Queer Resistance Through Multi-Platformed Storytelling, 2019

Research Essay • Academic Journal
Journal of Visual and Critical Studies #4 (2019)

• Research paper exploring multi-platformed webcomic, Check, Please!, by Ngozi Ukazu
• Analysis of Check, Please! within the context of comic history (specifically queer comic history) and its socio-political impact/implications as a form of graphic art

The Journal of Visual & Critical Studies collects and celebrates some of the best undergraduate writing at OCAD University. Comprising critical essays, exhibition reviews, and thesis abstracts, this anthology reflects the unique approaches to art history and visual culture that are being explored at the school.

—Taken from JVCS’ description

The Journal of Visual and Critical Studies (JVCS) is a periodical published by the OCADU Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences and School of Interdisciplinary Studies. JVCS #4 launched in May 2019 in conjunction with GradEx 104.

This essay was originally written in 2017 for a Radical Graphics and Culture class, then was revised for the submission of this journal.

Read JVCS vol.4 (PDF) ⇥

More on JVCS ⇥

Read Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu ⇥

Read the Essay

Word Count: 1800+
Themes: Comic history, queer comics, web comics
Major Warnings: Discussions of homophobia and drug use
Note: Minor discrepancies in format and spelling between the plain text document and the printed publication from 2019 were done to correct mistakes missed before print.

With a gay protagonist and a focus on contemporary queer issues, Check, Please! is regarded specifically as a queer story as opposed to a sports story. It situates itself firmly within the ‘gay ghetto’ genre, in contrast to queer alternative comics, though it also uses techniques of queer alternative comics. These techniques, supplemented by the webcomic format, demonstrate the comic’s queer resistance. By combining different platforms and comic practices, [Ngozi] Ukazu offers a mode of storytelling through which to create a nuanced queer narrative.

Read Queer Resistance in JVCS vol.4 (PDF) →

Read Queer Resistance in plain text (PDF) →