DC Pride #1: Aqualad in ‘Love Life’

DC’s Pride #1’s ‘Love Life’ has a misleading title. One might expect the comic to focus on Aqualad going on a disastrous or perhaps wonderous date. And while Jackson is on a date, that is not the point of the story. Rather, it is a story about community and belonging.

Andrew Wheeler uses Jackson to tap into the insecurity he feels and how that is mirrored in the LGBTQ+ community. The emotions brought up by the rain, in both Jackson and the crowd, are not farfetched or unusual. The villain even uses the phrase “righteous anger” as he targets a Pride Parade. Though Jackson is fighting the villain, he is also fighting the feeling of not belonging and feeling like he is not enough. Wheeler is able to give voice to this struggle without veering into the melodramatic.

Luciano Vecchio and Rex Lokus give life to the audience of the parade. They create a portrait of what Pride should be, with people of diverse skin tones, gender expression, body type, and mobility. The art team is able to depict the emotional effect the rain has on Aqualad while also creating clear, dynamic action scene when the punches start flowing.

The final product is an unapologetically queer narrative starring queer characters in a queer space, dealing with queer issues. It is a story that would have been served better with space to breathe and more opportunity for the emotional impact and progression to be felt more by the characters and reader. In the same vein, more pages would have allowed for the extensive roster of cameos to have a deeper impact on the story and what it could symbolize.