No Straight Lines tells the story of Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Howard Cruse, Rupert Kinnard, and Mary Wings—five pioneering cartoonists who depicted everything from coming out, the AIDS crisis, and same-sex marriage to themes of race, gender, and disability. Funny, smart, and profound, their work provides an uncensored window into queer lives and the everyday pursuits of love, sex, and community.
The doc also provides a unique glimpse at comics history from the 1970s onward, beginning at a time when there were few platforms for genuine queer storytelling in popular culture. The documentary also offers an engaging look at these five artists’ personal journeys as they build a queer comics underground culture that—against all odds—has been able to evolve in remarkable ways. (78 mins., DCP)
We’re excited to have Justin Hall, the film’s producer, join us for this special screening. Hall edited the first comprehensive anthology of LGBTQ comics, No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, which received a 2013 Lambda Literary Award and a prestigious Eisner nomination. Cartoon Crossroads Columbus fans might remember Alison Bechdel and Howard Cruse from their visits to past CXC events.
See HERE for details and ticketing information.
