Jerry Mills

1951–1993

Jerry Mills was an American cartoonist best-known for his long-running Poppers serial and is considered a pioneering figure in LGBTQ+ comics.

Mills began his career as an illustrator on the advice of his editor during his time as the subscription manager of In Touch, a gay men’s magazine. Poppers was first published in In Touch for Men and was later picked up by Advocate Men. The comic strip’s title references amyl nitrate, a recreational drug associated with gay club culture. Poppers was reprinted internationally in French and Japanese publications, Gai pied hebdo and Barazoku respectively.

Poppers stars the muscular Billy from West Hollywood and his casual sexual encounters with other men. He is joined by a cast of recurring characters, including his unlucky-in-love friend Yves, the flamboyant queen Andre, and his talking pubic louse named Buster. Together, they navigate gay nightlife, cruising and bathhouses in the 1970s.

Mills featured in the Gay Comix anthology series which ran from 1980 to 1998. The ninth edition was devoted entirely to a retrospective of Poppers. Mills was one of only two artists to receive this honor, the other being Alison Bechdel for Dykes to Watch Out For.

Mills contributed to the inaugural Meatman anthology of gay comic artists. In his introduction, he wrote: “Comics and gays. They go together well; after all they have one major thing in common: both tend not to get any respect”. [1]

Beyond his career as a cartoonist artist, Mills was active in AIDS-era activism. He attended ACT UP meetings at the group’s Los Angeles chapter. [2] Mills designed posters for Queer Nation and contributed to Strip AIDS USA, a benefit comic supporting the Shanti Project in San Francisco which provided care for people living with AIDS.

Mills died of AIDS-related complications in 1993 and was survived by his partner, Sal Lucarello.