Many years ago, when I first started writing about comics for Bleeding Cool, I met fellow contributor Joe Glass. Joe is, without hesitation, one of the best people in comics.Residing in Cardiff in Wales, UK, Joe has been producing queer comics for some time now. In March 2023, Joe even won a GLAAD Media Award for Young Men in Love: A Queer Romance Anthology, which he co-edited. His other works include Glitter Vipers, Acceptable Losses, and of course, The Pride.
Comic books are truly for everyone, and Joe is one of the brightest comic book creators today. Joe was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk about his current work and what we could expect to see next!
What inspired you to get into comics?
I just really loved the medium. I loved the larger-than-life characters and impossible stories that somehow still felt so very real, rooted in character growth and feeling like modern legend tales. I was a big fan of crafting stories from a young age, so it felt like the perfect fit for me.
What are some of your favorite comics currently?
Hmm, at the moment I'm really enjoying seeing the Pride specials from Marvel and DC. I really dug Behold Behemoth and The Sins of the Black Flamingo. And Department of Truth is just consistently mind-blowing.
What inspired you to start The Pride?
X-Men and the dearth of openly LGBTQ+ characters in superhero comics, itself a very camp and queer genre. I figured that if no one else was going to do it, then I might as well have a crack at it.
Will any of the heroes in The Pride get a spinoff series one day?
It's definitely something I've contemplated. Maybe someday. I'm just very focused on keeping more stories of the team and their adventures coming right now.
Do you have a hero in The Pride that you directly connect with?
I think FabMan. He's the character I suppose I most directly relate to because he means well but has a habit of putting his foot in it a lot. I can definitely relate with that.
Aside from the Summer Special, what other projects featuring the team can we expect to see?
There will be a brand new series with The Pride, but it's still way too early to say when or where that will be turning up. But it is currently being worked on at the moment, and I'm excited to get the next big adventure of The Pride out there. In the meantime, the Summer Special will actually feature a few teases and characters that will have a big role in the next story arc.
Are you working on any cool new projects now?
Well, as well as The Pride Summer Special, I have The Miracles coming to comic stores now as a 4 issue mini-series with CEX Publishing. That's been announced recently and is available to order via their site. They've even created some fun merch too. I'm also currently working on my first novels, and looking out for an agent and publisher.
If people would like to keep up to date with me and my projects, they can sign up for my newsletter from my website. Also, I'm running a 23% off sale on my online store, if anyone wants to take advantage of that, they should use discount code PRIDE23 on any order, before June 30th.
