Our Comics Ratings & Philosophy

Adult Content Ratings

Right now, we have three categories: PG-13, R, and NSFW. (If it's not listed, we haven't read it yet to evaluate.) These are obviously not quite what the movie industry uses, so here's how we're defining them:

PG-13: Content is probably okay to give to your teenaged kids. You wouldn't feel awkward if someone saw you reading this in public.

R: Contains violence, nudity, and/or offensive language. May contain objectionable or triggering material. If you have questions regarding sexual assault, homophobia, racism, etc. in a comic, please feel free to ask via email or Twitter. We'll try to get you an answer before you pick something up that will make you feel unsafe.

NSFW: Most of these are erotica. You probably won't want to read this on the train. This is the kind of stuff you'd feel awkward sharing with your kids or grandparents or whathaveyou. Some of the content in this category will be largely plot driven, with only brief episodes of explicit sex. You should be able to figure out what's what by the synopsis and/or review.

What is "Romanceiness?"

Yeah, it's not a real word. It's a category we're using to help you find the content you want. Not all queer comics are about relationships, and not all comics that have romantic elements are true romance stories. Here's what you can expect, broadest category first:

Romantic Elements: If there's a love story (or happy sexy times) to be found in the comic but it is not the focus of the story, it's probably in this group. Look at the tags! Erotica is likely going to be classified here, unless it follows a couple through their courtship to a Happy Ever After.

Definitely a Romance: These stories follow a traditional romantic arc and will get you to a Happy Ever After (or a Happy for Now). A lot of these stories will be about queer folks. Check the tags to find what you're looking for.

LGBTQ+ Elements: This is how we'll identify stories featuring queer characters or issues that aren't romantic in nature. This might be a story about a trans person just living their life. Could be a young gay man trying to find his first job. Could be an anthology of queer comics by queer creators that may or may not be romantic in nature. Sexuality and identity are so closely tied to the ways in which we find and experience love that Love in Panels would not be complete without representing the spectrum.

Diversity

This site  covers all manner of relationships between consenting adults. Comics (particularly indie and webcomics) have long been a place where the LGBTQ+ community can find thoughtful representation, and we seek to promote that. Creators of Color have been publishing amazing comics for decades, working around a mainstream publishing industry that ignored them. We will also be featuring their work. While we will seek to avoid work that is openly offensive, we welcome feedback from readers. Basically, this site is being run by an able-bodied monogamous white woman and her husband. We're probably going to miss stuff, both positive and negative. 

Funding

This site is a labor of *cough* love, and LiP isn't looking to get rich. When we link to Kickstarters, webcomics, creator sites, or indie presses, we aren't going to be making any money from your purchases/reading. If you buy through Amazon or another affiliate, we'll receive a few pennies. Please try to buy directly from creators. They work hard to bring you the content you love, and they deserve to eat. Short of that, go to your local comic book store and ask them to order your print volumes.