Young Men in Love: A Queer Romance Anthology

Twenty satisfyingly sundry short comic stories celebrate queer love between men told in a diversity of genres, as well as race and body types of characters. The lineup includes mainstream DC and Marvel creators like Sina Grace and Terry Blas, as well as indie artists such as DJ Kirkland and newcomers Vic Regis and Josh Cornillon. Tales range from delightfully lesson-less romps that lean into enjoyable tropes, such as spies falling in love, to somber retrospectives relevant to queer culture that balance the desire to be desired with caution against being fetishized. Standouts include Tate Brombal and Jacoby Salcedo’s Peter Pan–esque summer fling of self-discovery “Second Star to the Right”; Anthony Oliveira and Nick Robles’s “Act of Grace,” which packages internalized homophobia stemming from religious tradition with lush, dramatic views of a Catholic school setting; and Ned Barnett and Ian Bishbal’s “Another Name,” which features one of the most memorable shots of the collection, as Ned suffers the crushing weight of gender dysphoria rendered as a sweeping wave. There’s something to delight in for every fan of men-who-love-men romance. (July)