Final Project Idea 1 :Xingyu Wang

 I'm interested to see how comics have gone from kinda hidden to totally mainstream, especially the parts about LGBTQ+ themes. Like, from 1954 to 1989, any LGBTQ content was banned by the Comics Code Authority in mainstream American comics, leaving only subtle hints and subtext related to LGBTQ characters' sexual orientations and identities. But starting in the 1970s, comics with LGBTQ themes began appearing in the underground comics scene. The first openly gay character in an American comic book showed up in the late 1970s in a well-known series and got really popular in the 1980s. By the 1990s, equal and open LGBTQ themes became more common in mainstream American comics, even with some comics starring gay characters. And in Japan, comics talking about LGBTQ+ topics also went from very subtle expressions to completely mainstream. These classic gay stories definitely include hugely different backgrounds and life stories, enormous obstacles keeping the two people apart, tangled and complex feelings, and the deeply profound emotions that emerge. All these elements create an irresistible tragic beauty, pure, sharp, cruel, romantic... I really want to figure out how this shift and even idealized love have helped people all over the world better understand and accept the LGBTQ+ community. It's like these comics have opened a new window for people to peek into and experience parts of the LGBTQ+ life.