I wanted to create a topic in the style of Llance.
I recall a topic of his along these lines on the old DC message boards.


Let's start with "The Gay Ghost" in SENSATION COMICS from 1942-1945.


Who for obvious reasons took in a name change to "The Grim Ghost" in the 1980's.

It would have been fun if, rather than distance the character from an odd name, they instead fully embraced it. Along the lines of the 1981 movie Zorro, The Gay Blade


Michael Bair did the art for the Grim Ghost story and for many of these SECRET ORIGINS revivals of Golden Age characters, that makes them worth seeking out.

One I recall from the old topic, FRISKY ANIMALS.

From BATMAN 251, art by Neal Adams.

Silver Age Batman and Robin is just a treasure trove of potential gay references.

Alrighty then...

Punching a criminal while commenting on the bulge in his pocket... while wearing a gay-flag bat-costume.

Who could have anticipated that potential interpretation, circa 1957?

the Joker aint laughing now.

Suggestive poses or not, that O'Neil/Adams story was a fantastic issue. Reprinted in BATMAN ILLUSTRATED BY NEAL ADAMS vol 3.


I have a great idea for an 80 or 100 page Batman issue collecting the stories with the gayest panels. They could call it the BATMAN FLAMING SPECIAL. They could release it during gay pride week!


Or maybe a BATMAN: WERTHAM SPECIAL, collecting all the stories mentioned by Wertham in Seduction Of The Innocent. Hopefully including the text portions of his book that discuss Batman and Robin.

That would be FABulous!

Can't believe this thread when a whole page without somebody bringing up the Joker's Boner

Ah, to wake up GAY in the morning...

In an issue I have, GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING 3, Feb 1975 (itself a book that perhaps was still in an era too innocent to fully grasp the connotations of that title!), also contains a Lee/Kirby/Ayers monster story reprint titled "Save Me From The Weed!", reprinted from STRANGE TALES 94, March 1962.

The full story in larger size pages at:

https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Giant-Size-Man-Thing/Issue-3?id=86492#39

It sounds more like a story dealing with drug addiction.
But no, it's a weed-like alien from outer space.

It was always obvious that Rex wanted to touch my hammer.

https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Man-Thing-1979/Issue-6?id=82593#13

From the above MAN-THING issue 6, Sept 1980, page 19, panel 3:
"Ohhhh --it's been a long time since I was butt stroked. I'd forgotten how much it hurts. Sun's coming up. I've been out for hours."

The sheriff is face-down on the ground. In the previous panel, he was clubbed on the head with a rifle butt. Needless to say, that dialogue is open to... a different interpretation in the modern era.

Someone getting painfully butt-stroked in a comic book called "Man-Thing." I really want to make a MEM joke here, but I won't.

I still say GIANT-SIZE MAN THING is one of the the greatest book titles in the history of comics.
And the guys who came up with that title must be immensely pleased with themselves.

The penis jokes are just laying there on the vine, waiting to be picked !