Finding Aid to the Tim Barela Leonard and Larry Comic Strips, 1983-2003
Coll2014.018
Finding aid prepared by Loni Shibuyama
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California, 90007
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
(c) 2014
Title: Tim Barela Leonard and Larry comic strips
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2014.018
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
6.25 linear feet.
5 flat archive boxes.
Date (inclusive): 1983-2003
Abstract: Original ink comic strips and cover art from
Leonard & Larry, 1983-2003, a gay comic strip created and written by Tim Barela.
Leonard & Larry debuted in the pages of
Gay Comix in 1984, and was regularly featured in the
Advocate (1988-1990) and
Frontiers (1990-2002) magazines.
creator:
Barela, Tim, 1954-
Historical Note
Tim Barela is a Los Angeles cartoonist and creator of the gay comic strip
Leonard & Larry. He was born in 1954 in Temecula, California. He began work as a cartoonist in the mid-1970s. In the 1980s he created the
comic strip
Leonard & Larry, which focused on the life of a middle-aged gay couple living in West Hollywood.
Leonard & Larry first appeared in
Gay Comix in 1984. The strip then moved to the
Advocate magazine in 1988 where it ran once a month for two years. In 1990 the comic moved to
Frontiers magazine where it ran every other week for 12 years. The comic has since been published by Palliard Press in four volumes:
Domesticity Isn't Pretty (1993),
Kurt Cobain and Mozart Are Both Dead (1996),
Excerpts From the Ring Cycle in Royal Albert Hall (2000), and
How Real Men Do It (2003).
The strip focuses on the domestic life of Leonard and Larry and their increasingly diverse group of friends. Leonard is a
fashion photographer and Larry owns a leather shop in West Hollywood. The characters age in real time as the strip progresses
and follows the couple as they deal with everyday domestic problems, such as parenting; but it also touched on issues that
came up in the national media, such as gay celebrities outing themselves.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Acquisition
Gift of Timothy J. Barela, July 12, 2011.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] Tim Barela
Leonard and Larry Comic Strips, Coll2014-018, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Sarah Wilson, April 2014.
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises original ink comic strips and cover art from
Leonard & Larry, 1983-2003, a gay comic strip created and written by Tim Barela. Included are the comic strips that were published in
Gay Comix,
Gay Ink,
Advocate, and
Frontiers; as well as cover art from Barela's four book collections of
Leonard & Larry comics.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Alternative comics
Cartoons and comics
Comic books, strips, etc.
Comic strip characters
Gay cartoonists
Box 1
Leonard & Larry unused and promotional art
1983-1992
Box 2
Leonard & Larry
1984-1988
Box 3
Leonard & Larry, #1-113
circa 1984-2003
Box 4
Leonard & Larry, #114-206
circa 1990-2002
Box 5
Leonard & Larry, #208-303
circa 1990-2002
Box 1
Domesticity Isn't Pretty cover art
1993
Box 1
Kurt Cobain and Mozart Are Both Dead cover art
1995
Box 1
Excerpts From the Ring Cycle in Royal Albert Hall cover art
1999
Box 1
How Real Men Do It cover art
2003
