Warning: major spoilers ahead for DC Pride #1!
DC has revealed the heroes of Justice League Queer. DC Pride #1 has been released and as promised, a story is included that presents the latest Justice League iteration. The roster - apart from Aqualad - had not fully been unveiled, until now.
There are numerous queer characters that DC has created throughout its history. While some have not always been treated as equally as others, these new stories are trying to change that. This anthology has brought back some characters that have not been seen in a while and it is even giving some characters their comic book debut. Nia Nal, for example, is finally premiering in the comics after her introductory appearance in the Arrowverse show, Supergirl. She is not, however, on the Justice League Queer team.
Justice League Queer was initially brought up as a pitch for a potential future miniseries. It was included in DC's Round Robin tournament but made a quick first-round exit when it was pit against Robins. At that time, Aqualad and Dreamer were said to be part of the JLQ roster for that pitch, which is separate from the story in this anthology. In addition to Jackson Hyde as Aqualad, the rest of the team includes Steel, the Aerie, Wink, the Ray, Bunker, Batwoman, Crush, Extraño, Tasmanian Devil, Shining Knight, Midnighter, Apollo, Traci Thirteen, Tremor, and Syl.
"Love Life" is Justice League Queer's debut story. The creative team behind it is Andrew Wheeler, Luciano Vecchio, Rex Lokus, Becca Carey, and Michael McCalister. This story features Jackson Hyde meeting with Syl, a new character who isn't a superhero at this point, but who is likely to be in the future. Syl says he is studying under Gregorio de la Vega, who is known by his alter ego - Extraño. Their day is crashed by Eclipso and just when Aqualad thinks he has to save the day by himself, help shows up - proving he doesn't have to fight alone. Extraño heads up JLQ, even providing its name, which is fitting since he was DC's first openly gay superhero when he debuted in 1988. He hasn't been at the forefront of DC comics at all in recent years, so his inclusion here is long-awaited. He shows up with his husband, Hugh Dawkins, also known as Tasmanian Devil.
Also included in this team are Crush and Batwoman, both of whom are lesbians that are at the forefront of ongoing DC projects. Traci 13, another lesbian following the Rebirth reboot, is presented behind Natasha Irons - who currently wears the mantle of Steel. Midnighter and Apollo are also familiar faces as the married Wildstorm couple were recently included in DC's Future State event. Another deserved inclusion here is Tremor - DC's only official asexual hero - who hasn't been seen since The Movement in 2014. Shining Knight - who came out as transgender in the New 52 - is pictured behind Tasmanian Devil and Midnighter. Bunker, a gay hero, who is an active member of the Teen Titans is here as well. He has recently been featured in issues of Teen Titans Academy. The Wink recently appeared in Suicide Squad (2021) #1 and is shown here with her partner Aerie, who is non-binary.
This is an all-star team, though some of the characters on the roster have largely been pushed to DC's background. Going forward it would be great to see this team in more adventures to show readers that they - like Jackson Hyde - are also not alone. Justice League Queer has finally made its debut and the team is definitely one that packs a punch.