She’s responsible for Marvel’s first lesbian superhero, Miss America! Now, this queer Latina writer has her own comic book that empowers children and teens, and encourages them to explore their own identity.
b.b. free is a coming-of-age series that follows b.b.free, a teen who lives in the dystopian Florida Islands. The story is set in an alternative world, where a disease called “The Plague That Ate Greed” wiped out the wealthiest people and natural disasters wreaked havoc on everything else.
b.b. free can only communicate with the rest of the world through a radio show. She eventually discovers a secret that pushes her to venture outside the swamp she’s known all her life in order to uncover the truth. B.b.free also finds her true identity along the way.
In a world filled with intense pressure to follow the status quo, this comic book inspires LGBTQ+ Latinx youth to embrace their full identities. Fitting in is tough enough for anyone, but for queer children there are numerous challenges to overcome, and comic books like Gabby’s can make a huge impact in their lives.
Gabby describes b.b. free as a “ bouncy love letter to queer kids everywhere, especially the chubby Puerto Rican ones.” Rivera is teaming up with artist Royal A. Dunlap to release the series on November 6.
