A Complete Guide to 'Marvel's Voices: Pride' #1

Now on Marvel Unlimited, MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE #1 honors Pride with our first-ever queer-centered special spotlighting Marvel’s growing tapestry of LGBTQ+ characters. These stories of inspiration and empowerment will be brought to life by an assembly of writers and artists from all walks of life including Kieron Gillen, Olivier Coipel, Steve Orlando, Anthony Oliveira, Tini Howard, Vita Ayala, Kris Anka, Javier Garrón, and many more!

MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE #1 will also explore the history of LGBTQ+ inclusion and storytelling at Marvel Comics, including an interview with former Associate Editor Chris Cooper.

Today, we're giving you an inside look at some of the all-new tales along with what their creators have to say about the issue! Let's dive right in!

Starring Prodigy and Speed

Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Jen Hickman
Colors by Brittany Peer

"I didn't think I'd ever write these two again, or any of the Young Avengers kids," said Kieron Gillen. "But when editor Sarah Brunstad asked me to write a story, this little slice-of-life-and-slice-of-pizza story just burst into my head. Getting to do something personal and intimate like this, in a book like this, is a huge honour."

Starring Karma

Written by Vita Ayala
Art by Joanna Estep
Layouts by Brittney Williams
Colors by Brittany Peer

"To be able to participate in this issue is a blessing," said Vita Ayala. "And to get to write a Karma-centric story for it is so exciting! She deserves the spotlight and the love!"

Starring Iceman

Written by Anthony Oliveira
Art by Javier Garrón
Colors by David Curiel

"I've been reading Marvel Comics since I was a painfully shy, painfully closeted kid, and I always recognized in Iceman's long struggle something of my own," shared Anthony Oliveira. "When he tried to come out to his friends and couldn't, when his home life was difficult and closed off, when he blanketed his world in snow instead of confronting what was wrong...it always felt like Bobby and I were finding our way together. I wanted to honour that history, and these characters who made a lonely queer kid like me feel less alone."

Starring Daken and Somnus

Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Claudia Aguirre
Somnus Character Design by Luciano Vecchio

"MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE is here!" exclaimed Steve Orlando. "And with it, a chapter of Daken's early life we've never seen before. And why not? He's kept that one night with Somnus a secret since it went down! But the Krakoan Era makes him rethink that night, and Daken realizes there's little point in utopia if we can't pay it forward. This is that story, a bow to the past and an eye to the future. A grateful acknowledgment of just how far we've come as a community, as well as the fact that we've got more work to do. With Daken and Somnus at our side, let's explore a story that celebrates our strides, and tackles the challenges to come."

In case you missed it, discover how Steve Orlando and Luciano Vecchio dreamt up the character Somnus' debut, as well as a sneak peek at how Vecchio spotlighted Marvel's LGQBT+ characters and moments in the introduction for this issue!

Starring Mystique and Destiny

Written by Tini Howard
Art by Samantha Dodge
Colors by Brittany Peer

"[Editor] Sarah Brunstad and I have worked together several times in the past, and we're always enjoying a chance to spotlight and write about queer characters—especially complicated women and the women they love," said Tini Howard. "While we were brainstorming, Sarah pointed out that this year is the 40th anniversary of Irene Adler, aka the mutant precognitive known as Destiny. I mostly work in the X-office these days, and if you're reading those books right now, you know that Mystique's love for Destiny is a central, heartbreaking part of Krakoa's story. I couldn't help but want to tell a story from their past that strengthens that story in the present."

Starring Black Cat and Jessie Drake

Written by Leah Williams
Art by Jan Bazaldua
Colors by Erick Arciniega

"Sarah Brunstad was an incredible editor in bringing this anthology together," stated Leah Williams. "It was such a fun project to contribute to, and it’s an honor to introduce readers to Krakoa’s newest superstar by reintroducing an important Marvel legacy—Jessie Drake!"

Starring Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean

Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Kris Anka
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain

Starring Anole

Written by Terry Blas
Art by Paulina Ganucheau
Layouts by Kendall Goode

"When I was young, I'd never have dreamed a comic like this would be made, and with awesome Marvel Super Heroes!" said Terry Blas. "I feel so honored to contribute a story, especially one about Anole, a character that struggles with his physical self-confidence but is reminded of how great he is by Jonas Graymalkin. I wanted to tell a story about the importance of having gay friends and how they can lift you up and understand and support you."

Starring Northstar

Written by JJ Kirby
Art by JJ Kirby

Starring Elektra and Dr. Charlene McGowan

Written by Lilah Sturges
Art by Derek Charm
Colors by Brittany Peer

I wanted to do a story that had a trans character at its heart, and say a little something about being trans, but I wanted it to be good, silly fun and not anything serious or overwhelming," shared Lilah Sturges. "So much of what we see about trans people in the media can be negative and upsetting, even when it's coming from a good place, so it was such a thrill for me to provide a happy trans story to Marvel's first-ever Pride special. I hope folks like it!"

Starring Titania and She-Hulk

Written by Crystal Frasier
Art by Jethro Morales
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg

"I was so excited when Sarah offered me the chance to work with Marvel and even more excited that she approved my She-Hulk story," said Crystal Frasier. "She-Hulk meant so much to me when I was little, and I put a lot of my own childhood experience into the pages of that story. It's a genuine honor to be telling stories to help a new generation find themselves, love who they are, and figure out who they can be."

Additional story starring Wiccan and Hulkling

Written by Allan Heinberg
Art by Jim Cheung

"When Jim Cheung and I started working on YOUNG AVENGERS in 2004, I could not have imagined the existence of a Marvel Comics Pride special, let alone that Wiccan and Hulkling would be part of it," said Allan Heinberg. "I’m eternally grateful to Jim, Marcello Maiolo, Sarah Brunstad, Tom Brevoort, and everyone at Marvel for inviting us back to celebrate Pride with the Young Avengers."

Read Marvel's Voices: Pride #1 on Marvel Unlimited today!

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