8 Comics to Read This Pride Month
Hey, Mary!
A teenage boy, Mark Dudyk, is struggling to reconcile his sexual identity with his Christianity. The story is thoughtful and also takes provocative leaps: Mark envisions conversations with saints whose sexuality was erased in interpretations of the Bible. The soldiers and martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, who are drawn here with the chiseled good looks of runway models, present a simple truth: 'There have always been queer people, since before we had the language for it.' Written by Andrew Wheeler and drawn by Rye Hickman. (Oni Press. Available now.)
Love Languages
Sarah Huxley and Ping Loh have their meet-cute moment in Paris when Sarah, trying to avoid two aggressive mimes, stumbles on a street and Ping comes to her aid. An unlikely relationship begins — one that has to surmount a language barrier: The women communicate haltingly in English, French and Cantonese. (The word balloons include English translations of what is being spoken.) There is a joyous moment for the women when Sarah finally gets the hang of Cantonese. By James Albon. (Top Shelf. Available Now.)
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Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Is Rewriting American Culture — And Boosting The Economy
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 24: Beyoncé Knowles / Beyonce wears a cowboy hat, a burgundy faux fur fluff ... More coat on one shoulder, a blue denim shirt, during the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 24, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by) It was a humid night in Houston when Beyoncé Knowles-Carter moved financial markets—a role typically reserved for the Federal Reserve, the president, or Congress. In the 48 hours surrounding her Cowboy Carter Tour stop, the Bayou City raked in more than $50 million in local spending. Hotels and restaurants were booked to capacity. Surge pricing broke ride-share apps. And local boot stores had lines wrapped around the block. No bill was passed. No policy enacted. This boom came courtesy of a Black woman in a cowboy hat, singing and dancing on horseback. The Cowboy Carter Tour, spanning eight cities and 32 stadium shows, is now winding down in Las Vegas. But it has left more than just cowboy boots and hats behind. In every city it touched, the economic glow still lingers. In a time of seismic shifts in the marketplace and the political landscape, Knowles-Carter has become more than a cultural icon—she's an economic force. With Cowboy Carter, the Grammy-winning artist isn't just reclaiming country music's Black historic roots, she's staking a bold claim on American identity itself, all wrapped in the American flag. It's a masterclass in ownership, scarcity, and cultural disruption—with real implications for micro- and macro-economics nationwide. As cities see real economic impact from Beyoncé's presence, cultural economist Thomas Smith argues her tour is a lesson in modern market behavior, civic stimulus, and the future of 'event economics' in divided times. 'Beyonce coming to town gets everyone riled up, and for cities that means folks converge on areas around the stadium and spend bunches of money,' Smith said. 'This makes her concert more than just entertainment, she's an economic event.' LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Beyoncé accepts the Best Country Album award for "COWBOY ... More CARTER" onstage during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor The Recording Academy) While her work has drawn fierce criticism from the same forces intent on dragging America back to a time when artists were expected to sing, dance, and stay silent about politics, Knowles-Carter has transcended the noise. Thanks to a loyal fan base and her unapologetic embrace of every facet of her identity—mother, daughter, Black woman, global citizen, and soundtrack supplier for the resistance—she remains a cultural force. Knowles-Carter's voice became even more pronounced with the 2016 release of Lemonade, her sixth studio album, which featured the single 'Formation.' She shook the culture and electrified her fanbase during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, where she appeared in a Black Panther–inspired bodysuit with a golden 'X' emblazoned across the top. Her dancers wore Black berets—a symbol of global Black resistance, from the Panthers in the U.S. to Caribbean revolutionaries like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Lemonade landed at a moment of national reckoning—after the murder of Trayvon Martin, amid the rise of #MeToo, and during a surge of high-profile police killings of unarmed Black men. That album became a cultural inflection point, giving voice to demands for both social and political change. It also marked a strategic shift: Beyoncé released the visual album exclusively on Tidal, the streaming platform owned by her husband, Jay-Z. Football: Super Bowl 50: Celebrity singer Beyonce performing during halftime show of Denver Broncos ... More vs Carolina Panthers game at Levi's Stadium. Santa Clara, CA 2/7/2016 CREDIT: Robert Beck (Photo by Robert Beck /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: SI-123 TK1 ) The album was released with no press, no leaks, and flawless execution, a bold pivot that cemented Knowles-Carter not just as a performer, but as a CEO and cultural entrepreneur. It marked a strategic shift from traditional promotion to surprise drops, using scarcity and precision to meet and shape market demand. More than a response to a cultural moment, Lemonade embodied Knowles-Carter's 'joy-as-resistance' ethos, offering a vibrant