Hella Queer: the representation of female same-sex sexuality in contemporary Anglophone graphic narratives

Since 2006 there has been an explosion in the number of queer female characters in Anglophone graphic narratives, including mainstream blockbusters such as Batwoman, indie cult favourites like Moonstruck, and critically acclaimed hits such as Honor Girl. In the contemporary graphic narrative industry, the representation of female same-sex sexuality spans a variety of production conditions, distribution forms, and genres, to produce engaging and dynamic characters. I propose that these graphic representations are best understood as an expanse of lesbian graphic narratives. Taken together, these distinct texts and characters reflect shifting cultural perceptions of queerness, and allow us to see how the affordances of sequential visual storytelling lend themselves to the construction of complex queer characters, themes and stories. This thesis argues for a new way of understanding the representation of female same-sex sexuality in graphic narratives by focusing on character, rather than questions of authorship and autobiography, in my examination of Anglophone graphic narratives, namely comic books, graphic novels, and webcomics. The examples I examine in my research reflect varied production and distribution contexts, and narrative forms and an array of genre traits, spatial and temporal locations, and storyworlds. My research identifies major trends in sequential visual storytelling in relation to lesbian representation, considering the relationship between distinct narrative forms and the depiction of female same-sex sexuality.