What up, y'all? It's February, Black History Month, and my birthday month! Black history is also Black queer history, because Black queer people have always existed. In honor of Black History Month, I'm spotlighting Black queer creators and characters that I have enjoyed in webcomics, web series, indie animation, and music.
The Comic Shop — Cheyenne Ewulu
I love a good sitcom and Cheyenne's Ewulu's workplace comedy hits a sweet spot between the TV show Community and the 2016 web series Gaymers. As the title implies, this web series is set in a fictional Los Angeles comic book shop called Oh Em Gee and follows a group of quirky friends trying to keep the store afloat amid competition from big-chain bookstores and digital storefronts.
The store's owner, played by Cheyenne Ewulu, is a Black lesbian named Stephanie with a desire to prove herself, especially to her Nigerian immigrant parents. The show also stars Zeno Robinson as the gregarious gamer Keith Hendricks, Shanae Cole as fashionista Dominique, and Grayson Niles as gamer frat boy Conner. Currently, there is one season available to watch via Awkward Virgo TV's YouTube channel as well as a comic book anthology set to release summer 2026.
Synexn City — Skarik, Nohua
Speaking of comics, the webcomic Synexy City is a futuristic sci-fi comic with aliens, magical creatures, and queer people of color trying to make a living in the big city. Created by Skarik and Nohua, the webcomic is non-linear, following different characters in each chapter that happen to live in the same city. It also gradually goes from black-and-white to color as the story progresses, making the art and character development stand out. You can read it on the creators' website.
Andile from Thirsty Suitors — Outerloop Games
Published by Outerloop Games, Thirsty Suitors is a turn-based RPG that was released in 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, and Steam. It tells the story of Jala, a queer Desi girl returning to her hometown for the first time in years to visit her parents and confront her exes. By confront, I mean literally fight them and maybe make amends. In addition to the game's quirky combat system, the game also features cooking and skating mini games alongside an emotional story of intergenerational trauma.
Speaking of Jala's exes: one of them is Andile, a South-African American nonbinary person. Not only are they salty with Jala about how things ended, but they also have a rich backstory that will be familiar to anyone who has juggled multiple identities at once. Depending how you end Jala's battle with them, Anile can become a valuable ally or a sworn enemy.
Wheels & Roses — Pearl Low
Combine roller derby with magic and you get Wheels & Roses. Created and written by Pearl Low in collaboration with Orange Blossom Studios and Nuboom Studios, this animated short tells the story of a roller derby team called Wheels & Roses going up against a rival team. Featuring 2-D animation reminiscent of the animated series She-Ra and The Princesses of Power, this animated short is gorgeous and fun.
"Mango Sticky Rice" — UMI
Since I want to end this column with a song, I decided to select a recent song from queer alt. R&B artist UMI. I first discovered her music a few years back and her voice and vibe reminded me of Corine Bailey Rae. Her music is the kind of music you listen to when you need some good vibes and self-care. Her most recent single, "Mango Sticky Rice," from her second album People Stories, embodies like the sweetness of a new crush.
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