counter to a nation that had just elected Donald Trump as its 45th president. While Trump sold grievance and nostalgia for a mythologized 1950s, Knowles-Carter offered a future-facing vision. Still capitalist, yes, but one rooted in diversity, pride, and cultural ownership. Her music, visuals, and merchandise became part of a larger narrative: that joy, style, and identity are not just aesthetic choices, but political acts. Singing about generational wealth, freedom from historical bondage, and the alchemy of turning lemons into lemonade, Knowles-Carter claimed her space as an artist unafraid to challenge, evolve, and expand her audience's worldview. Back on the Cowboy Carter Tour, while promoting music from her second studio album since Lemonade, Knowles-Carter's role in the so-called 'quiet resistance' has been anything but quiet. Leaning into her southern roots and the crucial role of Black Southerners in shaping American culture, the album serves as a reclamation of global Blackness as foundational to country music. According to Francesca T. Royster, author of Black Country Music: Listening For Revolutions, country music originates from a creole musical tradition deeply rooted in African-American styles. 'The banjo, often associated in pop culture as an instrument for white people who live in rural areas, was an African instrument brought here by enslaved people,' Royster says in her book. In 2022, while speaking with Leo Weekly, Royster delved deeply into the history and politics of country music. 'This genre was founded on a kind of logic of segregation,' Royster told Leo Weekly. 'In the 1920s when the genre was kind of invented more or less by talent scouts and record label labels, they were distinguishing hillbilly music as kind of a white music that was meant for white audiences, and 'race' music, you know, blues, rhythm and blues, and jazz for Black audiences.' Reimagining rural America and redefining 'Americanism' beyond the white-centered lens it's so often framed in, the Cowboy Carter tour and album offer audiences a striking new association with the American flag—one draped across the body of a Black woman. The Cowboy Carter Tour's DC stop happened over 4th of July weekend in Landover, MD. While the album isn't explicitly partisan, its iconography subtly reshapes national identity. It points to an America—and a broader Western Hemisphere—built on the backs of Black labor, inspired by Black innovation, and powered by Black ingenuity. When Beyoncé rolled into Houston's NRG Stadium on June 28 and 29, her hometown got more than it bargained and budgeted for. According to Axios, hotels near the stadium hit 79 percent occupancy -- a sharp increase from 61 percent the prior year, OpenTable reported a 43 percent increase in Houston-area reservations over that three-day period compared to the same stretch last year. Beyoncé's economic impact extended well beyond Texas. During her stop in the nation's capital over Fourth of July weekend, restaurants surrounding Northwest Stadium (formerly Fedex Field) in Landover, Maryland saw nightly profit spikes of $15,000 to $20,000. All gains that Tom Smith described as beneficial for local economics. 'You gotta have the boots, you gotta have the shirt, you gotta have the hat,' said Smith, an economist at Emory University. 'You gotta have all the things. It's not even worth—it's not even worth going if you don't have all the things making the concert an economic driver for local business in the region.' Beyond uplifting local business, Smith, a bass guitar player himself, also emphasized the broader importance of the tour economy as a catalyst for the industries that power live entertainment. That includes stagecrafters, electrical engineers, lighting designers, dancers, musicians, publicists, costume designers, and the full teams that support them. 'A lot of those jobs were decimated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when no one was going on tour,' Smith said. 'And now, these big, mammoth tours, these big stadium tours are spending millions of dollars every night on the people that make sure that the sound and the lights and the ancillary element are working.' SYDNEY COLEMAN (L) and JESSICA HANNAH (R) traveled from Houston, TX. Fans of Beyonce queue to enter ... More SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28, 2025 to watch her first concert of her newTour named "Cowboy Carter." (Photo by Bexx Francois/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) Cowboy Carter is Beyoncé's second U.S. tour since the pandemic. And while it's most definitely different in tone, the financial punch for America's big cities remains the same. It couldn't come at a more convenient time, either, as cities across the country are seeing a decrease in crime and are searching for new sources of revenue amid a cavalcade of budget cuts from Washington, D.C. As Beyoncé's golden horse, floating horseshoe, and many of her now-iconic Cowboy Carter costumes make their way to the storage units, it's likely her economic impact — not just her spectacle — that cities and states will remember. Beyoncé's name was never on the ballot. She never passed a bill or rage-tweeted on X. And yet, her version of disruption has managed to move both culture and the economy. In her song 'American Requiem,' Knowles-Carter asks listeners to confront the complex and often painful history of race and culture in America. It's a counter narrative to today's political moment, one that treats historical truth as a liability. Through it all, Beyoncé may be proving something radically different: that reckoning with the past isn't just necessary, it might also be profitable.
