In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
BOOM! Studios has partnered up with bestselling author Gaby Dunn for a tale of crime and secrets that appear in the life of our titular and queer leading lady Madison T. Jackson. She’s an intern at the Bostom Lede whose life gets turned upside down by a woman who murdered her husband and child. But not all is what it seems and Madison is on the case!
So, without further ado, here are the 5 reasons you should read Gaby Dunn’s Bury the Lede!
1. It’s unapologetically queer.
Without getting too spoilery on you, I love how unapologetically queer our lead Madison is. She’s bisexual like the author Gaby Dunn is and she’s not afraid to hide it. It’s just a part of who she is and that’s more than ok. Even better, in Bury the Lede they show it. They show women kissing each other, having intimate moments with each other, and getting to know each other. It’s the quality queer content I needed in my life and I have no doubt it’ll be the queer content you need in your life!
2. It has a hot-shot reporter who is a Latina of color.
You best believe that I stopped in my tracks as soon as the woman of color in Bury the Lede spoke Spanish. I mean, she already had me because I’m a sucker for hot-shot reporters and love to give POC the attention they deserve after spending decades being sidelined by their white counterparts. She sold me and kept me intrigued AF when she spoke Spanish and it was just a thing she did. Nothing big or special. No big reveal. It was just a part of who she was and I appreciate that in more ways that I can count.
3. The story is a complicated tapestry of crime.
Bury the Lede’s story is unexpected in the way that it handles everything. Madison puts the hard work in to get everything that comes her way and uses her opportunity to speak with the murderer Dahlia Kennedy to actually make change in the face of unrelenting crime. Madison isn’t just sitting there, waiting for things to go her way. She gets in there, does the nitty gritty work, and comes up with some truly woah discoveries as she investigates the mystery that is Dahlia.
4. The art is the bees knees. We said what we said.
Claire Roe worked on Bury the Lede with Gaby Dunn to create a noir story full of crime and intrigue. Known for Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Roe brought in her experience and breathed life into the lead Madison and the clever/might be evil counterpart known as Dahlia Kennedy. Seriously, look at Kennedy’s hair and tell me that’s not villain hair. Also, there are little sprinkles throughout the comic that make you love and understand Madison in a way you wouldn’t if this wasn’t a comic. From Madison’s “This is what a feminist looks like” tshirt to the curves of her body that make her human and woman, it’s all brought to life in a vivid and unforgettable manner.
5. Everyone needs a little Gaby Dunn in their life.
Gaby Dunn is a best selling author, journalist, podcaster who lives and breathes being an LGBTQ+ activist. Her Youtube channel Just Between Us is a hit and she’s published two books with her costar Allison Raskin titled I Hate Everyone But You and Please Send Help. Even better she’s a she/her bisexual queer who is feminist AF and doesn’t care who knows it. Seriously, go follow her on Twitter after you preorder Bury the Lede from comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app!
Bury the Lede is available for purchase October 8th.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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