Gay Comics History

Comics Come Out With LGBT Characters and Themes

May 21, 2013

Gay Comics History

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by Tara Block 1

Sanjak in Terry and the Pirates

While the character didn't explicitly come out of the closet, cartoonist Milton Caniff alluded to the homosexual orientation of French naval officer Sanjak in the 1938 to 1939 edition of his comic Terry and the Pirates. The villainous woman disguises herself as a man and calls herself Madame Sud, then essentially hits on the protagonist's girlfriend, April Kane.

Milton said in those days you couldn't have an outed homosexual character in a comic, but he hinted at Sanjak being gay. He even named her after a Greek island next to the island of Lesbos, from which the word "lesbian" is derived.

2 / 20

by Tara Block 1

Sanjak in Terry and the Pirates

While the character didn't explicitly come out of the closet, cartoonist Milton Caniff alluded to the homosexual orientation of French naval officer Sanjak in the 1938 to 1939 edition of his comic Terry and the Pirates. The villainous woman disguises herself as a man and calls herself Madame Sud, then essentially hits on the protagonist's girlfriend, April Kane.

Milton said in those days you couldn't have an outed homosexual character in a comic, but he hinted at Sanjak being gay. He even named her after a Greek island next to the island of Lesbos, from which the word "lesbian" is derived.

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1 Comment

stephaniepoli 45 weeks 1 day

Once I read a very interesting essay about how The Smurfs was a model for communist society. It had some very compelling arguments. It makes me wonder about the writers, sneaking their view points into a children's cartoon.