Coming Out Day 2023: Best LGBTQIA+ Graphic Novels

Happy Coming Out Day! Today is for celebrating stories of acceptance in all forms — self-acceptance, finding community, finding love, and even facing our fears.

While there’s no universal way to come out as LGBTQIA+ (and no rule that you have to come out at all), there are many graphic novels exploring what it means to come out. Here are 7 of our top picks to add to your reading list!

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Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

When we think of LGBTQ graphic novels, this one is usually the first to come to mind. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel is an iconic memoir about the author’s relationship with her father and both their sexualities. It’s full of literary allusions, dry and dark humor, and introspection. Most importantly, it’ll make you cry both tears of joy and of grief. What more can you ask for from the perfect blend of tragedy and comedy?

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You Brought Me The Ocean

This incarnation of Aquaman’s successor is known as Jake Hyde, and this DC graphic novel is a moving story — both figuratively and literally. Jake lives in a small town in New Mexico but he dreams of moving away. Something deep within him longs for a life far different from what he knows. That life suddenly swirls in faster than a riptide once he meets Kenny Liu, a swim team captain who compels Jake to face the desires he’s been holding under the surface. Anyone who has yearned to take their own path in life will enjoy this tale from Alex Sanchez.

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Heartstopper

Much like the previous entry, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman features young love — but without any superpowers. In fact, Charlie and Nick are fairly ordinary, but that’s exactly what makes their story together so endearing. Readers get to witness their tentative romance bloom page by page, of course meeting a few roadblocks along the way with troubled pasts and uncertain decisions. Heartstopper is perfect for queer readers who might not have experienced young love quite like this as well as young readers who are just starting to experience queer love for the first time.

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Nimona

This one’s for all the science fiction and fantasy lovers. Nimona by ND Stevenson features a shapeshifter and a disgraced knight. The story follows this unlikely duo as they attempt to uncover secrets about the pristine and allegedly perfect Institute. It’s full of fun, heart, and a whole host of queer characters. Many of the topics and themes concerning rebellion, identity, and found family have resonated with LGBTQ+ audiences around the world, making it a must-read.

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The Prince and the Dressmaker

If you love to be swept off your feet, you should pick up a copy of The Prince and The Dressmaker. This fantastic fairytale is set in Paris, France. There, Prince Sebastian helps run his kingdom by day. By night, he galavants as the glamorous Lady Crystallia. Of course, he finds fashion help and a friend in the seamstress Frances. At the heart of the story, however, is an important plea for love, understanding, and acceptance from the people closest to us. But don’t worry — the happy ending tells us all that we everyone deserve that acceptance and reassures us that we’ll find it one day.

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Poison Ivy: Thorns

Poison Ivy’s origin story in DC Comics has always been fraught with questions of autonomy. Her powers themselves are often the consequence of a scheming man’s failed experiments. In this version of Pamela Isley’s childhood, her father is actually the one who sets her down a path of enhanced botanical physiology. Along the way, however, Pamela unearths her own voice, thanks in part to a blossoming romance with a classmate named Alice. While love doesn’t always cure us of our villainy, it does make for some compelling reading in Kody Kiplinger’s unique reimagining.

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The Magic Fish

When coming out involves family members, a tricky process is made all the more difficult. It’s not easy to share something with people who are so close to us because this single revelation can completely change a relationship’s dynamic. However, when love and support are shared by both sides, the result can be a relationship that is enriched beyond measure. Young Tiến discovers this when he and his mom connect through unexpected similarities in Trung Le Nguyen’s enchanting graphic novel.

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Of course, these are only a handful of the many beautiful and touching LGBTQIA+ graphic novels available. Not to mention the many queer stories that are just waiting to be told!

What are your favorite queer graphic novels? Share your reading recommendations in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!