Three Things | UNBANNED, Humble Bundle, DC Pride

Here are three things to read, to support and to watch today. Happy Pride Month!

[Image above: Heathen cover by Natasha Alterici]

1. To read: Vault announces “UNBANNED” initiative for Pride Month

June is Pride Month, as you’ve probably noticed if you’ve visited any corporation’s website or social media account this week to see that they’ve updated their logo with a rainbow flag. Some companies are doing more than that, though, including three comics-related ones that I wanted to draw attention to today.

First is Vault Comics, who today announced UNBANNED — “a Pride month initiative to give away free queer books to everyone, everywhere.” If you’ve followed the news over the last few months, you know that there’s a very orchestrated campaign going on right now against books with LGBTQ+ themes (among others) as politicians attempt to win points with constituents. Vault is not only making some of their titles by LGBTQ+ creators available for free on their web store all month, but also shared a very heartfelt message with LGBTQ+ readers in doing so. I try to keep these Three Things posts “press release free” and just share things I’ve discovered organically, but hey, what are rules made for if not to be broken? Here’s the press email they sent out today in full:

Banning books is nothing new to the world of comics and literature, but in recent months we’ve seen an unprecedented uptick in new bans across the country. These bans have targeted many queer books and creators. And while politicians and extremist groups may be working hard to erase LGBTQIA+ voices, we at Vault Comics continue to maintain that this space, our space, has always and will always be safe — but more than safe, it will be loud, proud, and unapologetic.

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Seeley + Galan hit ‘The Roadie’ in September

Sex, drugs and exorcisms.

In a comic that sounds right up his alley, Tim Seeley will team will artist Fran Galan on The Roadie, a new miniseries coming in the fall from Dark Horse Comics.

The comic stars a former heavy metal band roadie from the 1980s “satanic panic” era — but it turns out all those stories about backwards lyrics summoning demons were real, so he not only carried gear but also served as an exorcist when needed.

“I wanted to tell the story of the ‘unsung hero’ of the 80s Satanic Panic era…,” Seeley said, “the roadies who supported all those metal bands, not only by tuning their guitars, but by casting out the horrific demons they accidentally summoned with backwards lyrics and screaming riffs. Joe D. is the seventh son of a seventh son, and though once he stood next to greatness, he now wallows in obscurity…. until he gets called upon to return to a past he thought he’d left far behind. The Roadie is part Hack/Slash, part Revival, and all heart, with Fran Galan doing some absolutely rockin’ art.”

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