliar with so many of the characters profiled that it made jumping into their stories a little difficult. I'd love to see more of some of them, though, and I'm really happy a snippet of Alan Scott's Green Lantern is included. Nice to see two stories with Midnighter and Apollo as well as Harley and Ivy. Would have liked more with Tim Drake, but the one we got is sweet. The art is fairly solid throughout. I wouldn't reread it, but I don't regret checking it out either.

[Bardo 彡 · Rating 5 out of 5]

De los tres recopilatorios que he leído, este tiene algunas de mis historias favoritas. Algunos de mis highlights sin duda fueron la de Midnighter, Apollo y Green Lantern, la de Tim Drake y Connor Hawke, y la de Catman y Ghostmaker. Además, seguí descubriendo a varios personajes de los que quiero leer más, como Xanthe de Spirit World o la Doom Patrol de Rachel Pollack. También fue una adición bonita el pequeño preview de Alan Scott: The Green Lantern al final.

[Kevin Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend all of these stories for relative newcomers (as a relative newcomer to DC myself, I admit to being a bit lost with some of them), but the positive message throughout each tale is clear enough, and there's a wide variety of art styles on diaply, as well as a lovely tribute to the late Rachel Pollack.

[Niina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Täsmäluettu sarjakuvahaasteen kohtaan Batman- tai Teräsmies-sarjakuva.

Tämä todisti jälleen kerran sen, etten näistä klassisista supersankari-sarjakuvista pidä - edes Pride-teemalla. Parasta antia olivat lyhyttarinat, joissa oli mukana John Constantine.

[Larry Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little confusing since I didn't recognize all the characters, but some of the stories were very heart touching.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology.

[Adrien Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

was tim/bernard baited by the cover but the stories were cute so i can forgive it