Geek Tyrant
2 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
Trailer for PETS ON A TRAIN Promises a Fun, Wholesome Heist on Rails — GeekTyrant
Viva Pictures has released the official US trailer for Pets on a Train , a French animated adventure comedy that's chugging its way into theaters this fall. The film recently made its premiere at the 2025 Annecy Film Festival and already had a theatrical run in France, but it's finally making its way stateside with a brand-new English dub. In the energetic story, what starts as a petty swindle by a group of animal bandits spirals into a high-tech runaway train heist. Now it's up to Falcon, a raccoon with a talent for thieving, and Rex, a by-the-book police dog, to rescue the animal passengers before things go completely off the rails. Directed by Benoît Daffis and Jean-Christian Tassy, Pets on a Train brings together a fun ensemble of voice talent for its US release including Marc Weiner ( Dora the Explorer ) voices Falcon, while Sasha Toro ( Backpack ) brings the villainous badger Hans to life. Lisa Ortiz joins in as Leiya the ocelot. While the tone clearly aims for younger audiences, it's looks like an energetic, kid-friendly ride. As the trailer promises: 'This Fall the ultimate thrill ride begins.' Pets on a Train arrives in US theaters October 17th, 2025.
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
DC Brought Green Arrow and a Fighting Tournament to Comic-Con
DC didn't come to San Diego Comic-Con with any major movies on hand, but it did bring a TV show and some comics for the tri. On the comics side, the publisher shed more light on some recently revealed books, including DC KO starting in October. Written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Javier Fernandez, the limited series sees 32 fighters enter a tournament that'll see the winner be strong enough to fight Darkseid in his new King Omega form. The fighters range from A-listers like Superman (using miniature sun-powered brass knuckles), Wonder Woman, and Supergirl to fan favorites like Swamp Thing, Zatanna, and Guy Gardner. Batman may not be amongst the roster, as he'll be fighting adult versions of his Robins who've since taken up his mantle in Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora's Knightfight spinoff. DC hasn't listed all of KO's fighters yet, but fans can keep track of them all and chart the tournament with a bracket. During the DC All In panel, Snyder described the event as 'Squid Game meets Mortal Kombat but fun,' and labeled it a Superman story akin to how the two Metal events centered about Batman and Wonder Woman. (You could also consider this an appetite for Injustice 3 until the real thing eventually comes out.) The event will also lead to tie-in stories spread across The Flash, Titans, Superman, and Justice League Unlimited, plus the Omega Act prelude by Williamson and Yasmine Putri. As for DC's recent Absoluteuniverse, that's also getting some shakeups starting in the fall. October's Absolute Evil one-shot from Al Ewing, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Stefano Nesi will see this world's versions of Ra's al Ghul, Joker, Elenore Thawne, and other villains go at each other when they catch wind of a traitor in their midst. The one-shot will introduce two Absolute characters that will 'change the course of [this] universe' as it enters year two. Also coming in year two? The Absolute versions of Wonder Woman and Batman meeting in her book, while Bats' solo will bring in mainstays like Catwoman, Scarecrow, and Dick Grayson. Writer Scott Snyder teased other Batfamily members may make their Absolute debuts in Absolute Batman as the comic continues on. For the wider universe, the fallout of Evil will be felt in Absolute Green Arrow from Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albequerque. Unlike these versions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman who've been crafted by Darkseid without defining parts of their character, this Oliver Queen remains a billionaire with an affinity for archery. But Pichetshote explained Oliver is inspired by what goes down in Evil to essentially be a better billionaire and fight crime. Unlike the other Absolute titles, though, this one is a six-issue series that'll kick off spring 2026—but that they're introducing another hero to the lineup indicates the Absolute universe has further expansions planned, be they miniseries or ongoing. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
