BlackGayComicGeek loves comics — and knows how you can make them better
There aren’t many content creators out there like BlackGayComicGeek, a fact that this nerdy influencer really, really wants to change.
First starting his social media page in 2020, BlackGayComicGeek — or Michael, as he also likes to be called — started his account in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping to share his opinions with other members of his many fandoms. He began uploading short videos about his thoughts on geeky movies, superhero media, and, of course, comic industry news, with this content quickly gaining attention as folks fell in love with his nuanced takes.
He’s grown from getting a few likes on each post to boasting more than 150,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok. Michael is immensely proud of this growth, not only because of what it means for his personal success, but because he quickly learned there weren’t many other marginalized creators talking about these topics…a fact that hasn’t changed more than five years later.
“It’s important for Black queer voices to have a ‘Safe Gayven,’” said Michael, using the term he uses to describe the inclusive community he’s built online. “As a Black gay comic geek, I always find myself seeking Black representation and queer representation in my entertainment — very rarely do I get the intersectionality of both, especially in the nerd space.” It’s something that marginalized comic fans have always struggled with; for a majority of its history, mainstream comics either ignored diverse identities completely or pigeonholed them into harmful stereotypes. The past decade has seen a change in this with more inclusive characters being introduced, but even with these additions, it’s still a far cry from reflecting the extremely diverse communities that love comics today.
Through his social media, Michael has committed himself to fighting back against this. He utilizes his intersecting identities as a Black gay man to offer thoughts on current nerd news that most people wouldn’t hear otherwise. “There is a perspective I have as a Black gay man that straight white men and women, and even straight Black men and women, won’t necessarily have,” he explained. “That’s an important and valid perspective that also deserves to be voiced and honored.”
This is what’s led to him not only being one of the leading critics for how mainstream studios can offer more representation, but a vital resource for helping smaller projects with intersectional characters get the attention they deserve. It’s work that, somehow, the creator has received criticism for; Michael has seen many comments saying that there are already queer people of color in comics and that he’s ‘overreacting.’ The creator recognizes that these exist, and he cherishes each example of intersectional identity we see in these pages — but also points out that when compared to their straight and white counterparts, these characters are still outnumbered by a truly indescribable amount.
“I can name a bunch of queer characters, black characters, asian characters, etc., but most of those characters don’t have their own solo book,” He stressed. “At least in mainstream comics, there are hardly any leading Black gay superheroes. Even in the indie space, you’d be hard-pressed to find any! That doesn’t mean there are none, but you’re barely counting [them] on two hands.”
Michael uses his socials to celebrate the intersectional characters we have now, but also calls out that there is still so much space for so many more. That’s one of the key things that any viewer will learn after watching one of his videos: it’s not wrong to ask for more. In fact, it’s necessary, with BlackGayComicGeek encouraging underserved fans to join the fight of making comics as an industry better by filling it with more diversity today.
Because Michael’s criticism comes from a deep love for the comic industry, with the man recounting the many comics (ranging from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Fantastic Four) that shaped him into the proud geek he is now. He loves this medium and its many fandoms more than ever, and that’s why he wants it to do better for the queer, Black nerds like him who’ve rarely — if ever — felt represented in these books.
“The purpose of my content and visibility is to say Black nerds are out here and we want to see ourselves in these stories,” said Michael. “My motto is: Make It Blacker! Make It Gayer! So that’s what I want to see.”
It’s a motto that so much of the world could benefit from. And Michael has already done the work to make it a prominent part of digital culture, with his emphasis on celebrating inclusive storytelling not only creating a safe space — his ‘Gayven’ — online, but earning the attention from many mainstream comics studios.
He’s an online creator whose work has truly superseded the web to impact the paneled, illustrated worlds that so many of us lose ourselves in today. It’s an impact that this BlackGayComicGeek doesn’t take lightly, and it’s one he plans to further until not only is there more representation in comics, but there are so many other queer, POC nerds like him creating their own online safe spaces today.
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