Stuck Rubber Baby

Howard Cruse’s landmark graphic novel, originally published by DC’s Paradox Press imprint in 1995, is a deeply personal, semi-autobiographical story set in the racially charged American South of the 1960s. Through the eyes of a young white gay man named Toland Polk, Cruse weaves a powerful narrative that intertwines the struggle for civil rights with the journey of coming out. Written and drawn entirely by Cruse, it stands as a pioneering work in comics for its unflinching, humanistic exploration of identity, prejudice, and activism. A single, self-contained volume, Stuck Rubber Baby remains a vital, award-caliber classic that expanded the medium’s capacity for serious, adult storytelling.