Gay ghetto comics and the alternative gay comics of Robert Kirby

Abstract This article focuses on North American gay comics, especially the ‘gay ghetto’ subgenre, and on the alternative gay comics that have been created in response to the genre’s conventions. Gay comics have received little scholarly attention and this article attempts to begin redressing this balance, as well as turning attention to the contrasts between different genres within the field of gay comics. Gay ghetto comics and cartoons construct a dominant gay habitus, representing the gay community as relatively stable and unified, while the alternative gay male comics discussed critique the dominant gay habitus and construct instead an alternative gay – or ‘queer’ – habitus. The article focuses on the work on Robert Kirby, an influential cartoonist and editor of gay comics anthologies, and particularly on his story ‘Private Club’, in order to explore some of the typical themes and concerns of alternative gay ghetto comics.