No Straight Lines: How Queer Comics Artists Changed Their World
From Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Vivian Kleiman (Color Adjustment) comes an in-depth look at the evolution of queer comics, starting in the 1970s when LGBTQ+ stories were not a part of the popular culture. Through the careers of five scrappy and pioneering cartoonists who depicted everything from the AIDS crisis to “coming out” to same-sex marriage, Kleiman's new film No Straight Lines captures the beginnings of queer comics, from its origins as an underground art form to its progression into a social movement, culminating with its long-awaited mainstream acceptance into comic books, newspaper strips, and graphic novels.
No Straight Lines premieres on the PBS documentary series "Independent Lens" January 23, 2023, at 10 p.m. EST (check local listings). The film will also be available to stream on the PBS Video app.
Join us for a conversation with filmmaker Vivian Kleiman and cartoonists Jennifer Camper and Justin Hall.
Note: This is a discussion of the film; it is not a screening.
See more Michelle Meow Show programs at The Commonwealth Club of California.
Kleiman cartoon by Lee Marrs, courtesy of Compadre Media Group; photos courtesy the speakers.
The Commonwealth Club of California
United States
Jennifer Camper
Cartoonist, Rude Girls and Dangerous Women, SubGURLZ; Editor, Juicy Mother anthologies; Founding Director, Queers & Comics Conference
Justin Hall
Creator, True Travel Tales, Hard to Swallow, Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers, and No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics; Producer, No Straight Lines; Chair, MFA in Comics Program, California College of the Arts
Vivian Kleiman
Director and Producer, No Straight Lines
Michelle Meow
Producer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Co-host
John Zipperer
Producer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club of California—Co-host
