Uhh friend, I wrote TWISTED ROMANCE two summers ago with @ImageComics and it was nominated for three Eisners and sold super well, there’s also a TON of YA romance graphic novels like LAURA DEAN (all the awards) and BLOOM (translated into 3 languages) https://twitter.com/PulpLibrarian/status/1334208923029659653

My least favourite genre of hot take is “a specific thing isn’t available in exactly the same way it was when I was young, therefore it clearly no longer exists”

Anyhow, this exists, one of many fine romance comics in print right now, some others include LORE OLYMPUS which has over 200 million reads on Webtoons and, like, most shoujo manga, and Jordi LaFebre just came out with MALGRÉ TOUT, but sure, romance comics are dead.

I get grumpy about the “romance comics are dead” thing because it’s often a coded way into saying “girl stuff doesn’t sell” aka “women don’t buy comics” and friend, let me tell you how EXHAUSTING it is... (1/2)

...to constantly have to point out that yes, I WOULD like comics that reflect me and my lived experience / my fantasies, comics for boys are NOT in fact one size fits all for the rest of us. (2/?)

We’re constantly told “well women didn’t show up” for whatever half-baked attempt some entertainment conglomerate made at trying to appeal to us, like they GUILT us for not buying bad stories but because there’s only like one (1) story for women then GiRl bOoKs dOn’T SeLl

But meanwhile, in bookstores and indie companies and via webcomics, there’s a TON of great stories for all sorts of readers! And it’s getting better every day! So yes, romance comics are alive and well, in all shapes and forms, and those girl books? They actually sell A LOT.

So please, please, if you’re going to make comments about comics for women, for people of colour, for LGBTQIA+, please do the smallest iota of research into what’s out there before saying they’re dead.

There is so much coded language in criticism about stories read by women being frivolous or unimportant or Who Reads This Stuff and I know it’s a shock that stories exist that aren’t meant for or about you, lads. Deal with it.