Just in time for its twenty-fifth anniversary, First Second is republishing Howard Cruse's groundbreaking intersectional graphic novel about coming out and finding your voice during the civil rights movement.



Set in Alabama in the 1960s, Stuck Rubber Baby tells the story of Toland Polk, a young man who is deeply in the closet and hell-bent on 'fixing' his homosexuality. Toland is not prone to making waves, but he finds himself drawn to a lively group of civil rights activists. With his new friends, he starts frequenting sit-ins and gay bars. This raises the ire of local bigots and quite literally brings the Klan to his doorstep. This painstakingly researched and exquisitely illustrated graphic novel draws on Howard Cruse's experience as a young gay man in 1960s Birmingham, Alabama. Both deeply personal and epic in scope, Stuck Rubber Baby is a rich and moving tale of identity and resistance.