The New Gay » Curbside

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – Art

Guest Contributor — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:20:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the final “Ex Files” tale donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. That’s it for Curbside on TNG. Check out Lefthand Lesbians by mag, our weekly lady-oriented comic. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Robert’s full bio is below the fold:

Robert Kirby has been way over the rainbow for many years and as such is pleased to participate in The New Gay. His comic strip “Curbside” has been a regular feature in the gay and alternative presses for many years (astute DC readers may remember it from Metro Weekly where it ran in the late 90s to the early 00s). “Curbside” has been collected in two paperback books: the cleverly titled Curbside (Hobnob Press) from 1998, and Curbside Boys (Cleis Press) in 2002. He is also the founder of the alternative gay boy comics zine Boy Trouble, the best of which was collected in The Book of Boy Trouble from Green Candy Press in 2006; there is a sequel forthcoming in fall 2008, The Book of Boy Trouble Volume 2, which will be all-new, all-color, all-cool and also from Green Candy Press. Rob lives in Minneapolis with another boy and a dog. Website: www.curb-side.com; email: curbside2@earthlink.net.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 7

Guest Contributor — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the final installment of a new seven-part “Ex Files” tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday, at least for the next few weeks. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Hot Queer Comics Alert: The Book of Boy Trouble, Volume 2

Guest Contributor — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:25:00 +0000

TNG cartoonist Robert Kirby, who has been nice enough to lend us his Curbside comics for the better part of this year, has just put out his second collection of quality queer comics. (Say that three times fast.) “The Book of Boy Trouble: Volume 2” was edited by Kirby and fellow cartoonist David Kelly. It contains the work of 30 alternative queer comic artist and guess what? None of it is crappy. In fact, it’s all of pretty damn high quality, especially considering the laughably low standards applied to so many other gay comics. (Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast, that means you.)

While most gay storytelling that I come across has little similarity to my actual life — Queer as Folk actually caused me spend an hour in the fetal position, lamenting all the fabulous, promiscuous sex I’d never had — the boys and men in the “Boy Trouble” tend to look like guys I might actually meet and want to hang out with. Most have normal builds and average looks, and the few ultra-muscled gym bodies are either played up for their cartoonishness or put in undignified situations that bely their Ken Doll looks.

I assume a lot of the credit for this goes to Kirby himself. His Curbside Boys graphic novel remains one of my favorite gay books of all time. His sensibility of realistic characters doing mostly everyday things comes across throughout the various cartoons in “Boy Trouble: Volume Two.” In Craig Bostick’s “Whiskey and a Haircut,” a Lou Reed solo album becomes the soundtrack for a slightly reciprocated flirtation with a straight boy. Ed Luce’s “Chat Attack” details some of the more laughable aspects of shopping for dick online.

It is still cartoons, though, so not everything falls under the “slice of life” umbrella. Justin Hall’s “Evil Bear Man,” one of the books funnier moments, recounts what happens when a New York escort is payed to act out a Batman and Robin Seduction scene.

It’s hard for me to describe exactly why gay comics are so affecting to me, but I think it has to do with the simplicty, and childhood memories, that come with comics being combined with the much more adult realities of being gay. It’s really worth checking out. If nothing else I said above convinces you of that, I should reiterate the fact that Batman fucks Robin on pg. 53.

The book unfortunately doesn’t have much in the way of ladies (it is called Boy Trouble, afterall,) but those looks for gay girl cartoons are advised to follow TNG Maggie’s own “Lefthand Lesbians” series. The new format should be putting Alison Bechdel out of business within 6 months.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 6

Guest Contributor — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the sixth installment of a new seven-part “Ex Files” tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday, for now. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 5

Guest Contributor — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:25:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the fifth installment of a new seven-part “Ex Files” tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 4

Guest Contributor — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the fourth installment of a new seven-part “Ex Files” tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 3

Guest Contributor — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the third installment of a new seven-part Ex Files tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 2

Guest Contributor — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the second installment of a new seven-part Ex Files tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files – At Seventeen, Part 1

Guest Contributor — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the first installment of a new seven-part Ex Files tale, donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions of the Ex Files, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files, Pt. 8

Guest Contributor — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the eighth in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex-Files, Pt. 7

Guest Contributor — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the seventh in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex-Files, Pt. 6

Guest Contributor — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the sixth in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Click the strip above for a full-sized version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex-Files, Pt. 5

Guest Contributor — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the fifth in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Click the strip above to see a larger version. Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Robert’s full bio is below the fold.

Robert Kirby has been way over the rainbow for many years and as such is pleased to participate in The New Gay. His comic strip “Curbside” has been a regular feature in the gay and alternative presses for many years (astute DC readers may remember it from Metro Weekly where it ran in the late 90s to the early 00s). “Curbside” has been collected in two paperback books: the cleverly titled Curbside (Hobnob Press) from 1998, and Curbside Boys (Cleis Press) in 2002. He is also the founder of the alternative gay boy comics zine Boy Trouble, the best of which was collected in The Book of Boy Trouble from Green Candy Press in 2006; there is a sequel forthcoming in fall 2008, The Book of Boy Trouble Volume 2, which will be all-new, all-color, all-cool and also from Green Candy Press. Rob lives in Minneapolis with another boy and a dog. Website: www.curb-side.com; email: curbside2@earthlink.net.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex-Files, Pt. 4

Guest Contributor — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the fourth in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex-Files, Pt. 3

Guest Contributor — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:15:00 +0000

Click image for larger version.

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the third in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes.

Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions, too.

Curbside: Curbside: The Ex Files, pt. 2

Guest Contributor — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Click image for larger version.

Yup, TNG still has a comic strip. This is the second in a series of comics donated to us by Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, that follow an unnamed narrator on a tour through his exes. Again, I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate cartoon sex.

Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday. You can check out past editions here.

Curbside: TNG Has a Comic Strip!

Guest Contributor — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:34:00 +0000

Click on comic for full-size view.

Check it out — TNG has a comic strip! Robert Kirby, author of Curbside Boys, the surprisingly realistic comic series about a group of gay boys in New York, has agreed to donate us a couple editions of his latest series of Curbside comics. Though they don’t feature any of characters from Curbside Boys, this exploration of the unnamed narrator’s exes shows Kirby’s humor, signature drawing style and knack for drawing surprisingly appealing cartoon nudity.

Expect to see editions of Curbside on our site every other Friday.