Get the biggest stories sent straight to your inbox Sign up for regular updates and breaking news from WalesOnline Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

His comic book creations fight the sort of ignorance and prejudice writer Joe Glass was forced to grow up with.

Now the 31-year-old wants to take his team of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender superheroes global.

Read more: The 40 most influential LGBT people in Wales

Joe, from the Rhondda , was a teenager when he first dreamt up the stories that follow rainbow-caped FabMan and his crime fighting team.

As a result he now works with artists from around the world on his comic.

What started it all off?

“I’ve been a fan of comic books since I was in my early teens,” he said.

“But as a gay teenager coming to terms with my own sexuality, it was quite hard to see myself in the characters I was looking at.”

Joe’s first comic series was called The Pride, which had six issues, along with sister project The Pride Adventures, which ran for three editions.

What's the dream now?

He has now launched a campaign on crowd funding platform Kickstarter in a bid to raise funds to print all the stories in one collection.

“For me, it’s about being able to see myself in my favourite media,” he explained.

“Everyone needs to see themselves in what they read. Everyone wants to see a character who is like them – a character they can relate to.”

Joe was bullied when he was growing up

Growing up in Treorchy , Joe, who was bullied as a youngster, considers himself “lucky”.

“There was bullying, but nothing extreme,” he recalled.

“It was never physical, more psychological. I’ve met people who have been through far worse. I was lucky to have loving parents.”

What else has he done?

He has worked on other projects, including a zombie horror comedy series Stiffs, and was encouraged by his friends to publish The Pride.

The characters in the series include FabMan, Bear, Twink, Wolf, Muscle Mary, Frost and Angel – inspired by LGBT slang.

More: Three Welsh MPs in a photo of the most lesbian, gay or bisexual parliamentarians ever pictured together

“Each character represents aspects of the LGBT spectrum,” said Joe.

“Some people say X-Men is like an analogy for gay rights, but it’s just an analogy and that makes you feel there is something to be hidden.

So, what are his characters like?

“I wanted more than that, I wanted characters who were honest, upfront and open about their sexuality.”

He added: “A big part of what I wanted to show is that the community is diverse.

“This isn’t just a bunch of gay white men, we’ve got bisexual and transgender characters too.”

And it's not just about being gay

Joe has also created characters who are pansexual – meaning they are attracted to people of any sex or gender identity – and asexual – who do not have sexual feelings.

He hopes the comics will be enjoyed by heterosexual readers too and can help increase understanding of the challenges faced by the LGBT community.

“I wanted to create a fun superhero story as well,” he said.

“It’s a serious topic, but with an element of humour. I’ve always said if you can’t laugh at yourself, you can’t laugh at anything.”

Who is the audience?

The writer believes his comics have reached thousands of readers all over the world, with many accessing them through an online app.

“In my head, it was worth it, even if only five people read it, but it’s actually done really well,” he said.

More: The 12 top LGBT employers in Wales

“It’s amazing there has been such an audience. The feedback has been very positive.”

How you can help Joe

Joe self-funded his previous publications using crowd funding site Indiegogo and is now trying to raise £13,000 for his latest print run.

The collection will have more than 260 pages, with contributions from about 20 local and international artists, from France, Spain and the USA.

He said: “We want to bring The Pride to as big an audience as possible.”

For more information and to support the project, search The Pride Hardcover Collection on Kickstarter .