 The strip was unsuccessful, and he pitched another strip featuring those two characters to LGBT news magazine "The Advocate" which also turned it down.Editor Robert Triptow encouraged Barela to develop the Leonard & Larry strip into longer multi-page stories, which was first featured in "Gay Comix" #5.Following its debut, Leonard & Larry would go on to be featured in "Gay Comix" #7 in 1986, "Gay Comix" #10 in 1987, "Gay Comics" #14 in 1991, as well as its own special issue of "Gay Comix" dedicated to Leonard & Larry in 1992.