Stuck Rubber Baby - A Black and White, Gay and Straight, Civil Rights-Era Graphic Novel

By Howard Cruse

In the 1960s American South, Toland Polk is a young guy who works at a gas station. He's rejected from the Army draft for admitting to "homosexual tendencies," and falls in with a group of friends who are civil rights activists, are into folk music, and go to integrated and gay-friendly nightclubs.

And from the publisher:

"Toland's story is both deeply personal and epic in scope, as his search for identity plays out against the brutal fight over segregation, an unplanned pregnancy and small-town bigotry, aided by an unforgettable supporting cast."

This is a new, 15th anniversary edition, with an intro by Alison Bechdel. It's won a number of graphic novel awards, including the Eisner and Comics Creators Awards, and The Comics Journal included "Stuck Rubber Baby" among its listing of the "100 Best Comics of the Century."

My thanks to Andrew for the recommendation. Please add your review of "Stuck Rubber Baby" in comments!