Gay icon a prototypical portrait of a tortured closet case." Due to Saint Sebastian's status as a gay icon, Tennessee Williams chose to use the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his play, "Suddenly, Last Summer". The name was also used by Oscar Wilde—as Sebastian Melmoth—when in exile after his release from prison. Wilde, an Irish writer and poet, was about as "out of the closet" as was possible for the late 19th century, and is himself considered to be a gay icon. Marie Antoinette was an early lesbian icon. Rumors about her relationships with women circulated in pornographic detail
Melmoth (comics) on what Gerhard could find in library architecture books. He couldn't find anything specific about the doctor's office or Wilde's final resting place, aside from Wilde's "famous last line" indicating that the "wallpaper had to be really ugly." He drew inspiration from Barry Windsor Smith for the series covers. The story was originally serialized in "Cerebus" #139–150. The issues were further numbered "Melmoth Zero" ("Cerebus" #139, October 1990) through "Melmoth Eleven" ("Cerebus" #150, September 1991), although this numbering is not acknowledged in the collection. The collection appeared in October 1991. It included an 11-page text section with reproductions of letters