Here, sequential art is used to delineate and untangle the sticky webs of queer theory discourse, past to present. In a style similar to that of Scott McCloud's seminal Understanding Comics-albeit richer with text-author Barker (psychology, Open Univ.; Rewriting the Rules) describes the contributions of pertinent scholars, as well as the landmark developments in this school of thought and those that led up to it, in accessible prose. Artist Scheele's black-and-white illustrations range from portraits and commentary cartoons to diagrams complemented by other explanatory drawings that enliven and strengthen the content. Readers will have to backtrack to keep all the names and concepts straight (no pun intended), and the volume is positively biased toward queer theory without a complete examination of its implications. Still, it succeeds in opening its rarified subject matter to nonacademic audiences and disrupting assumptions and preconceptions about gender and sexuality, not to mention race, class, and the idea of "normal." Verdict Queer is the sort of primer on oft-complex ideas highly recommended to undergraduate students and curious lay readers; former undergrads will wish they had such resources when they were hacking through this difficult material. Includes profanity and provocative content; suitable for teens and up. [See Tom Batten's "Picture the Possibilities," ow.ly/u6HN30411xf.]-J. Osicki, Saint John Free P.L., NB © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Subjects as daunting as physics, genetics, and hoo-boy! chemistry have been successfully given graphic-novel treatment, so perhaps the same can be done with queer theory. Barker and Scheele certainly try, admitting only the most obvious complaint about it, that it's hard to get a handle on. Really, it's not as difficult as its detractors say. Barker and Scheele trace its fairly familiar prehistory through nineteenth-century sexologists, Freud, Kinsey, mid-twentieth-century sex therapists, and the gay rights movement, then turn to the broad range of scholars and cultural critics who, influenced by feminism and social-justice advocacy, concocted versions of queer theory and have kept it mercurial. In essence, they disclose, queer theory is a method of reductive critical analysis bent on questioning conceptions of sexual identity, sexuality, and gender that, even inadvertently, create categories of ins and outs or hierarchies of value. The mode of presentation is the familiar text over, around, and under bold-lined drawings cartoony for merely illustrative figures, realistic for real persons (Scheele is a dab hand at simple, faithful portraiture).--Olson, Ray Copyright 2016 Booklist

Academic/activist Barker (Rewriting the Rules) attempts to demystify the ideas that make up queer theory's framework, accompanied by plenty of illustrative and humorous cartoons from Scheele (Metroland). Spanning from 19th-century sexology and Freud to modern queer theorists such as Julia Serano and Sara Ahmed, Barker analyzes the history of the word queer itself, examining the progressive and regressive aspects of theory's most vital thinkers. Though Scheele's portraits are somewhat lazily copied and pasted throughout the book (reminiscent of her zine work), her diagrams and visual aids are invaluable in understanding Barker's more intricate explanations. Perhaps most importantly, Barker and Scheele make sure to emphasize that while queer theory has many problems with race, disability, and various hierarchies, the nature of queerness ensures that these issues can be changed. This hopeful and welcoming attitude should encourage readers to queer their own lives in whatever ways feel right. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.