Marvel's Voices: Pride #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeReleased on June 23, 2021, Marvel's Voices: Pride #1 stands as Marvel's first-ever queer-centered anthology comic, marking a genuine structural shift in how the publisher approached LGBTQ+ representation — not as a subplot inside an ongoing series, but as the entire editorial focus of a dedicated special. The issue introduced Somnus (Carl Valentino), a gay dream-controlling mutant created by writer Steve Orlando and designer Luciano Vecchio, who subsequently graduated into the ongoing Marauders series, proving the anthology's ambition extended beyond a single print run. It also served as the first comic appearance of trans mutant Jessie Drake in roughly 27 years, reconnecting Marvel's scattered history of transgender representation and raising pointed questions about editorial follow-through. The issue was nominated for a GLAAD Award, which in turn became the promotional cornerstone for the 2022 sequel anthology, cementing this one-shot as the foundation of what became an annual Marvel tradition.
In "Something New Every Day," Daredevil steps in to protect a scientist working on a groundbreaking method for trans women to produce their own hormones through daily pills—offering a quiet, vital act of care in a world where survival often feels like a battle. The story unfolds with intimate urgency, blending superhero action with the profound real-world stakes of medical access and autonomy.
In "Early Thaw," young Iceman grapples with loneliness and hidden feelings when a sudden attack by Magneto interrupts his solitude—only for the moment to shift unexpectedly when Magneto pauses, sensing Bobby’s distress, and stays to offer a quiet, heartfelt conversation. Written by a noted voice in the Marvel Universe and illustrated with emotional precision, this poignant five-page story captures a rare, intimate moment between two figures often at odds.
In "The Walking Wounded (Partial Reprint)," Northstar confronts Mr. Hyde in a moment of crisis that takes a harrowing turn when he discovers a baby with AIDS in a trash can. The shocking encounter forces him to confront his own identity, leading him to publicly announce he is gay in a powerful act meant to raise awareness about the ongoing AIDS crisis.
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Editor Sarah Brunstad shepherded the project, describing it as the natural next step in the ongoing Marvel's Voices anthology line — which had previously spotlighted Black and Indigenous creators — after the editorial team recognized a growing demand for untold queer stories. Brunstad deliberately balanced the contributor roster between established queer comics figures (Kieron Gillen, Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung returning to Wiccan and Hulkling, the characters they co-created in 2004) and creators new to mainstream comics, such as Eisner-nominated artist Claudia Aguirre making her Marvel debut. The Somnus character was conceived collaboratively: Steve Orlando developed the concept and script while Luciano Vecchio — who also wrote and drew the issue's illustrated LGBTQ+ history introduction and painted the main cover — designed the character's visual identity largely from his own creative instincts, with the final costume emerging almost unchanged from his very first sketch. The issue also featured a non-fiction component: an interview with former Marvel associate editor Chris Cooper, framing the anthology within a documented institutional history of queer representation at the publisher.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Somnus (Carl Valentino) — a gay, dream-controlling mutant — created by writer Steve Orlando and artist/designer Luciano Vecchio; story drawn by Claudia Aguirre in her Marvel Comics debut.
- First appearance of Jennifer Harris, a trans cosplayer character, in a story by Lilah Sturges and Derek Charm.
- Return of Jessie Drake — Marvel's first confirmed transgender character, originally debuting in Marvel Comics Presents #150–151 (1994) — after roughly 27 years of absence, in a Black Cat story by Leah Williams and Jan Bazaldua.
- Partial reprint of Alpha Flight #106 (March 1992), the issue in which Northstar publicly came out as gay, included as a historical document alongside its original cover and credits.
- Luciano Vecchio wrote and illustrated a four-page illustrated history of Marvel's LGBTQ+ characters, narrated in-universe by Prodigy (David Alleyne), combining real publication timeline with Marvel Universe continuity.
- Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung — the co-creators of Wiccan and Hulkling in Young Avengers (2004) — returned to those characters for a new story, their first collaborative Marvel work in years.
- The anthology featured over a dozen writers and artists, including Kieron Gillen, Tini Howard, Vita Ayala, Anthony Oliveira, Mariko Tamaki, Leah Williams, Crystal Frasier, Terry Blas, and more, the majority identifying as LGBTQ+.
- The issue earned a GLAAD Award nomination, which Marvel cited prominently in all promotional material for the 2022 follow-up anthology.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Alpha Flight #106 (1992)
Reprinted in Free Comic Book Day 2022: Marvel's Voices #1 (2022), Marvel's Voices: Pride #[nn] (2022), Marauders by Steve Orlando #1 (2022), Iceman: Omega #1 (2026)
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