Sex-positive, uncensored, wholeheartedly queer and often irrevocably “smutty”: Amongst the endless doom-scrolling committed by most of the nation during the pandemic, a new-wave of cartoonists has emerged, bringing with them an optimistic, pop-culture approach to cartooning. And a generation of young people are latching on.
On one Instagram account, an illustrated Mr Burns holds his new, bouncing breasts between his hands, his crop top reading: “Please sign the petition for Gender Affirmation Surgery.” Further down, Lisa Simpson flips the middle finger while holding a placard reading: “Bottoms and Tops Hate the Cops.”
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It’s all part of the growing 14,000-follower account of Melbourne’s Al Suarez, who is helping curate a new generation’s queer-haven of political erotica – stoked by early 2000’s nostalgia.
“Welcome to my diabolical, rotted little quagmire of smut”, reads the bio on Suarez’s aptly titled Simpson_smut Instagram page. A ripped Selma, with pet lizard Jub Jub wrapped around her bicep, is set as the profile picture.
“My idea behind the account is to take things that are so ingrained in the Western imagination and make them a reflection of my lived experience: queer and political,” Suarez told VICE, “and using them to potentially capture the attention of people that might not otherwise engage, but also to reflect back people’s experiences of diversity as well.”
It signals a move from the cartoons found in traditional news media – one adrift with old, white men with outdated sentiments. The axing of Michael Leunig from his coveted spot in The Age felt like a shift of this era – and perhaps the end of it.
Leunig’s last cartoon, a man postured against a tank with a vaccine posed as its barrel, was a nod to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, as well as a comment on Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ vaccine policy. After his removal, an interview with Leunig in The Australian revealed that Gay Alcorn, Editor at the Age, felt that the cartoon was not in line with public sentiment, as well as the Age’s readership. Less subtle takes on Twitter read: “76-year-old white male cartoonist axed after being shit at his job.”
“I haven’t looked at cartoons in the Age or other newspapers in a long time. But last time I did they seemed pretty dated, or stuck,” said Suarez. “Mainstream newspapers aren’t daring or outspoken. I think an account like mine has gotten traction because of that.”
Suarez launched their account at the start of the pandemic, inspired by a painting of “Bart Simpson with a juicy, juicy bum” by one of their artist friends. Since then, the account has gained thousands of followers through its takes on social issues like Black Lives Matter and Trans Rights.
Some of their most recent posts, advocating for vaccine mandates, see Selma and Patty posing naked aside Jub Jub, wrapped in a sexy nurse outfit, with the caption “getting vaxxed made me hotter”. In another, Princess Warrior stands atop a syringe, the words “AstraZeneca” framed above her.
“The first post I did on vaccines was very much for the queers of the world, but the others were designed to be more shareable, for family and friends that might not be ready to jump in,” said Suarez.
“There’s a lot to be said about the reach of this type of political cartoon and online activism. I’m a strong believer in the conversations we can have to change people’s minds. You know: how far can we take these things to make an actual difference?”
Though growing in popularity, Suarez’s cartoons have not found themselves without pushback. Instagram once banned one of the cartoons: a full-breasted Mr. Burns milking into a glass. In retaliation, Suarez re-drew and re-uploaded a new version of the image with Mr. Smither’s face as his nipples. Other instances, like their most recent post discussing a medicare rebate for gender affirmation surgery, saw fiery dialogue between a commenter and Suarez’s following.
“I mulled over deleting comments, but I think it’s important to present ideas that invite people to maybe consider things outside of their experience,” said Suarez. “I think those things can be really valuable to have around for people to see.”
Suarez is not alone in their nostalgic reckoning of queer cartoons. Kitty Crystal, Melbourne cartoonist and lead animator on the upcoming film Are You Still Watching?, draws illustrious scapes of dewy-eyed girls surrounded by captions like ‘Sex Workers Don’t Get Sick Leave’. In one post, Sailor Moon glares through the screen. ‘End Police Brutality’, it reads.
Another cartoonist, LA-based Mino Sanchez – also known as Cocteautwinks – draws “queer shit on microsoft paint”. The Powerpuff girls, Donkey Kong and Dragon Ball Z make appearances on his feed, interlocked in various sex-acts. We see Goku bent over with Buyon above him, the caption reading ‘Dragon Ballz Deep’.
Shared between the cartoonists is a fascination with pop-culture iconography, signifying that while nostalgia can take us back to the past, it can also open us up to the present.
“You can make light with others and diabolical situations or circumstances and take the heaviness out of certain things as they pop-up in our lives,” said Suarez, “There’s so much to engage with. Perhaps this is how we engage with it in a way that’s more meaningful, but also that’s an ongoing question.”
As Suarez and other cartoonists explore topics on sexuality, trans-rights, and race in a way that is widely uninhibited, traditional media suffers from being out-of-touch. Suarez has found a way to connect on dual levels with their community, both through social issues important to young people and through transportive pop-culture nostalgia.
Follow Julie Fenwick on Twitter and Instagram.
